Wingels Out Weeks

The San Jose Sharks took a costly loss on Monday night, losing to the Devils, 5-2, and then losing a couple of players to injury, including pool forward Tommy Wingels. On Tuesday, Wingels was placed on the Injured Reserve with an upper-body injury, likely related to a slash to the arm/slash wrist he took from Devils defenseman Jon Merrill. The initial reports are suggesting that Wingels could be on the shelf for a little while, "weeks" was the key word, which leads me to believe that there is likely a broken bone in the vicinity.

There is no immediate timetable for Wingels' return, but being on the IR means he's out for at least a week, which is a big loss for the Sharks, as he has been the leader on the team in the physical department, ranking 3rd in the NHL in hits.

As of Wednesday morning, Wingels was ranked 162nd in pool scoring, having 11 goals and 25 points in 47 games this season with the Sharks.  So, not only has he been key on the physical side of the game, he has been contributing on the scoresheet on a semi-consistent basis, which means he'll leave a big hole in the roster to fill.

Wes has definitely enjoyed what Wingels has done for him this season, especially since he took him in the 11th round, 246th overall, getting a great bang for the buck.  Wes currently sits in 4th in the standings after Wednesday night, only 1 point out of 3rd place, but this is a pretty big loss, especially if the injury is for the long-term.

An updated list of injuries can be found here.