It is off to Chicago for the Wild and Joel Eriksson Ek will not accompany the team. Eriksson Ek is going to be sent to Iowa, but cannot until the mandatory roster freeze is lifted Friday at midnight.
That also means that no recall of a defenseman to replace Matt Dumba either until at least Friday ss well.
The Wild and the Hawks used to be a marquee Central Division matchup but that is no longer the case. And for that matter the seemingly annual Blackhawks appearance in the Winter Classic too should come to an end....oh that's a story for another day.
Luke Kunin should get some prime opportunities tonight as he will start the game with Charlie Coyle and Zach Parise. Kunin has looked more comfortable with each game and now he will be given a bigger role with which to show what he has got.
The World Junior Championship kicked off yesterday without one Wild prospect participating. It is a sign that the cupboard is truly pretty bare and with Eriksson Ek on his way down to the farm who knows what is next for JEE if he does not produce some immediate results in the AHL.
For the Blackhawks the news on Corey Crawford is not good. He of course missed much of the season last year with a concussion and he has been sidelined again with another this month. It is feared that Crawford will never play again.
If that is the case we wish him well and hope that he is at least able to live a normal life outside of the game with no lingering affects.
It's always Hockey Day in The State of Hockey!
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