Jets HC Rick Bowness announces injury updates for two key players

The Jets have been banged up this season, and there isn’t much short-term help on the horizon. Sportsnet’s Ken Wiebe relays that center Saku Maenalanen is the closest to returning and is about a week away, according to head coach Rick Bowness. The 28-year-old has been a regular in the bottom six for Winnipeg this season, notching four goals and two assists in 25 games. However, he has missed the last three weeks with an upper-body injury.

Bowness says the Jets expect Cole Perfetti to return after Maenalanen. The youngster is expected to miss a week to 10 days with an upper-body issue. Perfetti has been one of Winnipeg’s more productive players this season, as he’s tied for sixth in team scoring with 20 points in 33 games. Unfortunately for them, those are the only players who are somewhat close to returning. The Jets' other injured players (a list that includes Nikolaj Ehlers, Blake Wheeler and Nate Schmidt, among others) are at least multiple weeks away from returning.

More from around the Central Division:

• Wild defenseman Jacob Middleton did not accompany the team on their trip to Winnipeg due to a non-COVID illness, the Minnesota announced. The 26-year-old is in his first full season with Minnesota and has shored up its third pairing nicely. Middleton has six points, 57 blocks and 48 hits in 33 games this season. His absence is why the team recalled Andrej Sustr from AHL Iowa earlier Tuesday.
• Coyotes prospect Jeremy Langlois is on the move in the QMJHL as Cape Breton announced that it has moved the defenseman to Quebec for a pair of draft picks. The 19-year-old was a third-round pick this past summer (94th overall) after an impressive season offensively that saw him , but he’s still on pace for 40 points. Langlois has not yet signed his entry-level contract but is eligible to turn pro next season.