Wild travel to Denver without Brodin, Eriksson Ek questionable

Originally posted on Bring Me The News | By Tony Liebert | Last updated May 2, 2026 1:58 PM ET

The Wild are banged up for Sunday's Game 1 against the Avalanche. According to Minnesota hockey insider Michael Russo, veteran defenseman Jonas Brodin will not travel with the team to Denver, while Joel Eriksson Ek is questionable, and the team is still waiting to see if he'll join the team as they head West.

Brodin will not travel to Denver. Eriksson Ek is questionable and Hynes is waiting to see if he can travel
— Michael Russo (@RussoHockey) May 2, 2026

Brodin missed Thursday's Game 6 series-clinching win over the Stars with a lower-body injury. He had 18 points (4 goals and 14 assists) in 62 games in the regular season, and he added one assist in the first five games of the series against the Stars.

Veteran Jeff Petry slid into the right side of the third line, alongside Zach Bogosian on the left. Jacob Middleton replaced Brodin on the second D-man pairing during Thursday's win.

Erikkson Ek played all six games against Dallas, and his injury is new. He had 5 points (3 goals and 2 assists) in that series, and 51 points (19 goals and 32 assists) in the regular season. The reason for the questionable tag is currently "undisclosed."

One of the biggest weaknesses on Minnesota's roster is depth at center, so losing Erikkson Ek on their second line for an extended period of time would be brutal against a team as good as the Avalanche.

Sunday's game is scheduled for 8 p.m. CT, and it will be broadcast on TNT, TruTV and HBO Max.

This article first appeared on Bring Me The News and was syndicated with permission.

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