Concussion leaves Jets’ Laine in limbo
Winnipeg must wrestle with unknowns as rookie sniper is relegated to sidelines indefinitely
There has been plenty of tonguewagging about what the Winnipeg Jets would look like if Patrik Laine wasn’t in the mix this season.
Or if the Jets hadn’t essentially won the NHL Draft lottery to move up to earn the second overall selection in 2016 and have the opportunity to select the talented Finn.
Well, those folks are about to find out.
Jets head coach Paul Maurice confirmed what seemed inevitable on Sunday afternoon — that the rookie sensation is out of the lineup indefinitely with a concussion.
“He has a concussion. He will start the stages of recovery with that,” said Jets head coach Paul Maurice. “We will wait until the symptoms subside and then you start increasing the workload and getting back on the ice.
“There can’t be (a timeline) on any of these (concussions).”
And there’s the rub, the best guess about when the Finnish sniper might be able to return to the lineup is just a guess.
For a concussion, even with all of the advancements in both technology and treatment, the element of the unknown is real.
The best news for Laine is that he’s in good spirits after suffering the first significant injury of his NHL career.
“He’s watching practice with a big smile on his face,” said Maurice. “He’s not feeling 100 per cent, he’s not feeling fresh but he’s walking around and looking good. And he’s got (Nikolaj) Ehlers as a chauffeur for the next little while. He’s in good shape.”
Losing a pure goal scorer who has already racked up 21 goals and 37 points in his first 42 games presents a massive challenge for the Jets, who are 19-20-3 and already facing plenty of challenges in the quest to remain in the thick of the Western Conference playoff race.
The next few games will show if the Jets can rally together and keep their heads above water.
“(Laine) has been tremendous for us, 21 goals halfway through the season is pretty incredible for anyone, let alone an 18 year old,” Jets captain Blake Wheeler said. “We’re hoping for the best. It was nice to see him here and hopefully we can get some good news here, the sooner, the better.”
Maurice reiterated didn’t have an issue with the way the heavy check was delivered by Sabres defenceman Jake McCabe, who stepped up in the neutral zone and rocked Laine at 5:51 of the third period of Saturday’s 4-3 loss.
“It’s a hard hit and when you get a collision like that, there aren’t the markers of a dirty hit,” said Maurice. “The elbows aren’t off. (McCabe) is not off his feet. They collided, both heads hit and we had a bad result. It’s an awfully hard hit and those happen in the games. But it wasn’t dirty.
“I love Patrik Laine and I’m going to protect my players all day long, but I have no problem with the hit. When two big men get together at that quick a pace, there’s going to be some collateral damage. But the hits they’re talking about getting out of the game are blindside hits, elbows to the head, people coming off their feet. (This) was a very unfortunate result and we’re hoping to get (Laine) back healthy here.”
For those who believed Mark Scheifele put Laine in harm’s way with a poor pass in the neutral zone, Maurice was quick to defend the fourth-year centre.
“It was a flat pass to an open guy,” said Maurice. “That’s not in his feet, it’s not from behind, 99 times out of 100, the (defence) are pulling out on that (play) because of the speed we’ve got going. And listen, this is happening fast. You don’t have (much) time and you need to check early what your lanes are coming up the ice.
“There was nothing wrong with that pass.”
Nor did Maurice have an issue with the response from Scheifele, who went after McCabe and appeared to connect with a high cross-check on him. The emotional response was a natural one, not to mention a necessary one.
It’s going to be interesting to watch the Jets, no matter how long Laine is on the sidelines.