Wild’s Joel Eriksson Ek out at least three games
The Minnesota Wild will likely be without their top-line center for about a week.
According to Michael Russo, Minnesota general manager Bill Guerin said that Joel Eriksson Ek is expected to miss three games with a lower-body injury.
Likely missing at least three games, Guerin says
Joel Eriksson Ek is out. Day to day with lower body injury. Fabbri in. Gustavsson in net #mnwild
Eriksson Ek, 29, played in Minnesota’s 4-2 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs on Sunday. It’s unclear exactly how or when he suffered the injury.
The Swedish national has 17 goals and 27 assists for 44 points in 62 games this season. He missed six games in January with another lower-body injury.
Initially selected 20th overall by the Wild in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft, Eriksson Ek debuted in the NHL when he played 15 games for Minnesota in the 2016-17 season, putting up three goals and four assists for seven points. He became a regular NHLer in 2017-18, notching six goals and 10 assists for 16 points in 75 games.
Always well-respected for his defensive game, Eriksson Ek has slowly developed his offense to become a legitimate top-six forward. His career-best campaign came in 2023-24, when he scored 30 goals and added 34 assists for 64 points in 77 games.
When the the Wild traded center Marco Rossi to the Vancouver Canucks in December as part of the package to acquire defenseman Quinn Hughes, Eriksson Ek became Minnesota’s clear-cut number-one pivot. He played a similarly central role for Sweden at February’s Milano Cortina Winter Olympics, where he had a goal and an assist for two points in five games.
With 88 points through 68 games, the Wild sit third in the Central Division and third in the Western Conference overall. They have not been playing their best hockey of late, having lost their last three games.
Minnesota will visit the Chicago Blackhawks on Tuesday, before returning home to host the Blackhawks on Thursday.