The Winnipeg Jets have been dealing with plenty of injuries lately, and the club provided an update on Saturday.
Of the injured players, it appears Shawn Matthias is dealing with the longest recovery. Jets head coach Paul Maurice told reporters on Saturday that the forward will require surgery on a nagging injury, leading Winnipeg to make the decision to shut him down for the remainder of the season.
“Shawn Matthias had a pre-existing labral tear that he’s been trying to deal with and it just got to the point where he can’t,” Jets head coach Paul Maurice said.
Maurice did not provide a specific timeline, but told reporters “we’re talking about months.”
“That’s a full-on rehab,” he said.
Matthias’ 2016-17 season was limited to just 45 games. The 29-year-old scored eight times and added four assists during that time.
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Maurice also provided an updated on Toby Enstrom, Tyler Myers, Jacob Trouba and Paul Postma.
“[Enstrom]’s still probably longer than day-to-day, he’s still not back really skating well,” Maurice said.
Enstrom was diagnosed with a concussion after a high hit from Pittsburgh Penguins forward Tom Sestito earlier this month.
Myers has missed all but 11 games this season due to injuries. The blue liner underwent surgery to repair a core muscle injury in early February, after which he was given a recovery timeline of about six to eight weeks.
“Tyler is making some improvements,” Maurice said of the defenceman. “We’re not far off, we think, of getting him into consecutive days of skating. So that’s positive.”
Fellow defenceman Jacob Trouba has missed two games since Saturday’s contest against the Calgary Flames. The specifics of Trouba’s injury are unclear, though he did drop the gloves against Sam Bennett. (He would go on to finish that game.)
“He’s probably longer than day-to-day,” Maurice said. “We’re probably looking at another week anyway of rehab before we get him back.”
Maurice also listed defenceman Paul Postma as day-to-day with a lower-body injury.
With 11 games left in the season, the Jets currently sit in fifth place in the strong Central Division. Their 69 points puts them 10 behind the St. Louis Blues, who are in the second wild card spot.