Scrap shelves D-man Chiarot until April

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This article was published 24/02/2015 (3861 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

DEFENCEMAN Ben Chiarot will be sidelined until early April because of a hand injury, Jets coach Paul Maurice said Monday.

Chiarot had surgery to repair bones in his hand Sunday.

Chiarot couldn’t complete Saturday’s 4-3 overtime loss in Toronto. He fought with Toronto’s Daniel Winnik midway through the third period and went to the dressing room after spending a few moments in the penalty box.

There was a longer explanation of Chiarot’s injury, which is rare from the Jets.

“I’m telling you that to tell you how we handle these injuries,” Maurcie said. “We know before Benny come’s back those bones will be 100 per cent healed and that he’ll be at 100 per cent.

“The reason we’re vague with other injuries at times is because you know the guy’s going to come back and have some pain in some areas (and possibly be targeted) but that one will be 100 per cent healed before he’s back in the lineup.”

He joins Mathieu Perreault (early April) and Matt Halischuk (two more weeks) on the Jets’ injured reserve list.

 

Roster moves

TO take Chiarot’s place on the roster, the Jets have recalled centre Eric O’Dell from the AHL’s St. John’s IceCaps.

Carl Klingberg is already here from the IceCaps and both might be needed tonight against the Dallas Stars if right-winger Blake Wheeler can’t go.

Wheeler took a shot on the knee Thursday in Washington. He finished the game and soldiered through Saturday’s game in Toronto, but was not at practice Monday.

Maurice said Wheeler’s situation could have a bearing on whether Dustin Byfuglien is a forward or defenceman for tonight’s game.

Byfuglien played at forward on Saturday and again at practice Monday.

 

Deadline looming

THE matter of the NHL’s trading deadline next Monday was increasingly prominent in questions for the Jets after Monday’s practice.

Maurice said the decisions are GM Kevin Cheveldayoff’s, but said one element of the team needs to remain.

“Kevin’s got a real strong idea — and he has since the first phone call about how the build was going to happen with the young players coming in,” Maurice said. “For me, I’m always only concerned with the guys we have. That’s my job.

“I don’t necessarily want to see anybody come in that takes ice time from one of our younger players. It’s too important a time. They need to play now.

“That’s the whole point of having some younger guys in those positions.”

 

Schedule relief

THE four-game homestand that starts tonight against Dallas marks the Jets’ longest stay at home in more than two months.

The team has 12 home games and nine road games remaining in its 82-game regular season.

“I was starting to have a hard time gauging where we were at based on our travel and fatigue level,” said Maurice, who has seen his team come home for just one game three times in the last six weeks.

The Jets are 4-2-3 in their last nine.

“Those two teams we lost to on the road, in Washington and in Nashville, I think from Dec. 5 on are the two best teams in the NHL,” the coach said. “I think we’ll see more energy and more jump.”

 

— Tim Campbell