Jets lose Copp to high hit

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This article was published 14/03/2022 (1273 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

ST. LOUIS — An apparent head injury to Winnipeg Jets forward Andrew Copp could be a game-changer — in more ways than one.

For starters, the versatile forward makes the hockey club better when he’s in the lineup, and losing him for any duration is bound to impact the on-ice product. There’s also the matter of Copp’s status as a pending unrestricted free agent and his likely value on the open market ahead of next Monday’s trade deadline. He’s the type of player contenders would love to add, and the Jets have been listening to offers on someone unlikely to re-sign here in the off-season.

At this point, the primary concern is Copp’s well-being, something that was very much a post-game topic on Sunday at Enterprise Center.

“Those are the instances in the game where it’s pretty sobering. He’s a young guy, and it’s bigger than the game at that point,” said Jets captain Blake Wheeler. “You’re just concerned for him. Hopefully, he’s feeling OK.”

Copp, 27, is on pace for a career year with 13 goals and 19 assists in 54 games. He recently missed six games with a concussion after an unpenalized hit from Minnesota’s Jordan Greenway. It’s the fourth documented one of his career, and something Copp has admitted is concerning. It’s fair to wonder if he’s now suffered a fifth, after St. Louis forward Oskar Sundqvist caught him up high with a third-period hit.

There was no penalty call on the play.

“Just got to hope and pray that he’s okay. I checked on him after the game, you just hope that he settles down and feels better,” said teammate and good friend Mark Scheifele, who skated over to the Blues bench and appeared to have some words for Sundqvist after the fact.

“I saw a guy on my team get hit and he was down. So, I think that’s kind of the way things go in this league,” he said. “I didn’t see it, so I had no idea if it was dirty or clean or what it was. But someone has got to go over there and say something.”

Interim coach Dave Lowry said Copp will undergo further evaluation once the team arrives back in Winnipeg on Monday.

“I think any time you have a player with (concussion) history, you’re going to have to be extremely cognizant and be safe with him,” said Lowry, who didn’t offer a strong opinion either way on the play in question.

“I saw two players colliding in the neutral zone,” he said. “It becomes puck battle, right? Two guys colliding. I thought it looked high, but things happen quick. They felt it wasn’t a penalty to be called.”

Pierre-Luc Dubois, however, seemed to be biting his tongue following the game.

“It was good to see Copper get up from that on his own. I saw him after the game. That’s all I got to say,” he said.

The play seemed to light a fire under the Jets Sunday night, as they scored two goals in 63 seconds to turn a 2-1 deficit into a 3-2 lead. Although they gave up the tying goal in the final minutes, they ultimately prevailed in overtime.

“There wasn’t any talk of that being a galvanizing moment on the bench. We were concerned for our teammate,” said Wheeler. “They played a game last night, we didn’t. I think the tide was turning. Copper had like two point-blank chances right in the crease before that, so I think the game was already turning in our favour. Like I said, we were just more concerned about Andrew than we were about the game at that point.”

The Jets are currently carrying one extra healthy forward in Adam Brooks, who has been a scratch for six straight games and would likely take Copp’s spot. Cole Perfetti and Kristian Reichel are both injured right now, while young centre David Gustafsson would also be a recall option from the Manitoba Moose.

mike.mcintyre@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @mikemcintyrewg