Wild Injury Concerns Continue As Olli Maatta Didn't Finish Jets Game, John Hynes Provides Updates On Spurgeon And Sturm

The Minnesota Wild can’t seem to catch a break when it comes to injuries.

Just eight games into the 2026-27 season, Minnesota is already dealing with injuries to several key players. Tuesday’s 5-2 loss to the Winnipeg Jets brought even more concerns.

Captain Jared Spurgeon missed Tuesday’s game with an upper-body injury after playing Monday against the Vegas Golden Knights.

Spurgeon appeared to be dealing with discomfort in his shoulder during the third period against Vegas. Assistant athletic trainer Travis Green checked on the veteran defenseman on the bench, but Spurgeon was able to finish the game.

However, he was unable to suit up against Winnipeg the following night.

Following Tuesday’s loss, Wild head coach John Hynes was asked about Spurgeon and forward Nico Sturm, who was placed on injured reserve after taking a puck to the head Monday.

“I don’t have any updates on where they’re at,” Hynes said to reporters in Winnipeg. “They were both getting looked at today, so I’ll probably have more information later in the week.”

But Spurgeon and Sturm weren’t the only injury concerns for Minnesota.

Defenseman Olli Maatta did not play during the final six minutes of Tuesday’s game, remaining on the bench for the closing stretch.

It is particularly concerning, considering Maatta recently missed Minnesota’s Oct. 8 game against the Tampa Bay Lightning with a lower-body injury.

At the time, Hynes said the injury had surfaced following the morning skate, resulting in Maatta being a late scratch. It remains unclear whether Tuesday’s situation is related to that previous injury or something entirely different.

Forward Blake Coleman also briefly left Tuesday’s game with Green after appearing to sustain an injury. Fortunately for Minnesota, Coleman eventually returned to the bench and was able to finish the game.

Hynes was not asked about either Coleman or Maatta following Tuesday’s loss, leaving their statuses uncertain.

The Wild are already without Brock Faber, Filip Gustavsson, Marcus Foligno, Nick Foligno, Sturm and Spurgeon.

Faber remains sidelined after suffering a skull fracture during the preseason, while Gustavsson continues recovering from his injury. Both Foligno brothers have also missed time, further testing Minnesota’s forward depth.

Sturm became the latest addition to the injured reserve on Tuesday after taking a shot from Spurgeon near his head during Monday’s game against Vegas. He required assistance leaving the ice and was subsequently taken to the hospital for further evaluation.

With Spurgeon unavailable on Tuesday, Minnesota was forced to shuffle its defensive pairings. Jonas Brodin moved alongside Quinn Hughes on the top pair, while Zach Bogosian played with Maatta. David Spacek also entered the lineup and played alongside Daemon Hunt.

Now, with Maatta’s status uncertain, the Wild could be facing another potential adjustment to an already depleted defensive group.

Minnesota has played just eight games this season, but injuries are already becoming one of the team’s biggest challenges.

For now, the Wild will have to wait for additional updates on Spurgeon and Sturm, while the statuses of Maatta and Coleman remain worth monitoring.

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