Unable to play in either contest against the Edmonton Oilers earlier in the week, Nikolaj Ehlers appears to be out even longer. Still dealing with the lingering effects of neck spasms, Ken Wiebe of the Winnipeg Free Press reports that Ehlers will miss tonight’s game against the Calgary Flames, as well as Friday’s game against the Ottawa Senators.
Missing a handful of regular season games from 2020-2022, Ehlers spent one of his longest bouts on the injured reserve last season, missing six weeks of action due to a hernia. Only suiting up in 45 games, the Winnipeg Jets are hoping this injury does not continue to linger.
There is reason for optimism, as Wiebe notes that Ehlers is progressing nicely through the injury, but without being able to play a single game in the preseason, Ehlers may need a bit longer to acclimate himself than other players on the opening night roster. Although this is positive news in terms of his eventual return to the ice for Winnipeg, there is no specific timetable set for Ehlers’ return.
Other Winnipeg injury notes:
- In the same report, Wiebe writes that Jets’ depth defenseman, Kyle Capobianco, will be left off the roster for tonight’s game against the Flames due to a groin injury. Instead, the 164th overall selection of the 2020 NHL Draft, Tyrel Bauer, will take his place in the lineup. After agreeing to a deal with defenseman Logan Stanley in mid-August for the 2023-24 NHL season, Capobianco will be hard-pressed to find a spot on the Jets’ blue line to start the season, even after playing in 14 games for the team last year.
- Lastly, in his return from an illness that kept him out a few days, Winnipeg’s first-round pick in the 2023 NHL Draft, Colby Barlow, will return to the ice with the team. Unable to find himself in the lineup for a preseason game up to this point, Barlow could see his first taste of professional action as early as tonight against Calgary.