LAS VEGAS – Nikolaj Ehlers was working his way through a variety of roles and wearing many hats as he juggled a number of questions on Wednesday afternoon.
Performer.
Entertainer.
Comedian.
Illusionist.
Therapist.
Doctor.
Okay, so not technically playing doctor, but at least having the ability to provide an update on his recovery from an undisclosed upper-body issue that has kept him out of the past five games.
Before this mostly playful back-and-forth session came to a close inside the visiting dressing room inside T-Mobile Arena, the Winnipeg Jets winger stopped short of declaring himself good to go for Game 5 of this opening-round series with the Vegas Golden Knights and also peeled back the curtain and got a bit emotional when discussing the psychological toll this season has taken on him.
“You can ask every single guy in here, we want to play. I’ve played with a broken foot before. I’ve played with other broken bones. You want to be out there and battle with these guys as much as possible,” said Ehlers. “It’s tough. It’s been a lot the last couple of years, with injuries. I think some of them I couldn’t really have done anything about. So it sucks, but you try and keep grinding, and keep getting better.”
It wasn’t just what Ehlers said with his words, it was how he said it that gave you a glimpse of how much of a challenge this has been for him.
Ehlers came into this season – his eighth in the NHL – with incredibly high hopes.
After an outstanding summer of workouts back home in Denmark, Ehlers arrived at training camp feeling refreshed.
New head coach Rick Bowness had committed to having him start the season on the top line with Mark Scheifele and Kyle Connor and he was also receiving a long-awaited promotion to the top power play unit.
His ice time would finally be on the rise and the opportunities seemed endless, perhaps even a 30-or-40-goal campaign could be on the horizon.
Then Ehlers was injured in the second game of the season against the Dallas Stars and the lingering issue eventually required a sports hernia surgery, knocking him out of the lineup for 36 games before he was cleared to return on Jan. 6 against the Tampa Bay Lightning.
There was still time to salvage the season. So, Ehlers put his best foot forward, going through stretches of solid play and others where his mind was willing and able but his legs weren’t as explosive as usual.
Ehlers battled his way through that bout of adversity as well and just as he was back to playing at a high level, he was on the receiving end of an unsuspecting check from Minnesota Wild forward Ryan Hartman that resulted in a one-game suspension for interference.
Although Ehlers put on a brave face and told anyone who would listen that he was going to be ready for Game 1, he confessed on Wednesday that it was wishful thinking on his part.
Ehlers chuckled when asked a question about whether he was still limited by anything related to the upper-body injury.
“Um, you’re not going to get an answer on that one. Like I said, I feel good. I don’t think I was good enough to play the first few games. I know I said I was, but I hadn’t really been on the ice yet. And looking back now, that wouldn’t have ended well,” said Ehlers. “I mean, I just heard that I looked a lot better out there today, so I think that’s a big difference, right there.”
While he has yet to receive medical clearance, he took an important step forward by skating with some contact in practice.
If he doesn’t suffer a setback and feels good in the morning, it’s possible he will jump into the lineup and try to help the Jets keep this season alive.
“It would mean a lot, obviously. This is what you work for in the off-season and what you work for, pre-season, and throughout the whole regular season,” said Ehlers, who still managed to finish sixth in team scoring with 12 goals and 38 points. “I mean, I played 45 games this year. It’s been a tough year. So I want to be out there and help the team and I haven’t been able to do that. If I were to be playing tomorrow, I’d be all-in.”
With news that centre Mark Scheifele has officially been ruled out of Game 5 by Jets head coach Rick Bowness, the return of Ehlers could provide more than just an emotional lift.
Getting back the zone-entry machine and offensive threat could help open things up against a deep Golden Knights team that doesn’t give up a whole lot.
“Everybody in the world can answer that question,” said Connor. “If you’ve seen him play, he can skate like the wind, (he) controls the play, possession. So yeah, obviously a no-brainer he is going to (provide) a bump for us.”
Vladislav Namestnikov found instant chemistry with Ehlers when the two have played together at times after the NHL trade deadline.
“Sometimes it just happens. You put guys together and it just clicks automatically. Sometimes, it takes time,” said Namestnikov. “He’s probably one of the faster guys in the NHL, so with that speed, he opens up space for other guys. You’ve just got to put pucks into areas that he can get to and skate into them. From there, it’s all hockey. You just make reads and be smart to make those passes.”
The Jets aren’t wasting any time feeling sorry for their lot in life when it comes to the infirmary, they’ve got to focus their energy on the task at hand or their season will be over.
“Everybody’s got to overcome some type of adversity every playoff run anyone’s ever been on. I find we’re in it right now,” said Jets defenceman Nate Schmidt, who turned his attention to Ehlers. “He’s a special player for us. If we get him back, that’s a huge boost.”
Ehlers was skating alongside Namestnikov and Nino Niederreiter and took part on both the first and second power play units, which was another sign of progress.
“Again, we all wish we could skate one day in our lives like he can skate. But yeah he looked great out there,” said Bowness. “He’s that much closer to playing. When he went down, the power play was clicking pretty good. If he plays, you’ll see him on the power play (on Thursday).”
Asking someone to jump into the midst of the hardest hitting series of the opening round is a tall task, but when a team is already without a top centre and a Norris candidate in Josh Morrissey on defence, that’s a concern for another day.
“He was playing the best hockey he played all year before he went down,” said Bowness. “He’s clearly one of our top six guys. It feels a lot better putting him into that position. He’ll handle it well. I’m not worried about that.”
The Jets won’t be asking Ehlers to enter the series and become the saviour either.
Outside of basically needing a little bit more from everyone in uniform on Thursday, they’ll need goalie Connor Hellebuyck to channel his Vezina form, for Pierre-Luc Dubois to go back into beast mode and for Connor to help pick up some of the offensive slack.
It’s worth noting that Connor has scored twice and added an assist in four games, but he’s a pure sniper and needs to fully put his stamp on this series before it’s too late.
“He’s getting his looks. Just keep skating,” said Bowness, asked about Connor specifically. “He’s got elite speed, elite hands. Keep using them. We don’t need him to change anything. If he keeps getting the opportunities he gets, you’ve got to believe it’s going to go in the net for him.
“We really don’t want him to change anything because if he’s not getting those chances, we’d have a conversation, ‘Ok, this is why you’re not getting those chances.’ We don’t need to have that conversation because those looks are there. And eventually, you have to have confidence in him that he will produce.”
Speaking of confidence, the Jets aren’t lacking that quality as they try to stave off elimination for the first time in these playoffs.
“It’s never easy to close out a series, so from that standpoint, we have to take advantage of that,” said Namestnikov. “We know what we have to do to be successful. We’re just going to go out there and play loose and try to get that win.
“We know what (the Golden Knights) are all about. As long as we stick to what we believe we need to do to win, we’ll be okay. There’s very little that separates the two teams. It’s not over until it’s over.”
