Wild's Suter requires ankle surgery, will miss rest of season

The Minnesota Wild will have to make their run at the Stanley Cup without their most reliable blue-liner, as Ryan Suter requires surgery on his injured right ankle that will see him miss the remainder of the season, the team announced Monday.

Suter fractured the ankle after taking a hit from Dallas Stars forward Remi Elie on Saturday night, seemingly twisting his leg and ankle in the process. He was helped off the ice and did not return.

The injury to their cornerstone defenseman comes as the Wild are already dealing with a serious injury to fellow top rearguard Jared Spurgeon, who's still recovering from a partially torn hamstring suffered in mid-February.

In 78 contests this campaign, the 33-year-old Suter averaged 26:47 of ice time per game, while tying a career high in points with 51.