When Will Kirill Kaprizov and Joel Eriksson Ek Return to MN Wild? We Still Don’t Know…

The Minnesota Wild are back on the ice on Wednesday night in Madison Square Garden against the New York Rangers, as the fight for the top wild card spot in the Western Conference continues. Entering the day, the Wild (88 points) have actually fallen behind the Blues (89 points) in the standings for the first time since the very start of the season.

If that’s where they end up after all 82 games are said and done, the Wild would likely match up against the No. 1 seed Winnipeg Jets. If they can wrestle the No. 1 wild card back from the red hot Blues, they’ll have a much more intriguing first round opponent, in the Vegas Golden Knights (98 points).

Unfortunately for the Minnesota Wild, winning has become quite the chore lately. Kirill Kaprizov has missed all but three games on the schedule since Christmas. The Wild are 20-18-2 since that win over Chicago on December 23. Joel Eriksson Ek, meanwhile, has been out since February 22. The Wild are 7-9-2 since he departed the lineup.

When can we expect Kirill Kaprizov and Joel Eriksson Ek back in MN Wild lineup?

So, when can we expect them to return? Michael Russo (The Athletic) gave updates on both Eriksson Ek and Kaprizov Wednesday afternoon. Kaprizov — who started skating again last week — had a recent checkup on his lower body injury that left he and the MN Wild feeling optimistic. Per Russo, Kirill is advancing to the next stages of his return, though we do not know exactly what those stages entail.

What we do know is that he’s unlikely to be in the lineup Sunday, when his teammates return home from their road trip for an afternoon matinee at Xcel Energy Center vs the Central Division rival Dallas Stars. There are seven games remaining on the Wild’s 2024-25 schedule. After that Stars game, they’ll be down to four.

Kirill Kaprizov had a positive checkup with his surgeon yesterday and will go into the next phase of his attempted comeback: contact. Date of return still up in the air but John Hynes doesn’t anticipate Sunday’s game vs. Dallas (1/2)

— Michael Russo (@RussoHockey) April 2, 2025

Without Kirill Kaprizov, the MN Wild have somehow found a way t play .500 hockey over the past three-plus months. But without both Kirill and Ekker, they aren’t even that. The Wild need both guys if they want any realistic chance of advancing out of the first round of the NHL Playoffs. which being in only seven games, advancing out of the first round will be quite the chore. If they don’t get Kirill Kaprizov back, any dreams of advancement are dead.

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According to Russo’s report, Kirill is farther along than his fellow assistant captain, Joel Eriksson Ek, who is entering the sixth week of his 6-8 week return timeline. While Ek is skating with Kaprizov and skating coach Andy Ness, it appears he is less likely to return by the playoffs than Kirill.

For the first time, John Hynes confirmed what we’ve previously reported and that’s Joel Eriksson Ek was a 6-8 week injury. This is week 6, so his return date also up in the air

— Michael Russo (@RussoHockey) April 2, 2025

This is mixed news for the Minnesota Wild. Even the optimistic reporting on Kaprizov does not guarantee he returns in time. Russo calling it an “attempt” was very intentional. Still, his continued progression toward a return is better than the alternative. For Joel Eriksson Ek, we have to keep our fingers crossed.

Despite playing just 37 games this season, Kaprizov was on a Hart Trophy-type of pace before his injury. He’s still one of the Wild’s point leaders, with 52 points, pouring in 23 goals and assisting on 29 others. In 42 games, Eriksson Ek has scored nine goals and contributed 15 assists.