The Winnipeg Jets have revealed that Kyle Connor’s right knee injury will cause him to miss six to eight weeks of play. With 17 goals and 11 assists in the first 26 games of the 2023–24 season, Connor was having a career year.

The power play might falter without Connor, whose finishing ability on the top line cannot be replaced. He would return in late January or early February, directly after the NHL All-Star Break, according to the six-to eight-week schedule.

Without their leading goal scorer, the Jets must prevent going through a period of ineffective offensive play. The following three players must come up to fill Connor’s void.

The player who just missed six weeks due to an MCL sprain, Gabriel Vilardi, is the first candidate who might make a significant contribution over the next six to eight weeks. On Sunday, December 10, he scored the game-winning goal in his first game as a Winnipeg Jet.

Due to Connor’s injury, he was moved up to the top line alongside Mark Scheifele and Nikolaj Ehlers, and in the little time that they have been together, they have clicked right away.

Vilardi, who was transferred to the Jets organization this past offseason, scored 23 goals in 63 games with the Los Angeles Kings last season, demonstrating his potential to offer a goal-scoring touch to the top six.