Kyle Connor is expected to be out 6-8 weeks for the Winnipeg Jets because of a lower-body injury.
The forward, who was placed on injured reserve Wednesday, left during a 4-2 win at the Anaheim Ducks on Sunday after a knee-on-knee collision with Ducks forward Ryan Strome. Connor could not put any weight on his right leg as he was helped off the ice. Strome received a major penalty and a game misconduct on the play.
Connor is tied with Florida Panthers center Sam Reinhart for fourth in the NHL with 17 goals. His 28 points in 26 games are second on the Jets behind center Mark Scheifele (31).
The 27-year-old entered this season having scored at least 26 goals in six straight seasons; the only other players to do that are centers Auston Matthews of the Toronto Maple Leafs and Connor McDavid of the Edmonton Oilers.
"[Connor] is an elite player, an elite goal-scorer," coach Rick Bowness said Tuesday. "We're not asking anyone to be Kyle Connor. That's not realistic. What we are asking for is for our players is to make sure that every game, every shift, every period, that they're the best version of themselves to make up for it.
"You don't replace Kyle Connor. You think someone else is going to step in there and do that? That's completely unrealistic. But what is within our control is for each and every player to be at their best every shift, throughout every game, and we'll go from there."
The Jets (17-9-2) have won five of six after a 5-2 victory at the Los Angeles Kings on Wednesday. They are second in the Central Division, two points behind the first-place Colorado Avalanche.
Selected by Winnipeg with the No. 17 pick in the 2015 NHL Draft, Connor has 452 points (226 goals, 226 assists) in 492 games, including an NHL career-high 93 points (47 goals, 46 assists) in 79 games in 2021-22. He ranks fourth on the Jets' all-time goals list, ninth in assists and fifth in points. He also has 27 points (12 goals, 15 assists) in 40 Stanley Cup Playoff games.
With Connor out, forward Dominic Toninato was recalled from Manitoba of the American Hockey League.
