The Wild got a little bit of good news today, as it appears their superstar Kirill Kaprizov and Joel Eriksson Ek are on the road to recovery and could be back soon. There are just seven games remaining in <a href='https://www.nhl.com/wild/' class='lien_marqueur' target='_blank' rel='noopener'>the Minnesota Wild</a>'s regular season, and both Joel Eriksson Ek and Kirill Kaprizov remain <a href='https://www.sportsnet.ca/nhl/article/wilds-kirill-kaprizov-cleared-for-contact-as-he-nears-return/' class='lien_marqueur' target='_blank' rel='noopener'>on track to return from injury in time for the playoffs.</a> This return for the playoffs could be crucial for the Wild, as they are currently on a collision course to face <a href='https://www.nhl.com/jets/' class='lien_marqueur' target='_blank' rel='noopener'>the Winnipeg Jets</a> in the postseason. <a href='https://www.nhl.com/wild/player/kirill-kaprizov-8478864' class='lien_marqueur' target='_blank' rel='noopener'>Kaprizov</a> has missed some time, appearing in just three contests since Dec. 24 and none since Jan. 26 because of a lower-body injury that necessitated surgery. He's been on long-term injured reserve ever since. But head coach John Hynes had a positive update Tuesday, saying Kaprizov is getting better and will return to the lineup prior to the conclusion of the regular season. <div align='center' class='pl20 pr20'><blockquote class='twitter-tweet' data-lang='en'><a href='https://twitter.com/WildJoeRadio/status/1907457428758679960'><div style='border:1px solid #CCCCCC;border-radius:10px;padding:20px;width:300px;'>Loading from Twitter ...</div></a></blockquote></div> That said, Hynes ruled Kaprizov out for the two New York games this week, Wednesday vs. the Rangers and Friday vs. the Islanders, and Sunday's game against the powerhouse Dallas Stars. That leaves four games as possibilities for his return. Kaprizov has already started skating, and the next phase of his recovery is to get cleared for contact, which is what is expected to happen now. <div align='center' class='pl20 pr20'><blockquote class='twitter-tweet' data-lang='en'><a href='https://twitter.com/RussoHockey/status/1907457903532872084'><div style='border:1px solid #CCCCCC;border-radius:10px;padding:20px;width:300px;'>Loading from Twitter ...</div></a></blockquote></div> Hynes also had positive news on Joel Eriksson Ek, who has been on long-term injured reserve for six weeks. The forward is also progressing in his recovery and may be back before the regular season concludes. <div align='center' class='pl20 pr20'><blockquote class='twitter-tweet' data-lang='en'><a href='https://twitter.com/RussoHockey/status/1907457905663553585'><div style='border:1px solid #CCCCCC;border-radius:10px;padding:20px;width:300px;'>Loading from Twitter ...</div></a></blockquote></div> <h3>The Wild have plummeted in the standings since dealing with these injuries</h3> Eriksson Ek last played on Feb. 22. The Wild were 34-19-4 through Feb. 23, but have since gone 7-9-2 and <a href='https://www.nhl.com/standings/2025-04-02/wildcard' class='lien_marqueur' target='_blank' rel='noopener'>dropped into the second wild-card position in the Western Conference.</a> In the meantime, the St. Louis Blues won their 10th in a row on Monday and moved ahead of Minnesota in the standings. The Wild still hold a six-point lead over Calgary for the last playoff berth.