Article: Joel Eriksson Ek Must Become An X-Factor Again

[Tony Abbott]

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[mnfaninnc]

I have to wonder a little bit, that as Eriksson Ek ages, that his impact on the game in the regular season will wane a bit, just to save it for the playoffs. This happens to a lot of players, and I've thought the same thing about Foligno, though, this year he came out of the gate hitting hard.

We do not have many players who can screen, and screens don't show up on scoresheets most of the time. Ek is great at creating traffic, and is pretty good at banging in rebounds. He has more tight in skill than most give him credit for. 

While this was likely written before yesterday's game, his goal last night was vintage Ek, shots within 5'. He needs to be parked in front of the net a lot more, and I wonder if he's been peeling off early just to have that defense that the team needs until some guys get back?

To me, he's still our least replaceable player on the team.

[MNCountryLife]

The highest compliment you can give a player is that he makes everyone around him better....Ek has earned that.

[Enforceror]

I just checked faceoff % for the year and this kind of surprised me. Just thought I'd share

 

[Beast]

He’s never been a prolific scorer.  He was forced into that role, and it would clearly be better served by someone more skilled offensively.  We’ve seen that out of Hartman in the past also when elevated to the first line.

While he’s certainly capable of putting up points, it shouldn’t be used as a benchmark for him.  In a perfect world, he’s anchoring an ultra-physical, shutdown checking line (like the legendary GREEF line) and isn’t relied upon to be a significant source of points (but is capable when the opportunity presents).

The net front presence is a bonus and can be valuable.  But all of the cross checks taken takes a toll.  He’s much more valuable as a lockdown defender and PK specialist than a screener.