Article: Jared Spurgeon Is Invincible For The Wild

[Thomas Williams]

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[Citizen Strife]

The team turned it around when they said, "These guys have been the Top 4D, let them show it.". I understand the allure of giving Buium and Jiricek chances, but results don't lie.  This team will keep winning as long as Spurgeon keeps doing Spurgeon things.  Turns out to still be a lot.

[mnfaninnc]

Nice stolen game last night, Guus held us in the game. It wasn't his save% that was so outstanding, it was the timing. That is a very important trait for a goalie, the timing of the saves. 

Has anyone else noticed that when Buium rushes the puck up, a forward drops back? Buium gains the line with speed, but no forwards are driving and it usually resorts in a dumped puck into the corner. We should be taking advantage of his talent and rushing to outnumber the opponent. 

This is a nice run by Spurgeon who backed up his players' only meeting. The results have been very good, but results usually lag. Has anyone else noticed that Spurgeon is falling down a lot this season? I'm not sure why, but, to me, this is a red flag that says "warning, cliff ahead." I still believe trading him to Detroit is the best option.

We need to be focused on building a "contending" roster and acclimating the kids. As a franchise, this fanbase is done with a "competitive" roster. Spurgeon's timeline does not line up with this team's run. He can help Detroit, a team that has been near the top of the division, but are just a couple of losses away from dropping out of the playoffs. Detroit's issue has been being in contention down the stretch and fading for the past 3 seasons. They've had a long drought from the playoffs and a fanbase growing impatient. Spurgeon is a definite upgrade over Hamonic, and buys Detroit enough time for their draft picks to develop. 

Danielson would be the return, and while Detroit has cap space for Spurgeon, we may need to retain, at least this year. While the numbers look solid for Spurgeon, especially this run, the eye test sees something wrong. Since results lag, falling off the cliff also lags even though the signs are pointing that way. I have no idea if Detroit is on Spurgy's M-NTC, but I think he'd be a perfect fit there.

We've got to get younger and faster and acclimate the kids. This is a necessary step. Hunt should be playing, he's been real good and is better than a 7th D. This step cannot be ignored and is always there in transition. No amount of A experience can compare with actual N experience.  It's time to surround the existing kids with a little more from their age group. Danielson fits that mold. We've got to start shedding the older guys, change leaders (which should be done every year), and getting that contending roster ready to go. 

[Citizen Strife]

You've been on this Spurgeon forDanielson thing forever.  I know absolutely nothing about him, so I wonder why.

To counter the "acclimate the kids" point, the Wild tried that and were 30th in the league through 10 games.  You want a "competitive roster," in the playoffs?  How does not getting there do anything but burn a year off Kap's clock?  That is what was gonna happen.  

What we know about "the kids" so far.

Wally: insane

Buium: sometimes offensively gifted, but screws around a lot on a team that isn't predisposed to playing that way.  Better each game though.

Yurov: Some people want him to stay with Kap if Rossi returns, but I think he fits better with Foligno and Trenin getting greasy goals and shutdown.  Could be a sleeper line.

Jiricek and Ohgren: They are nowhere near NHL ready.

If the team was still up shits creek, sure, reckless abandon.  Play all the kids, ability be damned and recoup costs.  The issue is the team rebounded way harder than they had any right to.  Now they don't have the luxury of "accidentally tanking ". But, just maybe, other teams fall off and that elusive Top 6 trade is out there.

The Wild still have to compete for those trade offers.  However, it is a lot easier to come off as a competitive place to play when you actually win...funny how that works.

 

 

 

Edited November 27 by Citizen Strife

[SkolWild73]

7 hours ago, mnfaninnc said:

Danielson would be the return, and while Detroit has cap space for Spurgeon, we may need to retain, at least this year.

First, why would Detroit trade a 21-year-old center that they drafted 9th in 2023 that just made his debut on November 9th, and is signed for nothing for the next three years?  Not to mention for a 36-year-old defenseman making over $7M for this year and another year?  

