The Minnesota Wild have agreed to terms with RFA defenseman Jared Spurgeon on a three-year, $8 million deal, according to Mike Russo of the Star-Tribune.
Spurgeon, 23, has been a constant presence on the Wild blueline over the last three seasons, posting a career-high 23 points in 2011-12 while averaging over 21 minutes per game.
The Alberta native had a productive 2013 campaign, scoring 15 points in 39 games while again averaging over 21 minutes per night.
The Spurgeon deal comes a day after Wild GM Chuck Fletcher remade his blueline by buying out Tom Gilbert and signing ex-Canucks defenseman Keith Ballard for a modest $1.5 million annually.
Ballard had a $4.2 million cap hit with Vancouver, a big reason why the club bought him out.
With the dust settled, Russo has pegged Minnesota’s top-six defense next year to feature Ryan Suter, Jonas Brodin, Marco Scandella, Clayton Stoner, Ballard and Spurgeon.