Jets coach Scott Arniel reveals worrying injury update on Ville Heinola

The 2024/25 season was expected to be the year that Ville Heinola finally broke out on the Winnipeg Jets blue line, but the latest update from Jets coach Scott Arniel is less than positive. According to Arniel, Heinola is dealing with an ankle infection due to a screw in his ankle from a previous surgery, revealing that it doesn't look good and that he may be out for a while.

In a follow-up, Arniel revealed that the coaches and front office don't even know what the next steps are yet in the process, signalling that Heinola is set for a long stint on the sidelines, and could potentially even miss the entire 2024/25 season.

Despite being a first-round pick back in the 2019 NHL Draft, Heinola hasn't played in the NHL since 2023, tallying just 35 games across his career thus far, with this latest health issue certainly not a good sign for the 23-year old. However, it appears this latest issue is much bigger than hockey, and is one that could cost him significant time, so the hope is now that doctors can catch the issue early and get him back on the ice at some point in 2025.

This may ultimately lead to the Jets having a tough conversation about Heinola, as he has struggled to stay healthy from the moment he joined the organization, but for now, all the focus should be on getting him back to 100% and confident in being on the ice once more.