Jets' Wheeler out indefinitely after elbow from Sens' Tkachuk
Winnipeg Jets captain Blake Wheeler won't fly with the team on its upcoming road trip and his return timetable is unclear, head coach Paul Maurice said Wednesday.
"He took the elbow last game, was fine, felt good, started to feel a little off (Tuesday), then (Wednesday) started not feeling great," the bench boss told reporters. " ... We don't have a diagnosis on that yet, but we're going to treat it as it is. ... (We need to be) really careful with these things."
"We don't want him flying in and out until we know exactly what's going to happen here," he continued.
Maurice added that Wheeler is out indefinitely.
Ottawa Senators forward Brady Tkachuk was given a minor penalty for elbowing Wheeler up high late in the second period of Winnipeg's 4-3 win Monday. Wheeler finished the contest, playing seven shifts in the third.
Brady Tkachuk took another penalty for an elbow on Blake Wheeler. A rare undisciplined game for him.
— Brandon Maki (@BrandonMaki_) April 6, 2021
Been that kind of night. #Sens pic.twitter.com/t7eWfCrgjN
The Jets are embarking on a five-game road trip beginning with Thursday's matchup against the Montreal Canadiens. Winnipeg will play Montreal again Saturday, then face the Senators on Monday and Wednesday before meeting the Toronto Maple Leafs on Thursday.
Wheeler had played in all 39 of the Jets' games in 2021, collecting 10 goals and 22 assists while averaging 18:16 of ice time. The 34-year-old has worn the "C" for Winnipeg since 2016-17, and he's spent 10-plus campaigns of his 13 NHL seasons with the Jets franchise.