Joel Eriksson Ek's Injury Has Exposed the Wild's Lack of Depth

The Minnesota Wild have lost seven of their last eleven games and five of their previous seven. Their depth at center has been the main culprit of this recent skid. Joel Eriksson Ek has been out over the last two games, and the stretch has only reinforced the argument that this team needs another NHL-caliber center to be more than a one-line threat in the Western Conference. 

In Eriksson Ek’s absence, the Wild have looked easier to play against, less reliable defensively, and far more matchup-dependent. The recent skid underscores that internal options alone are not enough.

Over the last ten games, Minnesota has slid from one of the league’s hottest teams into a group fighting to stabilize its form. After a long run of banking points, the Wild have dropped four of their last five (1-2-2), including back-to-back home losses capped by a 5-2 defeat to the New Jersey Devils on Monday. 

Minnesota generated some chances against the Devils but wasn’t as sharp as usual. 

That has become a common occurrence recently. In this ten-game window, Minnesota has too often chased games instead of dictating them, struggling to lock down the middle of the ice late in periods and late in games. As a result, overtime and one-goal losses have piled up, turning what could have been a solid stretch into a worrying sign of how thin the margins are when the lineup is not at full strength.

The turning point came when Eriksson Ek left last Thursday’s win over Seattle with a lower-body injury after a collision near the bench. He has been listed as day-to-day since, but his absence has already reshaped the Wild’s identity over these last few games. 

Eriksson Ek had been playing well before the injury, posting four goals and four assists over his previous 11 games. He was averaging more than 18 minutes a night and anchoring both top-six minutes and power-play duties. 

His absence has affected the rest of the roster. The Wild have asked Ryan Hartman to shoulder more of the heavy lifting at center. Meanwhile, they’ve pushed younger players like Danila Yurov into tougher matchups, and call-ups like Ben Jones are pressed into NHL minutes that are no longer sheltered or situational. 

Minnesota is compensating by committee. Still, there’s a difference between the Wild patching a hole for a night and trying to play playoff-caliber hockey when its best two-way center is not available.

It has become clear in this ten-game snapshot that Eriksson Ek’s presence typically stabilizes Minnesota’s five-on-five game. He takes hard defensive-zone starts, faces top lines, and allows Hynes to deploy Hartman and others in more offensive situations, balancing the forward group. 

With that safety valve missing, the Wild have looked a step slow closing on shooters in the slot and more vulnerable off the rush. On Monday, New Jersey broke things open with rapid-fire third-period goals. 

When one center must take on more defensive responsibility and tougher minutes, the strain shows not just on one line but across the entire lineup, especially in compressed parts of the schedule. 

If there’s a lesson from this stretch, it’s that the Wild cannot afford to have one injury throw off their game. Eriksson Ek’s day-to-day designation is encouraging, but his brief absence has highlighted a structural issue. Minnesota lacks proven depth at center behind him, particularly players who can handle tough defensive assignments and still contribute offensively. 

Adding another legitimate NHL center would give Hynes a second trusted matchup option, easing Eriksson Ek’s burden and allowing more favorable offensive usage for other forwards. It would push fringe centers and natural wingers playing in the middle back into roles that better suit their skill sets, while insulating the team against injury. As a result, a short absence for Eriksson Ek would not immediately force a full line-shuffle and a cascading loss of chemistry. 

The Wild’s core is good enough to compete, but this ten-game stretch has shown how thin the margin is when one player's two-way excellence holds together in the middle of the ice. With Eriksson Ek out, even briefly, Minnesota has looked more like a bubble team than a contender. That reality should sharpen the front office’s focus on finding another center who can stabilize this group for the grind ahead.