Evander Kane out until February with a lower body injury
How many injury shots can the Winnipeg Jets absorb? The team just announced another issue Monday, and it's an important piece for their group.
Cash-money forward Evander Kane will be out until February with lower body injury, according to coach Paul Maurice. Per Jets scribe Ken Wiebe, Kane blocked a shot with his foot Saturday against Minnesota.
Said the Sun:
Kane, who has six goals and 15 points in 26 games this season, blocked a shot off the foot/ankle from Jets defenceman Jay Harrison during Saturday’s overtime win by the Jets over the Wild in the front end of the home-and-home series.
The absence of Kane means Chris Thorburn is bumped back up to the third line, with rookie Adam Lowry and Matt Halischuk — a trio that was used when Kane sat out his two-game suspension.
That puts the Jets without blueliners Zach Bogosian, Jacob Trouba, Tobias Enstrom, Mark Stuart and now Kane. So the Jets will be without all their top defensemen, and arguably their most skilled forward for the time being. Stinks for residents of the great prairie city.
It's the second injury for Kane (six goals, nine assists in 26 games), who missed time earlier in the season with a knee injury. He was also suspended two games. And judging by Wiebe's story, it sounds like the Jets know how to deal with his absence because of his time on the shelf earlier in the year.
Regardless of his enigma-like status and outspoken views on Twitter, Kane's skill is obvious and important to the Jets, who lead the NHL's Wild Card standings. This is going to be a tough stretch for Winnipeg at a rough time of the year.
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Josh Cooper is an editor for Puck Daddy on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at puckdaddyblog@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @joshuacooper
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