Also, how does Danielson fit this year at center for us?  Would he replace Ek, Rossi, Sturm or Yurov?  Or is he Sturms replacement in 2027?  

 

[OldDutchChip]

I’d prefer to try to get O’Reilly, and maybe try to pry him for Ohgren, 2nd and Vlady (once back - he is done). 

Edited November 28 by OldDutchChip

[Pewterschmidt]

2 hours ago, OldDutchChip said:

I’d prefer to try to get O’Reilly, and maybe try to pry him for Ohgren, 2nd and Vlady (once back - he is done). 

[Pablo]

Some trade will happen but not likely until the trade deadline. I too don’t understand why Detroit would ship out Danielson. One thing that this win streak has proven, Rossi can be replaced because Yurov is legit. 

[Citizen Strife]

Yes, I see it now.  Rossi scores against the Wild every game till the end of time and goes further in the playoffs because people claimed Yurov was better after 20 games.

How about we just keep both?

Edited November 28 by Citizen Strife

[MNCountryLife]

Trade Spurgeon?   I get why Mnfaninnc wants to trade out Spurgeon.   Spurgeon doesn't align with a multi year cup run team..  and I agree with him. 

The hard part... I am a big fan of Spurgeon.    The guy is a very good player.   He does all the little things right.   Would be tough to see him traded away. 

Edited November 28 by MNCountryLife

[Pewterschmidt]

2 hours ago, Citizen Strife said:

How about we just keep both?

If we want to escape the mushy middle and get beyond the first round we’ve got to win a trade or two.  
no teams are interested in a trenin +nojo+spurgeon +sturm package. 
but can Guerin win a trade?

[Citizen Strife]

Unless the absolute no brainer trade for a Top 3 winger (or God forbid a top scoring center) is Yurov or Rossi, you're kinda boned either way.  Rossi has all the potential in the world still, and I still don't see Yurov as am all around upgrade.  I would rather Rossi and Yurov duke it out as 1 and 2 until one of the either or them or Ek have to be moved for money reasons.  

If for some insane reason McDavid chose the Wild over the other 30, sure.  But he won't.  Teams aren't trading their best players.  They keep getting signed up.  Nothing is saying we can't roll with Rossi, Yurov, and Ek until one or all of them ask for $10m.  

Whatever give trade is out there should be balanced out by "center depth?  On the Wild?  When does that ever happen?

Banking on Yurov (and his woeful faceoff %) to be the guy after 20 games is dumb, when Rossi has 2-3 seasons of similar or better play under his belt.  Yurov should be Hartman's replacement, not Rossi's.

 

Edited November 28 by Citizen Strife

[Citizen Strife]

So many errors on that message.  Stupid phone.

[Pewterschmidt]

2 hours ago, Pewterschmidt said:

If we want to escape the mushy middle and get beyond the first round we’ve got to win a trade or two.  
no teams are interested in a trenin +nojo+spurgeon +sturm package. 
but can Guerin win a trade?

+ Vlad Senko + Hinny Vinny

[Will D. Ness]

On 11/27/2025 at 10:11 AM, mnfaninnc said:

Has anyone else noticed that when Buium rushes the puck up, a forward drops back? Buium gains the line with speed, but no forwards are driving and it usually resorts in a dumped puck into the corner. We should be taking advantage of his talent and rushing to outnumber the opponent.

Eventually, sure but I think Zeev needs to learn how to be more of a playmaker and more tactical before we commit to full send IMO.  It's just a matter of time and experience.  He is so green it's scary but at the same time his instincts and flow look elite.  We need to be patient.

[mnfaninnc]

19 hours ago, SkolWild73 said:

First, why would Detroit trade a 21-year-old center that they drafted 9th in 2023 that just made his debut on November 9th, and is signed for nothing for the next three years?  Not to mention for a 36-year-old defenseman making over $7M for this year and another year?

