The Winnipeg Jets suffered a huge blow to their lineup when their leading scorer Kyle Connor went down to injury. He was hit in a knee-on-knee collision by the Anaheim Ducks’ Ryan Strome in the game on Dec. 10. Though the Jets came back and won this game, Connor left and was then to be examined. After being ruled out for the next couple of games while he got evaluated, it has now been revealed that he would miss 6-8 weeks.
The Jets have been rolling along nicely this season and had found great chemistry with their top three lines. This will surely mess that up and make life much more difficult for them as they currently sit third in the Central Division. Connor leads the team with 17 goals and is tied for the team lead with 28 points in 26 games. The 27-year-old has scored at least 30 goals in every season he’s played in the NHL except the 56-game 2020-21 season where he scored 26. The Jets are going to greatly miss his offensive production.
The Jets have a pretty good team, but it won’t be easy for them to get through without Connor. With that said, there will be players who will benefit. These players will get bumps in fantasy as well, but there will also be players negatively impacted. Let’s take a look at the fantasy hockey impact of Connor’s injury.
Which Jets Players Get a Bump From the Kyle Connor Injury
The Jets didn’t want to mess with the chemistry that had gotten them through most of the season thus far when Gabe Vilardi returned to the lineup. This caused him to start on the fourth line upon his return. Well, since Connor’s spot is vacant in the top-six and the power play, it really opens up an opportunity. Vilardi benefits greatly from this as his injury cost him a spot in the top six and dropped him all the way down the lineup. This wasn’t for lack of talent, but purely chemistry. The chemistry is all messed up now and the former King is more than capable of handling top-six minutes, especially from the wing where there’s less responsibility.
Vilardi should move to the top line full-time and appears to be playing beside Mark Scheifele and Nikolaj Ehlers for the foreseeable future. Not only will this injury to Connor benefit Vilardi until his return to the lineup, but it will also set Vilardi up to stay near the top of the lineup as well. He is definitely a player you will want to add if he’s available.
Alex Iafallo is another one of the Jets’ forwards who benefits from this injury to Connor. He’s just got slotted back in on the second line. I don’t expect anyone to have him rostered at the moment due to his 12-game scoreless drought. But in his first 15 games of the season, he had four goals and 13 points. It has been complete opposite splits this season so far. But with this opportunity and the Jet needing him to step up, he may. Keep an eye on him, but don’t pick him up just yet.
Who is Negatively Impacted on the Jets?
As Connor is the top scorer and most productive player on the Jets, players around him are going to feel the impact for the most part. Whoever has been feeding him passes and racking up assists won’t get as many. I’m looking at Scheifele and Josh Morrisey here as they each have 19 assists on the season. Both benefit from Connor’s ability to score at five-on-five and the power play. Either Scheifele will have to take over in the goals department, or the offense is really going to suffer.
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This could very well be a tough time in Winnipeg for the next little while, especially if the losses start adding up due to a lack of offense. Connor doesn’t typically miss very many games, so this is new territory. He missed just three games back in 2021-22. Vilardi’s numbers are going to turn for the better, so make sure to add him before he takes off again.