The Winnipeg Jets will be without forward Nikolaj Ehlers for a little longer.
It was a travel day for the team after getting a reality check on Thursday in losing to the Vegas Golden Knights to close out the three-game road trip, but Ehlers will not be in the lineup when the Jets host the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday.
The Jets placed the slick skating forward on injured reserve on Friday with an undisclosed injury. Ehlers missed the last two games of the trip.
Ehlers has to spend a minimum of seven days on the injured list, and the move is retroactive to October 18, so he’ll definitely be sitting out both games on the upcoming homestand.
The very earliest Ehlers could return is on Oct. 27, when the Jets start a three-game road trip in Los Angeles against the Kings.
Associate coach Scott Arniel called it a nagging injury after he left the team’s morning skate on Wednesday.
The 26-year-old Ehlers recorded three assists in the first two games of the season.
Taking his place on the Jets’ 23-man roster is forward Dominic Toninato who was recalled from the AHL’s Manitoba Moose on Friday.
The 28-year-old appeared in just one game with the Moose since his demotion at the end of training camp.
Head coach Rick Bowness is expected to be back behind the Jets bench on Saturday after a bout with COVID-19. The pregame show begins on 680 CJOB at 4 p.m. with puck drop shortly after 6 p.m.