Why? Because Detroit has had a long drought in making the playoffs. 9 years! Getting to the playoffs is a priority. Spurgeon is a veteran who can fill in the 2nd pairing RHS defense. He is a much better choice than Hamonic. He would be a placeholder until Sandin-Pelikka is ready for the role. Detroit was looking for a 2nd pairing defender through training camp and feel that's a weakness. 

Why Danielson? He's a forward (center) from the '23 draft. He just made his debut, but was likely an injury replacement for Rasmussen. Instead of going after draft picks for Spurgeon, Guerin instead targets a prospect. 

Detroit's problems haven't stemmed from starting fast, they've done that the last 3 years. Their problem is finishing strong, which they haven't been able to do, and defense has been their weakness. They've tried numerous goalies but that's not the problem, it's the defense. Spurgeon settles that down. Even if it's just a short tenure, Yzerman's seat may be getting hot, and GMs with hot seats tend to do what's best for them to keep the job. Detroit has several prospects that could be as good as Danielson. I chose Danielson because he fits the timeline. Kasper does too, but is more established. I liked that Danielson was an RHS. 

Detroit has the money to afford a player like Spurgeon.

[mnfaninnc]

2 hours ago, Will D. Ness said:

Eventually, sure but I think Zeev needs to learn how to be more of a playmaker and more tactical before we commit to full send IMO.  It's just a matter of time and experience.  He is so green it's scary but at the same time his instincts and flow look elite.  We need to be patient.

I think that if we had guys coming in the zone with him and driving the net with the 3rd forward trailing but attacking, we could have a very nice rush. Buium skates well enough to cover for himself, especially if the trailer can either get a shot off on the goalie, or a tic-tac-toe pass for a better shot. 

[FredJohnson]

Some hockey "experts" swore he was washed up and we needed to dump him.

[raithis]

On 11/28/2025 at 2:28 PM, mnfaninnc said:

Why? Because Detroit has had a long drought in making the playoffs. 9 years! Getting to the playoffs is a priority. Spurgeon is a veteran who can fill in the 2nd pairing RHS defense. He is a much better choice than Hamonic. He would be a placeholder until Sandin-Pelikka is ready for the role. Detroit was looking for a 2nd pairing defender through training camp and feel that's a weakness. 

Why Danielson? He's a forward (center) from the '23 draft. He just made his debut, but was likely an injury replacement for Rasmussen. Instead of going after draft picks for Spurgeon, Guerin instead targets a prospect. 

Detroit's problems haven't stemmed from starting fast, they've done that the last 3 years. Their problem is finishing strong, which they haven't been able to do, and defense has been their weakness. They've tried numerous goalies but that's not the problem, it's the defense. Spurgeon settles that down. Even if it's just a short tenure, Yzerman's seat may be getting hot, and GMs with hot seats tend to do what's best for them to keep the job. Detroit has several prospects that could be as good as Danielson. I chose Danielson because he fits the timeline. Kasper does too, but is more established. I liked that Danielson was an RHS. 

Detroit has the money to afford a player like Spurgeon.

I don't think Yzerman's seat is as hot as you think it is.  While slow, there has been incremental strides.

I also think that the abundance of youth playing on that team is intentional.  While adding someone like Spurgeon may help that development somewhat by adding a veteran, it also costs them a roster spot for one of those defenseman they are trying to play.

While they have had trouble getting back in the playoff race, trading Danielson for Spurgeon is the kind of thing that probably has the opposite effect on the fan base in Detroit. 

Even with Spurgeon, they might only make an appearance in the playoffs, and it would cost then a good prospect for trying to rush their trajectory.  That's completely antithetical to what Yzerman is doing.  He doesn't seem to trade out valuable future assets for short-term gains.  He was part of a team that was strong for years.  That wasn't built overnight either.  He seems willing to take the slow, methodical road to do that again.

[mnfaninnc]

22 hours ago, raithis said:

I don't think Yzerman's seat is as hot as you think it is.  While slow, there has been incremental strides.

