The Minnesota Wild have announced that forward Joel Eriksson Ek and captain Jared Spurgeon will not play tonight vs. the Winnipeg Jets.
Eriksson Ek left last night’s 5-4 shootout loss to the Seattle Kraken after getting elbowed in the face by Kraken defenseman Adam Larsson and did not return.
Eriksson Ek is expected to return Tuesday against St. Louis.
The 27-year-old has one goal in two games to start the season. During the 2023-24 campaign, Eriksson Ek tallied a career-high 30 goals and 34 assists for 64 points in 77 games.
The Wild signed Eriksson Ek to an eight-year contract extension in July 2021, the deal carries an average annual value (AAV) of $5.25 million.
Meanwhile, the Wild also announced that Spurgeon is considered day-to-day with a lower-body injury. The 34-year-old has one assist in two games this season. Last season, he appeared in just 16 games and was limited due to multiple injuries, but tallied five assists.
The Wild named Spurgeon captain in 2020-21 where he has now led the Wild for the last five seasons. Spurgeon is in the fifth year of an eight-year contract extension he signed in Sept. 2019 that carries a $7.5 million AAV. In 869 career games, the Edmonton native has scored 110 goals and 275 assists, registering another 29 points in 67 Stanley Cup playoff contests.
Minnesota is 1-0-1 as it heads into Winnipeg tonight to face the 2-0-0 Jets. The Wild will play St. Louis and Columbus this week.
