Gino Hard just reported that Joel Eriksson Ek needed assistance getting off the ice after colliding with Jake McCabe as the Wild visit the Maple Leafs.
It happened tonight in Toronto, with the game still going. Minnesota is in the second period against a Leafs team that has lost four straight.
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Hard's post says the Wild center collided with the Leafs defenseman and had to be helped off. That is all we have so far. How badly Eriksson Ek is hurt, and whether he returns tonight, is unknown, and he is not listed on any injury report.
The Wild can't take this lightly. Eriksson Ek has 17 points in 20 games this season and a +15 rating, the kind of two-way production that shapes how John Hynes builds his lines.
Minnesota arrived in Toronto at 13-3-4 and 7-1-2 over its last 10, fresh off a 2-1 overtime win in Montreal on Tuesday. Few teams are in better form, which makes this the worst possible time for a key center to go down.
What an Eriksson Ek absence would mean for the Wild
If he can't return, Hynes has to reshuffle his center depth in the middle of a road game. That is a tough ask against a Toronto team desperate to stop the bleeding.
Our view: a player who drives play at both ends is not easily replaced. Minnesota has the record to absorb a short absence, but it can't cover a long one without losing something.
The Wild's next game is Saturday at Boston. Whatever the update on Eriksson Ek is, that date now carries more weight.
McCabe is a part of this too. The veteran defenseman has no goals and three assists in 20 games with a -4 rating, on a blue line that has struggled during the Leafs' slide. Toronto, 8-10-2, hosts Edmonton on Saturday.
An official word on Eriksson Ek's condition is the next thing to watch before the game ends.
More to come.
This article was written with the help of artificial intelligence, based on public reports and official sources.
How long will Joel Eriksson Ek be out? Not at all | A few games | 1 to 2 weeks | More than a month
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