I also think that the abundance of youth playing on that team is intentional.  While adding someone like Spurgeon may help that development somewhat by adding a veteran, it also costs them a roster spot for one of those defenseman they are trying to play.

While they have had trouble getting back in the playoff race, trading Danielson for Spurgeon is the kind of thing that probably has the opposite effect on the fan base in Detroit. 

Even with Spurgeon, they might only make an appearance in the playoffs, and it would cost then a good prospect for trying to rush their trajectory.  That's completely antithetical to what Yzerman is doing.  He doesn't seem to trade out valuable future assets for short-term gains.  He was part of a team that was strong for years.  That wasn't built overnight either.  He seems willing to take the slow, methodical road to do that again.

This is certainly also a good opinion of the situation. Hamonic would be the guy he replaces, not the other guys. Though, my bet would be the younger guy heads to Grand Rapids as a 1st pair to gain experience and Hamonic goes down to 3rd pair where he really belongs. 

But the rumors were, in the offseason, Detroit was looking for a right handed 2nd pairing defender with offensive upside because they didn't think they're young defenders were ready. 

When trades are made, futures are given up, and I would submit that Danielson is more of a future than current player, even though he's on the roster and appears to be an injury replacement. Spurgy's not a give away player yet, he's got value. As far as fit goes, I think this is the best place for him, but if he's on the market, I think more than 1 team would be very interested.

[raithis]

1 hour ago, mnfaninnc said:

This is certainly also a good opinion of the situation. Hamonic would be the guy he replaces, not the other guys. Though, my bet would be the younger guy heads to Grand Rapids as a 1st pair to gain experience and Hamonic goes down to 3rd pair where he really belongs. 

But the rumors were, in the offseason, Detroit was looking for a right handed 2nd pairing defender with offensive upside because they didn't think they're young defenders were ready. 

When trades are made, futures are given up, and I would submit that Danielson is more of a future than current player, even though he's on the roster and appears to be an injury replacement. Spurgy's not a give away player yet, he's got value. As far as fit goes, I think this is the best place for him, but if he's on the market, I think more than 1 team would be very interested.

Yes, futures are often part of trades but I think Danielson is part of their plan and not a player that would be available.

Also, while I don't think they would mind Spurgeon, I think they would want a mentor with more size since all their defenseman are in the 6'-6'6" range.  If Yzerman wants a player with experience to help mentor the younger guys, he'll probably want someone who will play more like he wants his team to play.  Spurgeon has a good head for the game, but his approach would be different.  New Jersey is going to have to move someone once their injured players get healthy and I feel like Hamilton is probably the player they move once that comes to a head.  Whether Hamilton ends up in Detroit, I've no idea, but I could see that being the case more so than Spurgeon.

[mnfaninnc]

If you've got a bunch of trees, you can have a Spurgeon, there's room for him. He comes in $2m cheaper than Hamilton. Plus, he's very, very good at getting his team to the playoffs. Hamilton is not a deciding factor in that. Canes made the playoffs with and without him, Calgary didn't make the playoffs with him, Boston made it with or without him, NJ has missed with him.

[Pewterschmidt]

2 hours ago, mnfaninnc said:

This is certainly also a good opinion of the situation. Hamonic would be the guy he replaces, not the other guys. Though, my bet would be the younger guy heads to Grand Rapids as a 1st pair to gain experience and Hamonic goes down to 3rd pair where he really belongs. 

But the rumors were, in the offseason, Detroit was looking for a right handed 2nd pairing defender with offensive upside because they didn't think they're young defenders were ready. 

When trades are made, futures are given up, and I would submit that Danielson is more of a future than current player, even though he's on the roster and appears to be an injury replacement. Spurgy's not a give away player yet, he's got value. As far as fit goes, I think this is the best place for him, but if he's on the market, I think more than 1 team would be very interested.

I’ll again say that I think you are waaaaaay over valuing spurge’s market value, but I’d love to be wrong.