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This article was published 26/02/2018 (1925 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

There was no escaping collateral damage within the Winnipeg Jets organization after the bombshell acquisition of centre Paul Stastny and depth defenceman Joe Morrow on Monday.

Stastny’s arrival makes things crowded up the middle and could push hard-nosed fourth-line centre Matt Hendricks out of the lineup once Adam Lowry (upper body) returns. The 6-5, 210-pound centre is due back in early March.

Forward Nic Petan and defenceman Tucker Poolman were immediately reassigned to the Manitoba Moose.

Speaking after practice Monday, Hendricks, a 10-year NHL veteran, said he’ll do whatever’s asked of him as the club pushes for a lofty spot in the Western Conference heading into the playoffs.

“I just want to win. If that means I’m watching the games from the press box, then I’m going to show up for practice every day and push these guys to be the best they can be. I’ve been in these situations before. When you get to the playoffs and you’re winning hockey games, it doesn’t really matter,” he said.

Hendricks and Stastny were teammates in Colorado for parts of two NHL seasons (2008-10).

“He’s a great teammate, a great guy to have in the room. He’s got everyone’s backs, sticks up for his teammates, and vocally he feels very strong about the importance of a team and how tight we can be in here, starting in here and moving out onto the ice,” Hendricks said. “He’s a great hockey mind, a great hockey player — a true pro.”

Jets head coach Paul Maurice wasn’t ready to commit to Hendricks as a press-box regular moving forward.

“I would just say don’t write that yet. Hold that article for a couple of days,” he said.

Petan had been playing limited, fourth-line minutes and Poolman, a rookie blue-liner, has been a healthy scratch in 10 straight contests.

Both should beef up a talent-laden American Hockey League squad gunning for its first-ever Calder Trophy.

“They’re very capable players and good options from a Jets perspective to be back at any time,” Winnipeg general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff said. “They’re going to play some games right now because again, the hardest part for younger players is not playing.

“When Tucker hasn’t been playing, it hasn’t been ideal for us. We feel he’ll be that much better when he gets back into our lineup. It’s not that he can’t be in our lineup. It’s just when you get to this deadline, you have to make some definitive moves based on the roster and based on what you don’t know for the next 20 games.”

Once the trade deadline passes, a team is allowed a maximum of four recalls from its minor-league squad, barring emergencies due to injury.

Jets starting goalie Connor Hellebuyck got a night off in Dallas on Saturday, but returns to the crease tonight against the Central Division-leading Nashville Predators (38-14-9). Game time is 7 p.m.

It’ll be his 50th start of the season. His last start came Friday, when he stopped 34 shots to blank the St. Louis Blues in a 4-0 Winnipeg win. Michael Hutchinson will back him up.

The Jets (37-16-9), just two points back of the Predators, have chalked up two straight wins and are 7-3-0 in their last 10. But Nashville — with a game in hand — is also on a heater with four straight triumphs.

“Four powerful lines, real good physicality and a back end that everybody talks about for good reason,” Maurice said. “This is as dominant a team as there is in the West in my mind. “We’ve played hard against them… (it’s) a real good measuring stick for us.”

The clubs split a pair of games in Nashville this season and collide three times, including tonight, before the end of the regular season.

Winnipeg is 11-6-2 against teams from the Central this season.

Hard-luck netminder Steve Mason is cleared to play after being sidelined with his second concussion of the season but remains on the club’s injured-reserved list.

Left-winger Brandon Tanev (upper body) also skated, but won’t be inserted into the lineup against Nashville. Lowry and winger Shawn Matthias (upper body) are nearing a return, while defenceman Jacob Trouba (lower body) only resumed skating Monday morning and won’t be available for another two weeks minimum.

Tyler Myers was “under the weather” and missed practice, while fellow blue-liner Toby Enstrom had to be helped off the ice after blocking a shot. Both are expected to suit up against the Predators.

“(Enstrom’s) fine. He just wanted to get out of practice. We have a three blocked-shot limit for practices,” Maurice said, wryly.

jason.bell@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @WFPJasonBell