Jets winger Nikolaj Ehlers is out week-to-week with the foot harm he aggravated in a collision with an official towards the Blackhawks on Saturday, head coach Scott Arniel stated Tuesday (by way of Ken Wiebe of the Winnipeg Free Press).
Ehlers’ standing for the start of Winnipeg’s first-round collection towards the second wild card within the Western Convention is now extremely uncertain. Every week-to-week designation probably sidelines him for the primary two video games of the collection on the very least, though that timeline this late within the common season may hold him out for your entire first spherical — and even longer.
That’s a humongous blow to the President’s Trophy winners as they try to win their first playoff collection since 2021. Ehlers, a perennial top-six producer regardless of receiving less-than-expected deployment, ranks third on the Jets in scoring with 24-39–63 in 69 video games. He additionally missed a stretch of video games earlier within the yr with a lower-body harm. It’s the third time in 4 seasons Ehlers has missed no less than 10 video games resulting from harm.
Ehlers’ efficiency this season is the second-best of his profession on a per-game foundation, and it additionally comes within the closing season of his seven-year, $42M contract. May the pending unrestricted free agent have performed his closing regular-season sport in Winnipeg? He’ll look to no less than get again to that manufacturing if the Jets can win sufficient playoff video games with out him to increase his season, constructing on what’s been an especially underwhelming playoff status to date in his profession. The 29-year-old has simply 4 targets in 37 profession postseason outings.
Fortunately, the Jets might not be down a pair of top-six fixtures when their postseason begins. Arniel additionally stated that top-line winger Gabriel Vilardi has been upgraded to day-to-day as he nears a return from the upper-body harm that’s saved him out since March 23. Like Ehlers, he’s a member of the 60-point membership with a career-best 27-34–61 stat line in 71 showings. He spent the yr stapled to Kyle Connor and Mark Scheifele and can return to that function when he will get again within the lineup, whether or not that’s of their closing regular-season sport Wednesday towards the Geese, Sport 1 of the playoffs or later of their first-round collection.
It’s nonetheless a giant chunk out of the league’s third-ranked offense and can imply considered one of Alex Iafallo or Nino Niederreiter stays elevated in a top-six function when the postseason begins, even when Vilardi is cleared to play. Ehlers additionally has the very best possession impacts of any certified Winnipeg ahead, with a 53.3 CF% and +10.1 anticipated ranking at even power.
