While it was clear the injuries to both Mark Scheifele and Patrik Laine were serious enough to keep the two stars out of the lineup for the Winnipeg Jets, the extent of both player’s injuries is starting to become more clear.
The Jets lost a heartbreaking series to the Calgary Flames to officially be ousted from the 2020 NHL play-ins and during that series, the team was not allowed to reveal the details of the injuries to any of the players. It was frustrating for Jets fans who had already suffered through an incredibly trying season.
The 2019-20 campaign began with contract issues for two big stars in Kyle Connor and Patrik Laine, then defenseman Dustin Byfuglien went AWOL from the team. Bryan Little was injured and in Game 1, both Scheifele and Laine went down. It turned out, they missed the remainder of the series and the Jets were eliminated easily.
Sara Orlesky of TSN is now reporting that the respective injuries to both Scheifele and Laine aren’t long-term. Neither one is expected to miss an extended period of time and head coach Paul Maurice suggested both will be back to start the season.
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Scheifele Injury a Crush, Not a Cut
In the case of Scheifele, Maurice notes that he doesn’t believe there is any Achilles damage. A scary incident when Calgary’s Matthew Tkachuk hit Scheifele and it appears the skate came up and caught Scheifele’s leg, Maurice was livid about the play, suggesting Tkachuk did it intentionally. While Maurice still seems to contend that the play was more dirty than fluky, he’s called it “a crush” not a cut. At this point, Scheifele is still undergoing further testing.
Laine Has Sprained Wrist
Laine’s injury was even more uncertain. He took a slash in Game 1 near the end of the contest and was in obvious discomfort on the bench. He didn’t return for any of the additional games and it turns out he sprained his hand and couldn’t hold a stick.
Maurice believes he’ll only be out for a few weeks but the injury was severe enough that he would have missed all of this series and likely the next had the Jets advanced.
Next: Penguins Make The Switch To Jarry in Elimination Game
