Article: Will Less Strain Mean More Productivity For Joel Eriksson Ek?

[Bekki Antonelli]

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[mnfaninnc]

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Before Kaprizov’s injury, Eriksson Ek averaged 19:45 TOI/G. After, he averaged 20:41. While it’s less than a minute per game, it can add up game after game. When Minnesota had less depth, the few players they were able to put in place also ran the risk of overuse injuries.

I view this as the main point from Bekki. The problem is that Hynes is overusing his vets and underusing his youth. The young guys have a better chance at bouncing back. The older guys take a little longer. Yes, they'll say they're ready to play, but the coach should be protecting them against themselves. He needs to especially do this with Guus. 

I don't think JEE's injury was from this, though. I have no idea what happened in practice, but in Vancouver, he completely blew up a guy behind the net and came back wincing. To me, that was the start of the injuries, and I have to wonder if he didn't aggravate something from that hit. 

JEE is also, still, the irreplaceable player we have on this team. His health needs to be considered. He highly values playing for Sweden. I wish he would rest, but we know he won't. 

But, on another level, this is precisely why the kids on the team need to eat minutes. And, Hynes is not letting them do this. If is actually detrimental to the team to have them in the Prossbox. They need to contribute and be part of the team. Come one Heinzy, don't play scared, play with confidence in them.

[mnfaninnc]

I think the answer to the question Bekki posed was answered last night. It's not Ek's TOI that gets him in trouble, it's his playing style, and it's a playing style we absolutely need. 

After Michkov high sticked Ek in the face, he had to leave the game. Why was Ek high sticked in the face? Because he was physically defending in front of our net, and an inadvertent stick hits him right in the chops. It's not TOI that hurts Ek, this was in the 1st period, it's his physical play that puts him in harm's way constantly. 

The Wild didn't score in his absence, nor were they scored on. Yurov got more minutes, and I believe he showed he could handle them. 

My eyes were focused on 2 numbers last night: 90 & 22. While 90 made a couple of useful passes and showed off his speed, I didn't think he was all that effective. Constantly he leaves the watcher wanting far more out of him. He had a couple of shots which naturally hit shin guards, but overall, for the position he was in, I would say it was below average. 

22, however, I thought keeps growing. Several faceoffs I saw him in, he won. He has speed, short area speed where he closes on a defender very quickly. His top speed might not be that high, but he has very quick acceleration. I like that he stops in front of the net instead of doing flybys. He also seems to be a very strong kid, stronger than we may have given him credit for. I think he can be trusted going forward. The 4th line had some very good shifts last night.

Also, the goal last night counted as a -1 against those on the ice, but, truthfully, that was all on The Wall. I thought The Wall played very well except for that goal, and he bailed out some excellent scoring chances even though that one was a cheapy. We are about 6 games into the season, and, already, I can see the Rick Tocchet effect on the Flyers. They are far more tight checking and defense minded. 

So far, our record against the Eastern Conference is not matching what we were able to do last season.