Ahead of the Jets game against the Wild, head coach Scott Arniel provided updates on Walker Duehr and prospect Garrett Brown, both of whom are dealing with lower-body injuries. It marked the first update on either player in approximately 18 days, dating back to the end of September.
Arniel also discussed the status of Elias Salomonsson and Josh Morrissey.
Photo Credit: Colby Spence (Illegal Curve)
He indicated:
“Walker is getting real close. He’ll probably be coming into our practice, and then can’t really make a decision until they’re cleared up here. Brownie is still a little farther away. Sol obviously is still in that sort of, that trying to get into game shape. The other two guys, they have to get themselves ready to go before we can make a move with them. And again, I’m not hiding anything here, J Mo is still day-to-day. We’re still trying to figure this one out here, so I may have an update for you tomorrow, but as of right now, we’re just trying to figure this out here.”
With Salomonsson getting closer to a return, Arniel was asked about the possibility of dressing 11 forwards and seven defencemen to ease the Swedish blueliner back into the lineup.
The Jets bench boss suggested it was premature to discuss potential lineup configurations, saying, “you’re getting too far down the road on that one.” However, he acknowledged that sending Salomonsson to the Moose to get into some games is also an option. Arniel emphasized that no decision has been made and much will depend on the team’s health when Salomonsson is ready to return.
With Manitoba playing a pair of home games this weekend, perhaps Salomonsson could suit up on Friday and Sunday before potentially returning to the Jets lineup when they face the Blues in St. Louis on Tuesday. That’s one possible scenario, but we’ll have to wait and see what the team decides when it returns to Winnipeg on Friday ahead of Saturday afternoon’s game against the Hurricanes.
Latest:
The Jets held an optional practice today before departing for Chicago, where they’ll face the Blackhawks on Thursday night. While we didn’t speak with coach Arniel, we were told there was no change in Josh Morrissey’s status.
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