Jets captain suffering from hernia, Trouba from a broken bone in hand

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This article was published 24/04/2015 (3811 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Winnipeg Jets captain Andrew Ladd played the final two and a half months of the season and the Stanley Cup playoffs with a sports hernia, he told reporters this morning.

And Jets defenceman Jacob Trouba finished the first-round playoff series against Anaheim with a broken bone in his hand.

Those are two of today’s early revelations as the Jets being the process of transitioning to the off-season. They were eliminated by the Ducks on Wednesday night, losing the series 4-0.

Today, Jets goalie Ondrej Pavelec said he’s going to play at the World Championships for the Czech Republic. The tournament is being held in his home country.

Jets prospect goalie Connor Hellebuyck was named to Team U.S.A. for that tournament today and for the second straight year.

Ladd said he just had his injury confirmed on Thursday. Maurice alluded to an ongoing serious problem after Game 4 on Wednesday night.

“I found out yesterday for sure that I’ve got a sports hernia, so that’s what I was dealing with,” he said. “We just found out so we’ll go through the process of seeing a specialist on Monday and go through the options from that standpoint, whether it’s surgery or rehab.”

The captain rarely practised or took morning skates in the season’s final months.

“It was (getting) that if I skated back-to-back days, it kept getting worse and worse,” he said. “I don’t think it affected (my play) much.”

Ladd and Trouba weren’t the only ones with health issues at the end of the season.

Maurice said today that Bryan Little and Dustin Byfuglien both had rib discloations that kept them out of action at times late in the regular season.

“They healed but never got good,” Maurice said. “Those were a challenge.”

Jets forward Mathieu Perreault, who was on fire by mid-season, was derailed by a multitude of ailments.

“Matty Perreault, his injury earlier was a high-ankle sprain which became a version of a low-ankle sprain and bone bruise and when he got hit from behind he ripped some ligaments off his hand and some bone off his hand,” Maurice reported. “He could play with it but he felt it.”

He was less specific about other things but said there was more.

“We’ve got some other guys who had minor fractures, if that’s possible, but they’ll just heal,” he said. “We’ve got probably three surgeries, a couple of shoulders we’re going to have to look at. The standard things. I’ve always been amazed with what they’re willing to play with. We had eight guys playing with fairly significant injuries.”

Another important subject came up with Ladd today.

His contract expires at the end of next season and he and the Jets are allowed to start talking about their future and a contract extension after June 30.

“I like what’s going on here and the process that’s gone on and the steps that have been made,” Ladd said today. “I’m excited to be a part of it and want to be a part of it and I’m excited for the years to come here. I think we can do some good things.”

He said he would be willing to start talking about an extension this summer.

“I would,” he said. “It’s obviously I’d have to talk to my family about but we enjoy it here. Hockey-wise, we see the excitement around the team and what’s gone on here and now more than ever you want be a part of it.”

More to come.

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