The Wild will be without defenseman Jared Spurgeon for two to three weeks due to a lower-body injury, Minnesota president of hockey operations Bill Guerin told reporters Thursday.

The team’s captain suffered an apparent right leg injury Tuesday when he was slew-footed by Nashville rookie forward Zachary L’Heureux and rammed feet-first into the boards. L’Heureux was suspended for three games earlier in the day for his actions.

Guerin said Spurgeon was week-to-week and would not need surgery.

“It’s not as bad as we originally thought,” Guerin said.

Spurgeon, 35, had four goals and nine assists through 32 games this season for the Wild, who entered Thursday night’s game at the Washington Capitals in second place in the Central Division with 50 points.

Spurgeon has spent his entire 15-year NHL career in Minnesota. He would have played in his 900th game Thursday if not for the injury. He has collected 397 points (114 goals, 283 assists) in his career.

The Wild have placed leading scorer Kirill Kaprizov on injured reserve because of a lower-body injury. Kaprizov, who hasn’t played since Dec. 23, is tied for second in the league with 23 goals and also tops Minnesota with 50 points.

Guerin also told reporters on Thursday that the Wild are not trying to rush Kaprizov, 27.

“Still just kind of day to day,” Guerin said. “We’re just trying to work through what he has.

“The thing is we don’t want him to come back and push through it. He could, but it could make something worse. Look, we need him for the long haul. We don’t just need him for a couple games in January. We need him to get healthy and feel better. So, we’re trying to do the right thing and look at it from the long point of view.”

–Field Level Media