Coyotes’ defenseman Niklas Hjalmarsson out 3 months with cracked fibula

The Coyotes’ veteran defenseman will be out long-term after blocking a shot against the Colorado Avalanche on Saturday.

The Arizona Coyotes will be without top-four veteran defenseman Niklas Hjalmarsson for at least three months, as the blue-liner suffered a cracked fibula during a game over the weekend. Hjalmarsson sustained the injury blocking a shot in the first period of the Coyotes’ 3-2 overtime loss against the Colorado Avalanche on Saturday.

The 32-year-old defenseman did not return to the ice on Saturday following the blocked shot, putting the Coyotes at five defensemen for the remainder of the loss. With the three month timetable, the earliest Hjalmarsson would be back for the Coyotes would be in mid-January.

Hjalmarsson was injured blocking Erik Johnson‘s slapshot that came from above the left circle that caught the kneeling defenseman in the leg. The defenseman was without his stick during the play and after the play was seen stumbling off the ice without putting too much pressure on his left leg.

The loss of Hjalmarsson is a major blow to the Coyotes’ defense, as the veteran defenseman was a staple on the team’s second pairing alongside Alex Goligoski. Hjalmarsson often was relied upon to play tough minutes for Arizona, averaging about 20 minutes of ice time over the Coyotes’ last two full seasons.

While Hjalmarsson is not an offensive threat from the blue line for the Coyotes, his defensive impact made him an invaluable piece in the team’s top four at even strength and on the penalty kill.

The Coyotes traded for Hjalmarsson in the 2017 offseason, taking him from the Chicago Blackhawks in exchange for two young Arizona players. Throughout his career, Hjalmarsson often went down to block shots for his teams, putting him in vulnerable positions to help keep the puck out of the net.

Arizona was slated to potentially take a step forward this season after placing fourth in the Pacific Division with a 39-35-8 record. The team acquired Phil Kessel from the Pittsburgh Penguins in the offseason for Alex Galchenyuk, but even with the swap the Coyotes have gotten off to a slow start, sitting at a 1-2-1 record for last place in the Pacific.