Photo Credit: Robert Edwards-Imagn ImagesST. PAUL - The Minnesota Wild placed center Joel Eriksson Ek on the Injured Reserve list, per the NHL Media Site. The center just returned from the 4 Nations Face-Off and played against the Detroit Red Wings on Saturday.
Eriksson Ek, 28, was at practice on Monday but has now been placed on the Injured Reserve with a lower-body injury.
The Wild are already without Kirill Kaprizov and will be for more time than previously expected. They are now without their two irreplaceable forwards for quite some time.
Eriksson Ek has nine goals and 28 points in 42 games this year. Forward Jakub Lauko is expected to be taken off the Injured Reserve before game time tonight.
“I don’t particularly know yet what happened. He practiced yesterday and later in the day I got notice from the trainers that he was going to be out,” Wild head coach John Hynes said. “I don’t know the actual extent other than it’s going to be a few weeks for sure, and exactly what it is yet. It wasn’t like one thing that happened where it was like, OK this happened. I was a little bit surprised when I got the news later yesterday.”
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