Jets lose two players for the start of the season, including top forward Little

The Winnipeg Jets were finally able to catch their breath over the weekend when their two star restricted free agents Patrik Laine and Kyle Connor inked new contracts to ensure they’d be in the lineup for the season opener on Thursday. 

However, the luck quickly ran out once again as team insider Sara Orlesky reported on Tuesday that two other players will be missing from the roster due to injuries. 

Jets centre Bryan Little has been diagnosed with a concussion after a collision with Luke Kunin in the team’s final preseason game against the Minnesota Wild on Sunday.

Jets head coach Paul Maurice said post-game that he believed Kunin targeted Little’s head, but the Wild player was not penalized on the play.

On top of that, the Jets also confirmed that defenseman Nathan Beaulieu is expected to miss four weeks due to an upper-body injury. 

The Jets’ blue line is already thin, and now this announcement isn’t encouraging for the club. 

Beaulieu took part in 18 games with the Jets last season after being acquired from the Buffalo Sabres, posting five assists.

As for Little, he put up one assist in three games during the preseason. He had 15 goals and 41 points in 82 games with the Jets last season.

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