Winnipeg Jets head coach Paul Maurice broke the news that Nikolaj Ehlers would be out for the rest of the regular season. As Elliotte Friedman so eloquently stated, “he was having a great year.”
Per Head Coach Paul Maurice, Nikolaj Ehlers will miss the remainder of the regular season.
"We're confident and hopeful he'll be back for the start of the playoffs." – Paul Maurice pic.twitter.com/XkEhFxqnqa
— Winnipeg Jets (@NHLJets) April 26, 2021
Nikolaj Ehlers Out for Remainder of the Season
The speedy Winnipeg Jets forward took a big hit from Toronto Maple Leafs defenceman Jake Muzzin on Saturday after scoring the only goal for his team. The game ended in a 4-1 loss for Winnipeg, but it ended up being worse than the scoreboard indicated, with the Jets losing arguably their best forward. Along with Mark Scheifele, Blake Wheeler, and Kyle Connor, Ehlers provides a powerful punch on the top-end of the Winnipeg lineup. His quickness, agility, and willingness to go to the dirty areas have served him well in his NHL career. He has only gotten better over his six-year stint with the Jets. This season was his best, notching 3.48 points per 60 minutes. In total, he has tallied 46 points in 47 games, which is good enough for second on the team, eight points back of the Scheifele.
Ehlers’ production has been excellent over his entire career, notching 303 points in a 416 game span. The point totals include an excellent 136 goals, which makes his yearly average around 22 goals. Ehlers has been very consistent in that regard, notching 20+ goals in every season except his inaugural one. He has been the trademark of consistency both on the stat sheet and through the eye test. He never takes a shift off.
What this means for the future
Maurice said that Ehlers is to be out for the rest of the regular season. It’s terrible news for the Jets, but fortunately, they could get him back in time for the playoffs. Winnipeg hasn’t clinched yet, but the time is nigh. With only nine games left in this pandemic shortened year, the four teams in the Scotia North division look locked in for the postseason. A team like Winnipeg needs a player like Ehlers to be healthy as much as possible. While the situation isn’t ideal right now, the team and coaching staff should be a little less stressed knowing he could come back in the nick of time.
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