The Wild have to weigh Kirill Kaprizov and Joel Eriksson Ek's injury status before taking any big swings at the trade deadline.

The Minnesota Wild expect star winger Kirill Kaprizov and top center Joel Eriksson Ek to return before the end of the regular season, general manager Bill Guerin told reporters before Sunday's game against the Boston Bruins at the X in St. Paul, Minn.

When I refreshed my web browser this morning and saw Michael Russo’s report that Joel Eriksson Ek has joined Kirill Kaprizov in the dreaded purgatory that is the Minnesota Wild’s injured reserve list these days,

Kirill Kaprizov, arguably the team’s best player, suffered a lower-body injury that required surgery in late January and while he was initially expected to miss around a month, that timeline has changed.

Kirill Kaprizov will be out longer than anticipated for the Minnesota Wild because of a lower-body injury, general manager Bill Guerin said Friday. The forward had surgery in late January because of a lower-body injury and was expected to be out a minimum of four weeks.

Eriksson Ek returned unscathed from the 4 Nations Face-Off, where he had a goal and an assist in three games for Team Sweden, and played in Saturday’s overtime win at Detroit. But his lower-body injury came to light following the Wild’s Monday morning practice at TRIA Rink.

ST. PAUL - The Minnesota Wild are already without its superstar forward Kirill Kaprizov. Well, the hits keep coming. On Tuesday, the Wild announced that center Joel Eriksson Ek was placed on the Injured Reserve.