Eriksson Ek's Absence Is Highlighting His Importance To the Wild

The Minnesota Wild have had to shake up the lines after multiple injuries early in the season. On Tuesday, veteran center Joel Eriksson Ek did not return for Minnesota’s game against the St. Louis Blues. 

Eriksson Ek sustained an upper-body injury against the Seattle Kraken on Saturday when Adam Larsson elbowed him in the face 7:07 minutes into the second period. Larsson didn’t appear to see Eriksson Ek coming when the Kraken defenseman tried to handle the puck. 

As Eriksson Ek skated into him, he pulled his elbow up to get his stick in position right. The officials didn’t call a penalty on Larsson. 

Eriksson Ek got off the ice with 12:45 minutes remaining in the second period to attend to his injury. He got back on the ice for one shift in the 3rd period with a full face shield but did not return to the ice again after that. 

He reportedly broke his nose. Fortunately, players often miss little to no ice time for this common injury. Usually, even the worst of them, like Tom Wilson last season, are only out a game or two. However, the Wild will have trouble replacing Eriksson Ek in his absence.

Since Eriksson Ek got a hit to the head, a concussion could have also been a concern. However, he likely didn’t show concussion symptoms because Minnesota tried to put him back in the game. Likely, the center has not returned to play due to difficulty breathing, which is often an issue with a broken nose. 

On Sunday, Eriksson Ek didn’t travel with the Wild for their game against the Winnipeg Jets, a 2-1 loss. While some players have been out as long as two weeks with the same injury, most players are only out a couple of games for a broken nose. It;s possible he will return on Friday to play against the Columbus Blue Jackets. Still, Eriksson Ek’s likely brief injury highlighted his importance to Minnesota’s roster.

During the game against the Kraken, the center played on a line with Matt Boldy and Marcus Johansson. All three players had a 0 plus/minus, and Boldy was the only one on the scoresheet for his assist and power-play goal. 

Minnesota forward lineup against Seattle:

• Kirill Kaprizov -- Marco Rossi -- Mats Zuccarello
• Marcus Johansson -- Joel Eriksson Ek -- Matt Boldy
• Marcus Foligno -- Ryan Hartman -- Yakov Trenin
• Jakob Lauko -- Marat Khusnutdinov -- Frederick Gaudreau

With Eriksson Ek tending to his injuries, Minnesota had to decide how to deploy their forward lines. Kirill Kaprizov, Marco Rossi, and Mats Zuccarello scored goals on Saturday and consistently produced. Therefore, the Wild could have split them up and evened out the lines while Eriksson Ek was injured. 

However, they chose to promote Ryan Hartman, the only other player to score Saturday, from the 3rd line instead. Marat Khusnutdinov took Hartman’s spot on the 4th line, and Liam Ohgren dressed to fill the last spot. 

Minnesota’s forward lineup against Winnipeg:

• Kaprizov -- Rossi -- Zuccarello
• Johansson -- Hartman -- Boldy
• Foligno -- Khusnutdinov -- Trenin
• Lauko -- Gaudreau -- Ohgren

Unfortunately, none of the forwards put pucks in the net on Sunday. Jake Middleton scored the only goal, with an assist from Rossi. Boldy, Johansson, and Hartman did not have the same chemistry and finished -1 as a line. 

The third and fourth lines played a steady, zero-sum game. While that won’t win games, they did their job here. The Wild signed Yakov Trenin in the offseason. Khusnutdinov, Lauko, and Ohgren are still young and breaking into the NHL. Despite dealing with line shakeups and new teammates, the bottom two lines kept the puck out of the net. The top two lines have much more experience in the league and playing together, so they should have produced. 

Leadership on and off the ice may have also been a factor. Eriksson Ek, 27, a veteran and assistant captain, did not travel with the team. Top defenseman and captain Jared Spurgeon is also injured and didn’t dress. 

Assistant captains Marcus Foligno and Kirill Kaprizov demonstrate good leadership, but this will be Eriksson Ek and Spurgeon’s fifth season with letters on their jerseys. Their absence in the locker room may have lowered the team’s confidence. 

The Wild did not change much going into Tuesday’s game. Ohgren played with Hartman and Boldy since Johansson is out on an undisclosed injury, and Minnesota carried seven defensemen instead. The Wild were not too eager to pull a forward up from Iowa and decided to give Daemon Hunt a shot on defense instead.

Minnesota’s forward lineup against St. Louis: 

• Kirill Kaprizov -- Marco Rossi -- Mats Zuccarello
• Liam Ohgren -- Ryan Hartman -- Matt Boldy
• Marcus Foligno -- Marat Khusnutdinov -- Yakov Trenin
• Jakub Lauko -- Frederick Gaudreau

Minnesota got their chemistry back and found success against the Blues. Hartman scored in the first period, assisted by Kaprizov and Faber. Lauko netted a goal in the second, assisted by Khusnutdinov and Brodin. Rossi scored the third goal with assists from Zuccarello and Kaprizov. Filip Gustavsson also joined in the fun, getting an empty net goal from his crease. 

Ultimately, two major players out this early in the season will be a challenge for any team to overcome. The Wild found their stride against the Blues, but they will need Eriksson Ek’s leadership and skill to beat better opponents and consistently make the playoffs. Hopefully, we will see him back in the lineup very soon.