As he nears a return from a sprained MCL, Winnipeg Jets forward Gabriel Vilardi vented about the “stupid” play by former Los Angeles Kings teammate Blake Lizotte that sidelined him last month.
“It was a play that doesn’t need to happen,” Vilardi said in an interview released by the Jets on Wednesday.
“I’ve played with him a lot,” Vilardi said. “He’s done a lot of little things like that. It’s stuff that you guys say it was an awkward fall; it wasn’t an awkward fall. It’s someone pushing your feet out from the back, when he gets caught under me and then he tackles me. It’s that simple.”
The 24-year-old hasn’t played since Oct. 17, when he was brought down by Lizotte. The Kings forward received a two-minute penalty for tripping.
Vilardi added that while he didn’t think the play was intentional, it was “frustrating” as he could have been out for much longer.
“I was pretty close to being gone for the rest of the season, so it’s frustrating when I look at stuff like that and think about it,” he said. “Obviously, I don’t think his intent was to hurt me, but you make plays like that, it’s a stupid play — and it’s frustrating to think that guy sits in the box for two minutes and then I have to deal with what I’ve dealt with for the past month and a half.”
Considering his history of being an injured player, Vilardi was asked if his sprained MCL takes a toll on him mentally, which he appeared to take umbrage with.
“Everyone talks about this history,” he said. “I had a back injury that I struggled with early when I was 17, 18, 19. I’m 24 now. Since then, I’ve had a concussion last year that I came back for, for the playoffs. Other than that, I really haven’t been super injured … it’s just kind of the thing people put on me.”
Jets head coach Rick Bowness said that him and the team are “hopeful” Vilardi will dress in Thursday’s game against the Edmonton Oilers, but nothing is confirmed.