Report: Hjalmarsson to miss around 3 months with cracked fibula

The Arizona Coyotes are expected to be without defenseman Niklas Hjalmarsson for approximately three months after he suffered a cracked fibula during Saturday's loss to the Colorado Avalanche, sources told The Athletic's Craig Morgan.

Hjalmarsson was injured when he blocked a slap shot from Erik Johnson early in the first period of Arizona's overtime defeat. He was later seen exiting the arena on crutches.

The 32-year-old is one of the Coyotes' most reliable blue-liners and is one of the league's premier defensive specialists. Hjalmarsson has never topped 26 points in a season, but he's blocked more than 100 shots in nine of the last 10 campaigns and has averaged over 20 minutes of ice time per game for the majority of his career.

The Coyotes, who were ravaged by injuries throughout the 2018-19 season, have started the new campaign with a 1-2-1 record. Their next game is set for Tuesday in Winnipeg.

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