If losing five straight games wasn’t crushing enough, unfortunately, the Winnipeg Jets will be without rookie Dylan Samberg for at least a week if not more, the club announced Wednesday.
Following the team’s morning practice, interim coach Dave Lowry revealed that Samberg has been dealing with a lingering upper-body injury that nearly prevented him from playing Tuesday night, and is currently considered “week-to-week.”
Samberg, 23, now joins teammates Dylan DeMelo (upper-body), Logan Stanley (lower-body) and Josh Morrissey (COVID-19) as the latest defenceman to be ruled out indefinitely. As a result, the Jets’ blue line has been stretched even thinner and will likely see Johnathan Kovacevic make his NHL debut Thursday.
In his first NHL season, the 6’3″ blueliner has appeared in six games thus far, posting two assists, nine blocks, eight shots on goal, seven hits and four takeaways.
On a roster-related note, rookie Cole Perfetti is expected to play his 10th NHL game of the season Thursday, which will effectively start the clock on his entry-level contract.
Winnipeg will attempt to snap its five-game losing streak against the Vancouver Canucks, beginning at 7:00 pm CT.
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