Wheeler skates, won’t play for at least 10 days

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This article was published 12/04/2021 (1608 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

BLAKE Wheeler didn’t do man-makers or anything that resembled a rigorous conditioning drill, however, even another light workout Monday was a positive step forward for the injured Jets veteran.

Winnipeg’s captain took the ice at Bell MTS Place for the second time since he was diagnosed with a concussion last week, the consequences of a careless elbow delivered by Ottawa’s Brady Tkachuk that caught Wheeler in the face eight days ago.

Jets head coach Paul Maurice said his captain is making progress but there’s no time frame for his return to the lineup.

“He’s at the point he’s skating, so that’s a real positive, which means he will slowly amp up the level of exertion until he feels he’s ready for contact. And there’s no timeline on that, it may be a very short ramp up, or it may take a while,” said Maurice, during a Monday morning chat with reporters. “He had a good day (Sunday), so he’s having another skate (Monday). If he feels good (Tuesday), we’ll just keep pushing that.”

A player needs to successfully pass through several stages before he can resume regular duty, he said. “He’s going to have to go through a good, heavy skate. He’s going to have to test. And we’re going to be really careful with this one.”

The expectation is he would not play until a week Wednesday at the earliest.

The Jets resume acquaintances with the Senators on Wednesday and then face the North Division-leading Toronto Maple Leafs on Thursday before returning home to host the Edmonton Oilers on Saturday night. The squad then has a three-day break in the schedule before playing the visiting Leafs (Wednesday, April 21).

“If I can get him through the Edmonton game, then there’s three days off-ice where you have a more controlled situation. We know one thing. When he comes in the door and he says, ‘I’ve pushed myself really hard. I’m ready to play’ (then) he’s pushed himself really hard,” said Maurice. “Once the doctors sign off on him and he says he wants to play, he’ll go back in the lineup — but I’m not in a hurry to get him back in.”

Jets centre Adam Lowry said he’s eager for Wheeler to rejoin the group.

“He’s the heart and soul, he’s the leader of our team. We’re glad he’s progressing. Fortunately we’ve been able to play well without him in the lineup and we know when he’s ready he’s going to come back in and be a big part of our team,” said Lowry. “He’s a big part of our power play, our top-six, and our room in general. He’s another piece that you can kind of add after the (trade) deadline, with him being out here. We’re really looking forward to having him back. He makes us a better team on the ice, off the ice.”

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Jets goalie Connor Hellebuyck and Melanie MacKinnon, a key member of the COVID-19 pandemic response in Manitoba, have been named co-recipients of the NHL’s first star of the week.

The league is recognizing the efforts of its star players and tying it to the amazing work of Canadian and U.S. health professionals during the crisis.

Hellebuyck, 27, backstopped Winnipeg to three triumphs last week, including a 5-0 shutout Saturday in Montreal. He posted a .938 save percentage and 1.67 goals-against average.

MacKinnon serves as the executive director of the University of Manitoba’s Ongomiizwin – Health Services (OHS) team. She has been coordinating Manitoba’s First Nations pandemic rapid response teams, a network of doctors, nurses and rehabilitation specialists who respond to urgent situations in remote and isolated communities across the province.

jason.bell@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @WFPJasonBell