Starting the offseason early and in grand fashion, the Minnesota Wild agreed to terms on Friday with Joel Eriksson Ek on an eight-year contract. Drafted 20th overall back in 2015, Eriksson Ek, over the lifetime of his new deal, will receive a salary worth $42 million. That includes an AAV of $5.25 million per season.
This past season, he was an integral part of the Wild, as he amassed 30 points on 19 goals and 11 assists. While doing so in 56 games, he was also capable of going above and beyond, which rubbed off on his teammates and made everyone around him stronger players. I personally believe that if it were not for Eriksson Ek, Kirill Kaprizov wouldn’t have seen as much success this year as he saw, a season that ended with him winning with the Calder Trophy. It was Eriksson Ek that made Kaprizov a better player doing everything else on the ice correctly.
So, where exactly was Eriksson Ek on the lines this season? After his great start to 2021, he quickly became the first line center along with Kaprizov and Marcus Foglino. Head coach Dean Evason would frequently put Kevin Fiala, the next order of business, on the first line if he saw fit, but for 90 percent of the season, we saw Eriksson Ek as the top face-off man for the Wild. And if last season wasn’t a fluke, we will see him as the top centreman for years to come.
I say this frequently on the Almost Canadian Hockey Podcast, “if the Wild can stay where they are talent-wise and keep drafting as well as they have for the past five or so years, there is no doubt in my mind we will Minnesota in the playoffs year after year.”