Gabriel Vilardi has dodged a serious injury - Jets forward diagnosed with sprained MCL.
The Winnipeg Jets will be without forward Gabe Vilardi for the foreseeable future.
On Tuesday night, against his former club, the 24-year-old forward went down heavily on his right knee, before helping himself off the ice and down the Jets' tunnel.
Following the game, head coach Rick Bowness did not offer much of an update other than the fact that Vilardi will be re-evaluated on Wednesday morning.
After practice on Wednesday, Bowness announced that Vilardi had dodged serious injury, indicating that he had avoided a tear, but rather sprained his MCL.
The estimated timeframe of recovery for an injury like Vilardi's is anywhere from 4-6 weeks.
Only making it to the 5:55 mark of the first period, the first-year Jets forward has one assist to his name in the two full games he's played, and had been serving on Winnipeg's top line and No. 1 power play unit.
“It’s awful," forward Cole Perfetti said post-game. "Obviously, he’s a huge part of our team. The skill and hockey sense that he brings into our lineup is huge. He’s a great guy, so just to see that happen you feel awful for him. I’m not 100 per cent sure what it is, but he looked like he was in a little bit of pain. Just praying for the best and hope it’s nothing serious and whatever it is he has a speedy recovery. We need him back in our lineup because he is such an elite player.”
His extended absence means players such as Nikolaj Ehlers, Rasmus Kupari, Vlad Namestnikov, Morgan Barron and David Gustafsson should be in line for some additional playing time.
The Jets are next in line to face the dominant 4-0-0 Vegas Golden Knights, as the reigning Stanley Cup champion makes it way to Winnipeg for a Thursday night affair. Puck drop at Canada Life Centre is set for 7:00 PM central time, and the game can be viewed live on TSN.