Jared Spurgeon dealt with a nagging upper-body injury for much of the 2015-16 season, per Wild general manager Chuck Fletcher, but isn't expected to require surgery, Michael Russo of the Star Tribune reports.

Spurgeon dealt with a nagging upper-body injury for much of the 2015-16 season, per Wild general manager Chuck Fletcher, but isn't expected to require surgery, Michael Russo of the Star Tribune reports.

Analysis:

Nagging injuries are commonplace in the NHL, but it seems as though Spurgeon may have been bothered by more than bumps and bruises this past season, as Fletcher noted the blueliner "was probably 80 percent most of the year." Despite his nagging ailments, Spurgeon was one of the Wild's best defenseman in 2015-16, tallying 29 points (11 goals, 18 assists) while averaging 22:41 of ice time with a solid plus-11 rating over 77 regular-season contests. While the 2008 sixth-round pick isn't expected to require surgery to repair his upper-body injury, it's too early to tell whether he'll be ready for the start of next season's training camp. Either way, fantasy owners can expect Spurgeon to return to his role skating on Minnesota's top pairing and top power-play unit in 2016-17.