The Minnesota Wild have claimed right-shot defenseman Cameron Crotty off waivers from the Ottawa Senators, via Bruce Garrioch of TSN.

The move bolsters the club’s blue line as it places captain Jared Spurgeon on injured reserve with a lower-body injury.

Crotty, 27, returns to the Wild organization for a second stint.

The Ottawa native previously signed as a free agent in July 2024, appeared in one NHL game, and spent most of the 2024-25 season as captain of the AHL’s Iowa Wild, where he recorded 10 assists in 64 games. He joins a group dealing with injuries that also include Brock Faber.

This season with Ottawa, Crotty skated in three games, posting a plus-1 rating while averaging just over 11 minutes of ice time without recording a point. He last played on Oct. 15.

Last season, he logged six NHL games with the Senators (one assist) and appeared in one playoff contest, spending the bulk of the year with AHL Belleville (49 games, 10 points).

Across his NHL career, Crotty has one assist in 11 games, split among the Arizona Coyotes (his 2023-24 debut), Minnesota, and Ottawa.

The 6-foot-3, roughly 210-pound blueliner was selected by Arizona in the third round (82nd overall) of the 2017 NHL Draft.

He played three seasons at Boston University (102 games, 27 points) before turning professional, logging significant AHL time with the Tucson Roadrunners, Iowa, and Belleville—more than 330 games and 59 points at that level.

Crotty is in the final year of a two-year contract carrying an $812,500 average annual value and is set to become an unrestricted free agent next summer.

Ottawa placed him on waivers Wednesday, a move that coincided with preparations for the return of captain Thomas Chabot.

For Minnesota, the claim adds experienced depth after the recent loss of Daemon Hunt on waivers to Nashville and amid ongoing injury absences on the back end.

The Wild, sitting near the top of the Central Division early in the 2026-27 season, host the New York Islanders tonight.

Crotty provides a physical, right-handed option capable of eating minutes in a depth role while the club navigates its defensive injuries.

Whether he draws into the lineup immediately or serves as organizational insurance remains to be seen, but the claim gives Minnesota added flexibility on the blue line.