Winnipeg Jets forward Mason Appleton will miss at least eight weeks with an upper-body injury. He is scheduled to have surgery Wednesday and will begin recovery right away.
Appleton sustained the upper-body injury in Sunday’s 3-2 overtime win over the Seattle Kraken. He and Kraken defenseman Carson Soucy got tangled up along the boards, and Appleton’s stick awkwardly clotheslined him and took him out for the remainder of the game.
Appleton, 26, spent part of last season with the Kraken after being selected in the 2021 NHL Expansion Draft. The Jets did not protect Appleton’s rights, thus allowing the Kraken to pick him up. In 49 games with the Kraken last season, he registered six goals and 17 points in 49 games. Upon the trade deadline, the Kraken sent Appleton back to Winnipeg in exchange for a 2023 fourth-round draft pick. Appleton finished the season with four points in 19 games.
The Green Bay, Wisconsin product and sixth-round draft pick is currently in his fifth NHL season. Through 220 career NHL games split between the Kraken and Jets, he has registered 29 goals and 41 assists for 70 points. His American Hockey League (AHL) tenure with the Manitoba Moose is what really helped his development. In 2017-18 Appleton was named the AHL Rookie of the Year and was awarded the Red Garrett Memorial Award after recording 44 assists and 66 points. In 2018-19 he was named to the AHL All-Star Game.
This summer, Appleton was a restricted free agent. The Jets and Appleton avoided arbitration after agreeing to a three-year, $6.5 million contract with an average annual value (AAV) of $2.167 million. He is currently in year one of the contract.
More must-reads: