Since Jared Spurgeon‘s debut with the Minnesota Wild in 2010-11, he has been a consistent fixture on the top pairing. The arrival of Ryan Suter in 2012-13 cemented that top pairing placement, and it was not relinquished until this season.
Jared Spurgeon may have taken on fewer minutes in his new role alongside Jonas Brodin, but his minutes have been some of the most difficult on the team. The head coach has often rolled out Spurgeon and Brodin to defend against opposing top lines, to which they perform exceptionally well.