The New York Rangers have placed forward Blake Wheeler on long-term injury reserve with a lower-body injury and it's expected he will be out for rest of the regular season, if not longer, Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman reported Friday.
Friedman added that a return for the playoffs is considered unlikely, depending on how far the Rangers advance in the post-season.
Wheeler injured his right leg midway through the first period Thursday night against the Montreal Canadiens and had to be helped off the ice.
The 37-year-old right wing was knocked down along the boards by Montreal defenceman Jayden Struble behind the Canadiens net at the 11-minute mark. Wheeler fell backwards and his right leg bent at an unnatural angle.
He couldn't put any weight on the leg when he tried to get up and was assisted from the ice by teammates at the Zamboni entrance to the left of Canadiens goalie Sam Montembeault. A stretcher was waiting just inside the runway.
Wheeler has nine goals and 12 assists after signing a one-year deal with the Rangers. He has appeared in all 54 of New York's games and had been playing on the top line with centre Mika Zibanejad and left wing Chris Kreider.
Wheeler arrived in Winnipeg when the Atlanta Thrashers were relocated in 2011 and exploded offensively as the new Jets emerged as a playoff contender in the West. He peaked with back-to-back 91-point seasons in 2017-18 and 2018-19 and is the Jets' 2.0 all-time leader in assists (540) and points (795).
Wheeler captained the Jets for six seasons and helped them reach the playoffs in six of his 12 seasons. The final year of his contract was bought out by the Jets this summer and he landed with the Rangers through free agency.
--with files from The Associated Press
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