Wild's big boy line is making a big impact

While the Wild has seen a number of small tweaks of its forward group during the first couple weeks of the season, it has had one, that coach Dean Evason hasn't touched -- and for good reason. The line of Marcus Foligno, Joel Eriksson Ek and Jordan Greenway has been good.
Really good.
The three guys on that line have all done a little bit of everything through the first seven games, including chip in -- perhaps surprisingly so -- plenty of offense.

Eriksson Ek scored his fourth goal of the season in a 2-1 loss to the Kings on Tuesday, and is on pace to crush his single-season career high of eight goals that he achieved in 62 games last season.
Since being drafted 20th overall by the Wild in 2015, Eriksson Ek has always had the reputation of a defensively responsible, reliable two-way centerman, a guy that would likely be in the Selke Trophy mix many times over a long NHL career.

Evason shudders at the negative connotation of what a "two-way centerman" means, or at least in how that label is sometimes negatively perceived.
"I think it's a wonderful thing to get labeled a two-way center," Evason said. "I think if you get labeled one way or the other, you kind of pigeon hole yourself. I think it's a wonderful thing for him to have the ability to be thought of as an offensive guy and a defensive guy.
"We definitely feel like he can produce offensively. He gets looks, he shoots the puck extremely well, he goes to the net as well or at least better than a lot of people in the National Hockey League. He's going to get chances, and he's been rewarded here and we expect him to continue that."
Eriksson Ek's 29 points last season were a career high, but he's averaging nearly a point per contest through the first month of this truncated 56-game schedule this season.
What could be so different that would allow Eriksson Ek to make the kind of difference he has on the scoresheet so far?
"Honestly, not much," Foligno said. "I think just his confidence is a little bit higher. He's always maybe looked at as a defensive role, but he can score. He's got a great shot and he's got a nose for the net. It's great. I think he's a player that's kind of maturing with his game. But at the same time, I think he's still not fully kind of conditioned in that sense. He's going to be a great player and he's still got lots to build off of."

It's hard to believe that Eriksson Ek is still just 23 years old, still likely a few years away from his prime years in the NHL, mostly because he's already in his fifth season with the club.
Sometimes, guys are simply late bloomers, and that could be the case with Eriksson Ek. There is an offensive history there, as evidenced by the 22 goals he scored in 33 games with Farjestad U18 in 2013-14 back home in his native Sweden. He scored 21 goals in 25 games with Farjesdad Jr. the following season too.
That has translated in North America in limited American Hockey League action too. In 18 career games with the Iowa Wild, Eriksson Ek has eight goals and 10 assists.

"There's no question, we've seen a development in Ek, that's taken a big step forward," Evason said. "We're looking forward to watching him continue to take those steps. He's playing very well, and not only his play on the ice, but his maturity level. He's always been a mature kid, he conducts himself well, but the way that he plays the game, he plays it correctly in all areas, and it's allowed him to have success for us."
Eriksson Ek isn't the only guy on that line with a red-hot pace to his early season.
Greenway assisted on Eriksson Ek's goal on Tuesday and also has six points in seven games, including five assists. He's on pace to shatter his career high in both categories from last year as well, when he had 20 helpers among 28 points in 67 games.
Along with Foligno, who has three points, but scored a crucial tying goal in the third period of the season-opener in Los Angeles, each member of that line has one, very obvious, thing in common.
It's size.
At 6-foot-3 and 210 pounds, Eriksson Ek is the smallest member of the trio.
Greenway stands 6-foot-6 and 240 pounds, while Foligno is 6-foot-3, 225 pounds.
But all three can skate well, especially for men of their size, which makes them a nightmare to line up against for opposing coaches.
"They're big. They're strong. They're committed to get pucks [to the net], and they're committed to get bodies there. They're certainly not a perimeter group," Evason said. "They're getting rewarded for it. They have a lot of confidence playing with each other. We've chatted about flipping them around to help some other lines and/or situations. But every time we talk about it, we keep going back to, they're likely our best line from every game."
Credit Greenway for taking some very honest constructive criticism to heart and putting it to good use during the offseason.

The Wild wasn't always happy with Greenway last season, feeling the former second-round pick underachieved at different points. So after the team's stay in the Edmonton playoff bubble ended, Wild GM Bill Guerin had a heart-to-heart in his exit meeting with the uber-talented big man. He implored him to come to training camp in the best shape of his career and take that next step in his evolution.
From day one of camp, Greenway has done just that. He's got the results to show it too.
"His quickness, he looks lean, he is lean, he's quick. He's maturing," Evason said earlier this month. "He's a young man, like a lot of these guys, and their bodies are maturing, their minds are maturing and their personalities. We're looking for him to make a big step forward here."
That element of "something to prove" was something that drove Greenway through a long offseason, one where the pandemic eliminated a lot of the potential distractions for the soon-to-be 24-year-old.
"I mean, you can look at it from the point of view we had nothing else to do. It's something that we're not used to, for everyone," Greenway said. "It did allow me to focus on going to the weight room every day and really that's all I did. It was definitely a good chance for me to focus on getting myself back in shape."
Already motivated to put his best foot forward, Greenway said the entirety of his focus was improving every aspect of his game.
"I think I need to definitely have more of an impact than I did last year," Greenway said, "and I think if I continue to focus on that just to be more of an impact player every day, each month, every year, and just continue to progress and get better ... that's my goal."
Foligno, the veteran of the group at age 29, he earned some added security by signing a three-year contract extension on the eve of the regular season.

Coming off his strongest season as a pro last season, one where he scored 11 goals and 25 points, but was also a plus-8, stayed out of the penalty box, and become one of the club's most trusted penalty killers, Foligno has also become one of the team's most valuable leaders.
"I think we are all on the same page just trying to work hard, use our body," Eriksson Ek said. "We know what we need to do to help each other, to be successful. We try to talk a lot, see how the other guys are thinking and just building, working hard, just trying to be around the net and get some pucks in there."
In the end, the secret sauce for the line isn't a complicated recipe. The Wild just hopes it will continue to produce results.
"I know it's cliché to say, but we keep it simple," Foligno said. "We're straight lines. Ekker's been a horse so far this season. Especially Greener, they've been awesome. We're just a line that has to play physical. Those guys just play simple. They're so good around the net, straight lines and we've been getting chances."