The Minnesota Wild are headed to the 2023 Postseason with a barrage of injuries that includes names like Mason Shaw, Oskar Sundqvist, and most notably Joel Eriksson Ek. Marcus Johansson was almost added to that list after a vicious cross-check to the ribs against the Winnipeg Jets on Tuesday, April 13, but luckily, he wasn’t injured besides some soreness.
While Johansson will be back to the lineup in time for Game 1 against the Dallas Stars on Monday, April 17, it’s unclear if Eriksson Ek will be. That would leave a huge void in the Wild lineup and not just offensively but defensively as well. Someone will have to pick up the slack, possibly a few players because there are multiple facets to his game that will need to be taken care of.
Eriksson Ek’s Offense
Eriksson Ek was on pace to play all 82 games of the season until the last two weeks when he blocked a shot against the Pittsburgh Penguins that forced him to miss the final four games. He finished with 78 games, 23 goals and 38 assists for 61 points which earned him the fourth spot among all Wild players. He just missed setting a career-high in goals but he hit it with both assists and points.
Normally #mnwild injured players have to skate with Andy Ness, than get promoted to practice. Evason said today that if Eriksson Ek and docs give him green light, he’d be in their lineup even without a practice https://t.co/vO3m4wFZzE
— Michael Russo (@RussoHockey) April 16, 2023
Eriksson Ek went from a career-high of 23 assists to 38 and his points jumped from 49 to 61. He also continued to increase his shots and finished the season with a career-high of 247. And that’s not all, as a center, he takes a lot of faceoffs and was originally planned to take over the number one spot, but it didn’t work out.
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However, Eriksson Ek had made the second and third-line home depending on who he was paired with and he greatly improved his faceoffs. He went from a season-high 47.58 faceoff winning percentage (FO%) in 77 games last season to 49.35 FO% in 78 games this season. He led the Wild and was in the top-25 in the entire NHL for the best faceoff-winning percentage and was a tenth of a percentage out of a top 20 spot.
Eriksson Ek worked hard to improve himself this season in offense and it’s critical the Wild find a way to make up for his possible absence. Even if he’s in the lineup, he might not be 100 percent and will still need extra help. If they can’t, they will struggle greatly when they face the Stars.
Eriksson Ek’s Defense
Eriksson Ek isn’t only known for his offensive game but his defensive game as well and he’s one of the top defensive centers in the NHL. He should be a finalist for the Selke Trophy every season but he usually ends up off the list because he’s so underrated at what he does. He truly epitomizes the best defensive forward and his stats back it up.
Eriksson Ek leads Wild forwards for most blocked shots with 55 and while it’s not as impressive as the top spot, Jared Spurgeon with 179, it’s still important. The more help the offensive core can give to the defensive core, the better. He turned over the puck just 14 times for one of the lowest numbers on the regular roster, but he also forced turnovers an amazing 44 times. Once again, that put him in the top five on the Wild’s roster and helped create a lot of scoring chances.
The final area of Eriksson Ek’s defensive game to look at is his physical side. He takes a beating no matter where he is on the ice but typically more in front of the opponent’s net. He’s had teeth knocked out and plenty of bruises given but he’s also dished it out. He landed himself in the top five for the Wild once again but this time with hits at 119. It’s hard to pick what his team will miss out on most with him potentially out, but his defense is something that’s nearly irreplaceable.
Eriksson Ek’s Special Teams
The final aspect of Eriksson Ek’s game that his teammates will really miss out on is his work on special teams. Of his 61 points, 23 of them were on the power play and 12 of those were power play goals. He was one of the biggest keys to the power play’s success and thankfully with Kirill Kaprizov back, hopefully, the team will get a boost on the man advantage and get back to its previous success.
The bigger worry could be his effect on the penalty kill, and the trouble they could be in if their current penalty killers end up in the penalty box. Eriksson Ek does have two shorthanded goals and that’s something the Wild have done well this year but they have to find a way to keep it going if they take penalties.
Many don’t realize how many different aspects there are to Eriksson Ek’s game and he’s a bigger part of the team than he gets credit for. The Wild may have to find someone to pick up his game if he sits out and as stated before, it might be more than one person who has to do the job.
Eriksson Ek’s Void
With Eriksson Ek providing so much offensively, defensively, and on the special teams, who could possibly help cover his open spot? Frédérick Gaudreau is one of those players as he’s already established on the penalty kill and defensively but his offensive game could use some work. The next player to step up would be Johansson. He’s already got the offensive side down as well as the penalty kill but he could improve on his overall defense.
Those are just two of the bigger names that’ll hopefully step up if Eriksson Ek is absent and help keep their team going during this Game 1 matchup against the Stars. Surely other players will also step up as this team is full of players who are capable, they just need a shove in the right direction and if that happens, the Wild have a chance to take this series.