Winnipeg Jets defenceman Nathan Beaulieu has been shut down for the season after having successful shoulder surgery to repair a torn labrum. Jets head coach Paul Maurice informed the press of Beaulieu’s injury status during the team’s media availability on Friday.
A bit more on Nathan Beaulieu. He had been playing through a torn labrum when he suffered a broken bone in his hand on March 9, which is what knocked him out of lineup. Decision was made to have surgery on it now.
Beaulieu suffered 3 different bone breaks last year.#wfp
— Mike McIntyre (@mikemcintyrewpg) April 2, 2021
Nathan Beaulieu Out for the Remainder of the Season
Beaulieu has not played a game since March 9th. He was ruled out for a number of weeks after blocking a shot with his left hand against the Toronto Maple Leafs. As it turned out, not only did he break a bone in his hand during that game but he had also been playing with a shoulder injury for some time.
With multiple injuries and little time to recover, the team opted for Beaulieu to have shoulder surgery and put an end to his 2020-21 campaign.
He finishes this season with 39 hits, 30 blocked shots, 20 penalty minutes and a single assist.
What This Means For The Jets Trade Deadline
The Nathan Beaulieu injury creates plenty of Trade Deadline buzz. According to Cap Friendly, if the Jets place Beaulieu on Long Term Injured Reserve, Winnipeg would then have roughly $4.75 million to play with before the deadline. Naturally, any additions would first and foremost have to address the vacancy on the backend.
The top left-handed defenceman on the market remains Mattias Ekholm, by a wide margin. Surely, his affordable $3.75 million cap-hit coupled with two years remaining on his contract would interest general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff. Although, you can expect the Predators to put a hefty price tag on his head.
Other left-handers on the market include Alex Goligoski, Shayne Gostisbehere, Ryan Murray and Dmitry Kulikov. Though, Gostisbehere recently went unclaimed on waivers.
If the front office can address the defensive side of things then Paul Maurice’s side will be in prime position to make a run in the postseason. Right now, the Jets are 11 points clear of fifth place in the North Division. They play the bottom three teams a further eight times in their last 19 games.
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