Minnesota Wild center Joel Eriksson Ek looks on during the second period against the Dallas Stars in Game 1 of a first-round NHL Stanley Cup playoffs hockey series, Saturday, April 18, 2026, in Dallas, Texas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
ST. PAUL, Minnesota (KNFL/KFGO/AP) — Defenseman Jonas Brodin and center Joel Eriksson Ek were unable to play for Minnesota in the second-round series against Colorado in the NHL playoffs because of broken bones in their feet, the veteran stalwarts revealed Friday in season-ending interviews with reporters.
Brodin suffered a fracture in the big toe in his right foot when he blocked a shot in Game 5 of the Wild’s first-round series against Dallas, requiring surgery and forcing him to miss the clinching win over the Stars and all five games against the Avalanche.
The Wild were eliminated on Wednesday in a 4-3 overtime loss in Denver, with both Brodin and Eriksson Ek relegated to watching the game on TV. Their defensive acumen, physical presence and playoff experience were all missed against the high-scoring Avalanche, who had the best regular season record in the league.
Brodin, who finished his 14th season in the NHL, all with the Wild, was aiming to return at the end of the conference finals if they were to advance.
“It’s awful to not play in the playoffs,” Brodin said. “Best time of the year.”
Eriksson Ek, who finished his 10th season in the NHL, all with the Wild, broke the heel bone in his right foot in Game 6 against Dallas. He took part in practice in a limited basis before Game 3 against Colorado last week, but he said he was unable to fully push off the foot on the ice.
“You want to play,” Eriksson Ek said. “I just couldn’t do it. Too painful to skate.”
Brodin also had to miss the Olympics this year when surgery on an earlier lower body injury kept him from playing for Sweden.
“It’s a frustrating year. We’ve got to stay positive and come back stronger next year,” Brodin said.
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