Wild defenseman Jared Spurgeon returned to practice Friday for the first time since being sidelined after two games with a lower-body injury related to his surgeries last season, relays John Shipley of the Pioneer Press. It’s unlikely that he’ll suit up today but the team is hoping that the captain could return on Tuesday in Pittsburgh. Spurgeon has been a key cog on Minnesota’s back end for the better part of the last 15 years and will give them a boost when he’s able to return.
Meanwhile, Michael Russo of The Athletic adds (Twitter link) that the Wild have sent forward Ryan Hartman back to Minnesota, meaning he will miss the final two games of the road trip. The 30-year-old suffered an upper-body injury a week and a half ago and while he has been listed as day-to-day in that stretch, his recovery is seemingly taking a bit longer than anticipated. He has two goals in four games so far this season.