Jets hit where it hurts

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This article was published 17/12/2022 (1037 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

VANCOUVER — The Winnipeg Jets better hope that adage “what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger” is true. Because the hits keep coming for a battered and bruised hockey team that is quickly running out of Band-Aids.

Veteran forward Blake Wheeler and defenceman Nate Schmidt are the latest to be added to an already lengthy injury list.

Wheeler, 36, underwent groin surgery on Friday, one day after Josh Morrissey’s slapshot was tipped by Pierre-Luc Dubois into a most unfortunate and sensitive area. Wheeler hobbled off the ice midway through the second period, then somehow managed to play the entire third period despite his painful predicament.

“I thought he was fine once he came back to play. I was like, OK, he got through the worst of it,” centre Mark Scheifele said Saturday. “Obviously that wasn’t the case. For him to gut out and play the last period, that took some serious balls.”

Jets coach Rick Bowness expects the former captain to miss at least a month of action.

“Blake, you give him 100 percent credit to come back and play in the third period like he did. He’s one tough cookie, man, he’ll play through everything,” said Bowness. “This is something that had to be dealt with, it’s dealt with, and we need him to have a speedy recovery and get him back on the ice — and in the room — as quick as we can.”

Bowness said Wheeler insisted on coming back and convinced medical staff he was okay to do so.

“He thought he could play and he did. If you go look at the third period, there are three-and-a-half minutes to go in the game, a 1-1 game, the puck goes back to the D, and who is the first guy at net-front? Blake,” said Bowness. “Looking for a tip, looking for a screen, he didn’t hesitate to go in there. Again, he’s a tremendous competitor.”

Wheeler has 26 points (nine goals, 17 assists) through 29 games, tied for fourth in team scoring with Scheifele.

“He’s a warrior. He’s played through pretty much everything under the sun. To see him come back and play the third shows his pain tolerance, first of all. But he’s just a warrior,” said Scheifele. “Obviously it sucks to be missing him right now. Just hope he has a good recovery and is back in no time.”

Schmidt, 31, was knocked out of the same game against Nashville after taking a heavy hit from Predators forward Tanner Jeannot. No penalty was called on the play. There were initially concussion concerns, but Bowness said he’s cleared protocol. Unfortunately, an upper-body injury will sideline him for between 4-6 weeks.

The Jets now have approximately US$24 million in salary out of their lineup, with Wheeler and Schmidt joining forwards Nikolaj Ehlers, Mason Appleton and Saku Maenalanen, and defenceman Logan Stanley.

“We don’t expect anyone coming back in the next 3-4 weeks at all,” said Bowness. “Listen, we’re the Winnipeg Jets. We look for solutions, we don’t look for excuses. We’ve had a lot of injuries all year. We’re going to continue to have them and we’re going to continue to play with the next man up and find solutions — absolutely no excuses.”

The search for additional solutions began Saturday night with the Jets opening a two-game road trip in Vancouver.

Karson Kuhlman, picked up on waivers earlier in the week from Seattle, made his Winnipeg debut and was thrown right into the fire by stepping into Wheeler’s spot on the No. 1 line with Scheifele and Cole Perfetti.

“Well it’s tough, first of all. It’s hard to talk about it too much without actually playing with him or seeing him play in a game,” Scheifele said following the pre-game skate. “I’m sure there will be a lot of conversations on the bench tonight about certain reads, where to go, where not to go. Stuff like that. I think that will come back pretty quick. It’s all a learning process. Just has to be a lot of talk tonight and just go out there and play.”

There’s no question the 27-year-old Kuhlman will be motivated to show he belongs, just days after another NHL team decided they had no room on their roster for him.

“Obviously he’s going to be hungry to play. He’s going to be rested to play. It’s been a crazy week. But he’s a great guy,” said Scheifele.

On the blue-line, Kyle Capobianco drew into the lineup to take Schmidt’s spot beside Dylan Samberg and on the second power play unit. He’s been a healthy scratch in 26 of Winnipeg’s first 29 games.

“I try to take advantage of practice every day. I try to really focus on each drill, each shot and prepare like it’s a game. That’s really all I can try to do,” Capobianco said of trying to stay ready and now fill Schmidt’s skates.

“He’s such a big voice in our room. He’s such a great guy. On this trip you feel like you miss him, he’s such a vocal guy. But I think guys are looking to step up and hopefully play well.”

The Jets also have Ville Heinola, who was called up from the Manitoba Moose on Friday. He’ll get a chance as well, but didn’t play Saturday as he continues to recover from a non-COVID illness that sidelined him for the past two weeks, including four AHL games.

“We have to give him some time to get his legs back under him. He missed some time, he was really sick, and we have to get him stronger,” said Bowness. “Also, Kyle has been a great teammate here all year. He hasn’t played very much, but he comes to the rink every day and is a true pro. He’s worked very hard and he’s done everything we’ve asked him to do without one word of complaint. He certainly deserves a game tonight. But is Ville going to play here? Yes.”

Winnipeg made one other lineup change on Saturday. Axel Jonsson-Fjallby, a healthy scratch for two straight, took Michael Eyssimont’s spot on a fourth-line with David Gustafsson and Kevin Stenlund. The second line (Dubois, Kyle Connor and Sam Gagner) and third line (Adam Lowry, Jansen Harkins and Morgan Barron) remained intact from how it finished in Thursday’s 2-1 win over Nashville.

Connor Hellebuyck got the start in net, his fourth straight.

You wonder, at some point, whether general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff will make a move to throw a lifeline to his group, which is off to a sizzling 19-9-1 start prior to facing the Canucks. Harkins, Stenlund, Eyssimont and Heinola all began the year with the Moose, while Jonsson-Fjallby and Kuhlman were both grabbed off the waiver wire.

At this point, no doubt they’re hoping to at least stop the bleeding and stay healthy for a stretch, but it doesn’t help with such a compact schedule.

The Jets finish the road trip on Sunday night in Seattle. They return home to play Ottawa on Tuesday, then finish off the pre-Christmas portion of the docket with back-to-back games Thursday and Friday in Boston and Washington.

mike.mcintyre@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @mikemcintyrewpg