Ominous Report For Winnipeg Jets' Kyle Connor

Winnipeg Jets head coach Rick Bowness did not sound too optimistic about the prognosis for the team's leading scorer Kyle Connor, as it's been estimated that he'll miss six to eight weeks after the knee-on-knee collision he took on Sunday. 

Rick Bowness on Kyle Connor. 6-8 weeks has been estimated…but team doctors must see him first. https://t.co/VERuN947Yq

— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) December 12, 2023

The 6-to-8-week report was issued by Insider Elliotte Friedman and others, but Bowness noted that the timeframe is only an estimate at this point, and that Connor will need to get re-evaluated by team doctors, which could alter the timeline. He's leaving the Jets' road trip today and heading back to Winnipeg for more tests. 

The incident caused quite a bit of consternation for the Jets, as the hit by Ryan Strome, which was enough to earn a five-minute major for kneeing and a game misconduct, was not further disciplined by NHL Player Safety. 

Kyle Connor has left the game. Strome gets a game misconduct pic.twitter.com/izIywFLzSp

— SiriusXM NHL Network Radio (@SiriusXMNHL) December 11, 2023

"He sticks his knee out. You hope that’s suspendable," said Bowness after the game. "There’s no other way of looking at it. You hope it’s suspendable. But the referees made the right call. Five-minute major and a game misconduct."

While Connor is away from the team, Gabriel Vilardi appears to be slotting in to Connor's spot on the top line, while Axel Jonsson-Fjallby will come into the lineup on the fourth line.

Connor is Winnipeg's leading scorer again this season, with 17 goals in 26 games, after popping 31 goals last season, and a career-high 47 the year before. 

Photo: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports