Nikolaj Ehlers has been a key member of the Winnipeg Jets, but how often has he been injured during his NHL career?
Ehlers was drafted by the Jets as the ninth overall pick in the 2014 NHL Entry Draft. This pick has paid off dividends as Ehlers has been a member of the Jets since the 2015-2016 season and is consistently one of their top performers.
After Ehlers’ entry-level contract expired at the end of the 2017-2018 season, the star forward signed a seven-year deal with Winnipeg to keep him at the franchise through the 2024-2025 season and carries an average annual value of $6,000,000.
Nikolaj Ehlers injury history and updates since joining the Winnipeg Jets
Below, we list all the major injuries Ehlers has suffered during his NHL career, with his most recent injury listed first.
Nikolaj Ehlers lower-body Injury, October 2022
On October 19, 2022, Ehlers left the morning skate before the Jets game versus the Colorado Avalanche and he was listed as a game-time decision.
Ehlers went on to miss the game in Denver. The forward then was ruled out of the Jets’ October 20th game at the T-Mobile arena against the Vegas Golden Knights.
On October 21, the Jets retroactively placed Ehlers on the injured reserve as of October 18. On November 16, Ehlers returned to the ice for the first time since his injury.
Unfortunately on November 19, Bowness revealed that next week Ehlers will have sports hernia surgery.
Rick Bowness announces Nikolaj Ehlers will undergo sports hernia surgery. #NHLJets #NHL
— Sara Orlesky (@saraorlesky) November 19, 2022
There is no timetable for Ehlers’ return.
Nikolaj Ehlers lower-body Injury, January 2022
During the third period of the Jets’ game versus the Washington Capitals, on January 18, Nikolaj Ehlers suffered an injury after being kneed by Dmitry Orlov. Orlov was not assessed a penalty for the hit but Ehlers missed the remainder of the game. Subsequently, Orlov was suspended for two games by the NHL’s department of player safety.
After the game, Ehlers was ruled out for the remainder of the Jets’ road trip. On January 20, he was moved to the injured reserve.
Then on January 22, the Jets placed Ehlers on the long-term injured reserve. After being on the sidelines for over a month, Ehlers finally returned to the lineup on March 4 against the Dallas Stars.
Nikolaj Ehlers upper-body injury, April 2021
During the latter stages of the Jets’ shortened 56 game season in 2021, Ehlers suffered an upper-body injury that ruled him out for the rest of the season.
There was no indication on how the injury happened, although many speculate that Ehlers suffered this injury during an altercation with Joe Thornton when the Jets played the Maple Leafs on April 24.
Ehlers eventually returned from this injury on May 24 in game three of the first round of the 2021 Stanley Cup Playoffs against the Edmonton Oilers. Ehlers did score the overtime game winning goal in his return.
Nikolaj Ehlers upper-body injury, January 2019
Ehlers had an upper-body injury during the Jets game against the Pittsburgh Penguins in early January of 2019.
Ehlers was initially ruled out six weeks for his injury, and then returned to the lineup on February 22 against the Vegas Golden Knights.
Nikolaj Ehlers eye injury, March 2016
On March 3, 2016, during Ehlers’ rookie season, Ehlers was hit in the visor with a puck during overtime against the New York Islanders, which caused his visor to break and cause his eye injury. In this scary play, the Islanders scored right after the puck hit Ehlers.
At the time of the injury, According to Paul Maurice, “He has some blood in the eye chamber. We don’t know the extent of it. We’ll know in the next 24 hours once he sees specialists and he’s tested.”
Ehlers then went on to miss three weeks with his injury and returned to the lineup on March 24 versus the Vancouver Canucks.
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The twenty-five-year-old Ehlers is currently in his seventh season with the Winnipeg Jets and has appeared in every single regular season game three times throughout his career. Ehlers has also scored twenty or more goals in all but one season (his rookie year).