Jets ready to turn Niederreiter after terrible cut

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Things could have been a lot worse when Winnipeg Jets forward Nino Niederreiter cut the back of his leg earlier this month.

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“It was a terrible game,” the Swiss winger said after training at the Canada Life Center on Monday.

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“I felt something in my leg, but I didn't know what it was.”

It turned out to be a two-millimeter cut to his Achilles tendon, requiring eight stitches and requiring him to appear in the next five games.

“Obviously, it could have been a lot worse,” said Niederreiter, who could return to the lineup Tuesday when the Jets host the Seattle Kraken.

“I'm so blessed and blessed to be here right now.”

Niederreiter left Winnipeg's April 1 game against the Los Angeles Kings after his Jets teammate Mason Appleton collided with Los Angeles winger Adrian Kemp, digging him into the back of Niederreiter's boot with his skate blade and knocking him to the ice.

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Luckily, Niederreiter was wearing cut-resistant socks. The 31-year-old, in his second season with the Jets, said he has worn socks under his skates for years, as many NHL players have over the past few decades.

“I think when I have the opportunity to protect certain areas, if you know you're not protected, (I'll do it),” he said.

“But I can't talk about defense when my shield is up,” he joked.

The Achilles has been the site of some of hockey's worst injuries over the years. Longtime Winnipeg fans will remember Jets 1.0 legend Teemu Selanne missing the final months of the 1993-94 season after tearing his hamstring on his skates.

The recent lockout-shortened 2013 season saw then-Senators defenseman Erik Karlsson take a Matt Cooke skate blade in the back of his leg and suffer a season-ending injury.

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Niederreiter, who has 18 goals and 15 assists over 75 games this season, has given credit to his Jets teammates, who have won five games in his absence and held him scoreless over 140 minutes of hockey against the Dallas Stars and Colorado Avalanche. .

“They played great hockey,” he said. “Obviously, when you have two shutouts in a row, that's great.”

Niederreiter, who has been making some progress on the road with his team over the past week, said he has had his stitches removed and is ready to play. He is looking forward to getting in the lineup to get up to speed ahead of the Wyattow season.

“That's what I'm hoping for,” Niederreiter said. “Going into tomorrow and the next couple of games to get ready for playoff time.”

Rick Bowness, Winnipeg's head coach, said Niederreiter would grant his wish.

“If he feels like he did today when we come out tomorrow, yeah, there's a good chance he'll play,” the coach said. “Hopefully he can play.”

Winnipeg hosts the Kraken on Tuesday night at the Canada Life Centre, their second-to-last meeting before the Razorbacks go into the drawer.

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