Welcome to the offseason series where we will look at each player’s impact this past season, what their future in Minnesota looks like, and what to expect in 2023-24.

The playoffs once again exposed the Minnesota Wild’s lack of talent down the middle, but their Joel Eriksson Ek sized hole at center reminded an organization that hasn’t featured a No. 1 center since its inception how urgent it is to shore that position up.

The Wild know this. After all, it’s not a new concept. Yet Eriksson Ek’s injury still displayed the Wild’s dire need for a center. Ryan Hartman, Minnesota’s 28-year-old winger-turned-center, has done an admirable job in the position. Others, such as Freddy Gaudreau, have proved to be solid depth options. But at the end of the day, neither is that key No. 1 piece down the middle.

The Wild’s lack of depth at the position has been evident for a long time. But Eriksson Ek’s durable two-way game and commitment to agitating the opposition hides a large portion of Minnesota’s glaring and problematic hole at center.

That hole returned to size when the Wild’s best center was absent from the postseason lineup following a blocked shot in April.

And it showed.

The Wild desperately needed him in the lineup and his ability to take tough defensive assignments with ease. There’s no question his absence had an impact on the outcome of the series. Now the Wild are left to digest their early playoff exit and watch the likes of centers Jack Eichel, Aleksander Barkov, William Karlsson, and Chandler Stephenson in the Stanley Cup Final.

Now, to be clear, this is less about what the Wild don’t have at center and more about what the organization has in Eriksson Ek.

There’s little the Wild can do about their center situation in their current financial climate. It’s something Minnesota will need to deal with a few years down the road because the Wild have just about $9 million to spend this summer with the likes of goalie Filip Gustavsson and other RFA's in Brandon Duhaime, Calen Addison, Mason Shaw and potentially Sam Steel (if the Wild retain him) needing new contracts.

But at least they hopefully have potential future top-six centers in Marco Rossi and Marat Khusnutdinov, who we ranked as the organization’s No. 4 prospect.

What's Next For Eriksson Ek?

Not having him in the playoffs is a reminder of how important of a player he is, one the Wild need to be successful.

There’s a reason why the Wild committed to him for eight years, a $5.25 million AAV that now looks like a steal with Eriksson Ek’s continued steady progression through the first two years of the deal. (And no, the Wild aren't trading one of their most valuable players in Eriksson Ek like one outlet suggested they could do.) His contract is also at the top of Bill Guerin’s resume.

The 26-year-old, who has six years remaining on his contract, is steadily improving on a yearly basis, and there’s a good chance the Wild haven’t even seen his best.

Eriksson Ek took a major step offensively in his development at age 24 with a 19-goal season. Since then, he has put together two 20-goal seasons – 26 in 2021-22 and 23 this past season.

He chipped in 15 more helpers this past season in comparison to 2021-22, which helped him reach the 60-point plateau (61) for the first time in his career. Eriksson Ek’s play made him worth 1.9 Wins Above Replacement, which tied Matt Boldy as the Wild’s second most valuable forward behind Kirill Kaprizov.

Eriksson Ek finished just behind Kaprizov in second on the Wild this past season with a 53.10 on-ice expected goals for percentage at 5-on-5, too.

It’s important to highlight that he has ranked in the top-3 on the Wild in shots each of the past three seasons. Also noteworthy is Eriksson Ek’s more significant role on the power play over the past two years. So, there’s no reason to believe that the gritty forechecker can’t be at minimum a perennial 20-goal scoring center.

Most importantly, he has kept his defensive reputation intact during his scoring uptick. His ability to make a higher impact offensively while staying defensively sound has made him even more valuable, even though his defensive numbers haven’t been quite as good compared to his Selke-caliber 2020-21 season. (4.5 even strength defensive goals above replacement in 20-21 compared to 2.6 in 2022-23). 

After all, there’s a reason why his average time on ice per game at 19 minutes ranked second among Wild forwards in 2022-23.

Eriksson Ek ranked fourth in Selke voting in 2021-22 and seventh this past season. It’s why he’s a key cog of the Wild’s penalty kill with the second most ice time among forwards this past season behind only Freddy Gaudreau.

If there’s one thing that stays true for the Wild, in an offseason full of uncertainty, it’s that they can count on Eriksson Ek next season to be the team’s driving force in all three zones.

Aaron’s 2023-24 Eriksson Ek prediction – 27 goals and 45 assists for 72 points

Dylan’s 2023-24 Eriksson Ek prediction – 28 goals and 37 assists for 65 points

All Data Via Evolving-Hockey, Natural Stat Trick, Hockey-Reference and Cap-Friendly; photos via USA Today.