Joel Eriksson Ek Was Minnesota's Missing Puzzle Piece

The Minnesota Wild have turned the page to the new year. Despite their injuries, they have found a way to keep the New Year's celebration going by remaining undefeated in 2025. They’ve done so after losing seven games in December and Joel Eriksson Ek to injury.

Minnesota lost six games during Eriksson Ek’s absence. While the remaining roster put up solid efforts in the losses, it was evident again that the team was not the same without their Swedish center. The Wild’s record after his return further proves this. 

Eriksson Ek returned on December 29th for the 3-1 loss to the Ottawa Senators. It wasn’t the ideal return, but Ek immediately helped propel the Wild to a 5-3 win over the Nashville Predators on New Year's Eve. He picked up two power-play assists, one being the primary assist to Mats Zuccarello’s goal, which earned Filip Gustavsson his first assist of the season.  

While I would love to attribute the Wild’s special team success to their new powerplay captain, Gustavsson, the credit should go to Ek for revitalizing an otherwise dormant man advantage. Nashville was just the beginning. The Wild have torn through some of the toughest teams in the Metropolitan Division, beating the Washington Capitals in a 4-3 shootout win and the Carolina Hurricanes in a 4-0 shutout. 

Eriksson Ek has been essential in these wins, scoring a goal and tallying four points in the last three games. His goal also came on the power play in Carolina. While his power-play goal (PPG) may not have been the game-winning goal in the shutout, Ek has rejoined the lineup and immediately started solving some of the Wild's glaring issues: secondary scoring and special teams. 

His teammates also appreciate his timing. Before his injury, Eriksson Ek struggled to produce on the power play, with only a goal and an assist. Since his return, he has more than doubled that production, playing one of the best penalty kills in the Predators and the best the East offers. Post-injury, Eriksson Ek was the missing puzzle piece that led to enough production for Kaprizov to take his time recovering. 

Eriksson Ek hasn’t only begun to bust out of his slump but has been precisely what Ryan Hartman needed to find his game again. Ek recovered the puck on the wall moments before Hartman broke his 20-game scoreless streak. As I discussed in my previous article, Hartman’s secondary scoring is crucial for this team's success, but I didn’t highlight how important it is to have a good center between your wingers. 

Though the Johansson-Eriksson Ek-Hartman line has only one goal in the 41 minutes they have played together, it will only be together until Kirill Kaprizov returns. When Kaprizov returns, Boldy will likely be moved back down to the second line, hopefully reuniting two players who are showing flashes of their old selves. Finding their offense may mean the team will soon have two scoring lines they can rely on. 

However, Minnesota’s second line heated up after Eriksson Ek’s return, and with the schedule ahead, they look to continue their production. 

With the St. Louis Blues coming to town, there is a perfect opportunity for the Wild’s special teams to capitalize on the power play. The Blues have one of the worst penalty kills in the league, ranked 28th, just above Minnesota at 29th. If the Wild can continue to play disciplined hockey and Ek continues to pressure the penalty kill, we could see another goal from the center. 

Marco Rossi’s improvement has given the Wild more confidence up the middle, allowing them to continue playing games where they don’t have to cheat for offense. That takes the pressure off the defense, which has to play elevated minutes each night without Jared Spurgeon and Jacob Middleton. Brock Faber has had to take on more responsibility and has played over 30 minutes in the last two games.

Any scoring that can take the load off the blue line will allow this team to continue winning while injured. I don’t think the hockey world grasps what the Wild have done in the last three games and Eriksson Ek’s importance. 

Minnesota has continued to find ways to win while missing its best player and two of its best defensemen. While the team's lineup looks different almost every night, Eriksson Ek’s return, combined with a few players getting hot simultaneously, suggests that the Wild may have found the answers to their prayers.