According to a report from Kevin Wiebe of The Athletic Mark Letestu and Anthony Bitetto have placed on IR by the Winnipeg Jets. Letestu is currently dealing with an undisclosed injury, while Bitetto is dealing with a lower-body injury.
#NHLJets HC Paul Maurice says D Anthony Bitetto (lower body) remains Dayton-day and has been placed on IR. F Mark Letestu (undisclosed) has also been placed on IR and he will undergo further testing at the end of the month
— Ken Wiebe (@WiebeAthletic) October 19, 2019
Mark Letestu and Anthony Bitetto to IR
Both players were missing from practice on Saturday. Earlier in the week, the Jets listed Letestu as day-to-day with this undisclosed injury. Letestu played the full game against the Chicago Blackhawks last Sunday. However, he did not participate in the morning skate on Tuesday before the game against the Arizona Coyotes. Paul Maurice notes that Letestu was not dealing with concussion-like symptoms which is good news for Jets fans.
After missing the game against the Coyotes on Tuesday, Letestu didn’t participate in Wednesday’s practice. The Jets were hopeful Letestu could come back sooner. With today’s news, his injury is more serious than originally thought. Letestu is ruled out of Sunday’s game against the Edmonton Oilers.
During Tuesday’s game against the Coyotes, Bitetto did not return after the first intermission suffering lower-body injury. While he remains day-to-day, Bitetto did miss Thursday nights contest against the New York Islanders. With Bitetto on IR, he will miss a couple of more games.
Reinforcements Coming
One area the Jets could ill-afford to lose any more players was on defence. Already without Nathan Beaulieu and Dustin Byfuglien, the Jets defence could not take any more hits. While Bitetto has not lit the world on fire, he has not played badly either. In eight games, Bitetto has one point. Considering the players the Jets lost on defence, they are doing a good job thus far this season.
Winnipeg’s defence got a boost with Josh Morrissey and Dmitry Kulikov returning to the lineup. The Jets will have also have help on offense as well. Bryan Little, who has been sidelined with an injury is ready to return. During Saturday’s practice, Little was on a line with Nikolaj Ehlers and Kyle Connor. He will be a huge welcome for a Jets team that is struggling to score goals.
Through seven games this season, Letestu has zero points. With Letestu out of the lineup, the Jets are reuniting Andrew Copp and Adam Lowry on the third line. As David Gustafsson continues to skate on the fourth line where Letestu normally is.
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