Winnipeg Jets forward Nikolaj Ehlers will undergo sports hernia surgery, coach Rick Bowness told reporters at Canada Life Centre on Saturday. Here’s what you need to know:
- Ehlers will be out indefinitely, as Bowness said the team won’t know a firmer timeline until the surgery happens — but he expects Ehlers to return this season.
- The 26-year-old suffered the injury on Oct. 17 in the Jets’ game against Dallas and was placed on injured reserve.
- Ehlers skated on his own Wednesday for the first time since the injury.
Backstory
Ehlers, selected by the Jets at No. 9 in the 2014 draft, racked up 55 points (28 goals, 27 assists) in 62 games last season. He’s played in just two games this season.
What the surgery means for Ehlers
It means pain — both in terms of his recovery from surgery and also because this was supposed to be Ehlers’ year.
This was supposed to be the season that Ehlers got first-line minutes and top-unit power play time, finally putting together the stunning full-season point total that he’s teased at with his performance further down the depth chart. Bowness, the new coach, put all of that in place, running Ehlers with top forwards Kyle Connor and Mark Scheifele, and Ehlers delivered three assists (including one on the power play) in his first two games of the season. The timing of Ehlers’ injury robs him of an opportunity that was years in the making and that has to hurt. – Ates
When will Ehlers be back?
The shortest answer is that Ehlers’ timeline is unknown. All Bowness could assure reporters on Saturday was that he expected Ehlers to play again sometime this season, suggesting that Ehlers’ recovery will be a long-term process. Sports hernia surgeries have not immediately been kind to hockey players, including former Jets: Andrew Ladd’s best seasons all came before his surgery in May 2015, while Andrew Copp missed two months in Detroit this fall before getting off to a slow start this season.
Estimating a return time is difficult. Bowness wasn’t willing to do that, although two to three months seems to be common. The bigger concern may be what level Ehlers is able to get to when he does come back — any thoughts of a career season will have to wait. – Ates
What will the Jets do in the meantime?
The Jets are rich in bottom-six forwards but poor in obvious top-six candidates. Mason Appleton was Winnipeg’s first option to take over top-line duties in Ehlers’ absence but he’s out for eight to 12 weeks following a freak wrist injury when his stick jammed into the hole in the timekeeper’s glass against Seattle.
Veteran Sam Gagner has joined Connor and Scheifele since Appleton’s injury and had two assists, including a perfect backhand pass to Connor to help Winnipeg beat Anaheim on Sunday. An in-game coaching adjustment also saw Adam Lowry join Connor and Scheifele for key faceoffs and we may continue to see selective usage of Lowry, who has been very good as Winnipeg’s third-line center this season.
Otherwise, it’s possible that Blake Wheeler rejoins his longtime linemates and his solid start implies he could play the role in a pinch. Chaz Lucius and Brad Lambert are very much still developing in Manitoba and are not close to having the requisite impact. Externally, Bowness says roster decisions are in Kevin Cheveldayoff’s hands — he’s just going to coach the players he’s given. – Ates
Will the Jets make a trade?
Winnipeg’s 10-4-1 record is the key stat here, implying that the Jets can win even without Ehlers in the lineup. But now Winnipeg knows he’s out long-term, and the team has lost Appleton and Morgan Barron to injuries, so the Jets’ challenge has grown.
The obvious answer appears to be to trade one of Winnipeg’s many defensemen for help up front. Prospect Ville Heinola has been called up after catching fire again in Manitoba but has yet to play, suggesting Winnipeg sees itself as deep on defense even with Logan Stanley injured and Dylan DeMelo battling a new, minor upper-body injury.
My guess is that Winnipeg takes a wait-and-see approach to the situation. The Jets’ record is terrific and most of it has been earned without Ehlers on board. Thus, the incentive for Cheveldayoff to trade a veteran defenseman away from a potentially playoff-bound team may be low. Maybe that changes if the forwards falter and the defense gets healthy but Cheveldayoff made it all the way through his offseason without clearing his logjam of defensemen, and that was before the Jets roared out to their 10-4-1 start. – Ates
Required reading
(Photo: James Carey Lauder / USA Today)
