PITTSBURGH >> Jared Spurgeon played Tuesday night for the Wild against the Penguins at PPG Paints Arena, his first game since an overtime loss at Winnipeg on Sept. 20.

Spurgeon met the team in Philadelphia last Friday during the five-game leg of the seven-game road trip and practiced with the team twice before Tuesday’s morning skate. His six-game absence was related to rehabilitation from a pair of season-ending surgeries he had last winter.

“Just some stuff going on from maybe the last exhibition game going in, so (I) just had to take some different routes medically and try and get back,” Spurgeon said.

Spurgeon, 34, played in only 16 games last season because of a series of injuries that started during training camp. The longtime team captain had surgery to repair his hip in early February, then back surgery in March.

Still unclear is whether this will be continue to be an issue for Spurgeon.

General manager Bill Guerin and head coach John Hynes have said it’s unclear whether this will happen again as Spurgeon makes his way back to full health, but Hynes expressed optimism on Tuesday.

“What we had talked about prior, before, was (that) it seemed like it was gonna be back, to be part of the process, whether that was gonna be in training camp or start of the regular season,” Hynes said. “But I think the fact that he has been back so quick and he looks good … We don’t know about the future, but right now, (he) looks good.”

Said Spurgeon: “Hopefully this is the last of it, but you never really know. So, we’re doing a really good job of keeping the treatment going and everything like that.”

With Spurgeon back, the Wild reassigned Daemon Hunt to Iowa.

Briefly

Forward Graeme Clarke, acquired in a trade from New Jersey in June, was placed on waivers Tuesday for the purposes of reassigning him to Des Moines. Clarke injured a knee while blocking a shot in a preseason game and has been rehabbing in St. Paul.