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Jets lose Jacob Trouba for 6-to-8 weeks: report

Winnipeg Jets v Buffalo Sabres

BUFFALO, NY - DECEMBER 17: Jacob Trouba #8 of the Winnipeg Jets prepares for a face-off against the Buffalo Sabres at First Niagara Center on December 17, 2013 in Buffalo, New York. (Photo by Jen Fuller/Getty Images)

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The Winnipeg Jets will be without one of their top defenseman for up to two months.

The Winnipeg Sun’s Ken Wiebe broke the news late Sunday night, reporting that Jacob Trouba will miss the next six-to-eight weeks with an ankle injury he sustained in Winnipeg’s 4-3 shootout loss to the Anaheim Ducks last Thursday.

Wiebe said the injury happened near the end of overtime.

The news is a devastating blow for the Jets. Trouba has formed one half of the team’s top defensive pairing with Josh Morrissey, shutting down opponent’s top offerings.

The mess is compounded by the absence of fellow d-man Dmitry Kulikov, who is nursing an upper-body ailment after getting drilled from behind by San Jose Sharks forward Tomas Hertl a game before Trouba’s injury.

The Jets have dealt with major injuries in impressive fashion this season. They could have taken a nosedive when Mark Scheifele went down with a shoulder injury for two months, but the Jets will instead start the second half of the season atop the Central Division standings.

This isn’t to say they’d be comfortable if more injuries pile up.

The Jets are already without Adam Lowry on the front end, and now have two of their top six defensemen sitting in sickbay.

The Jets will look to rookie Tucker Poolman to soften the blow. Poolman has played in 13 games this year and offers a stay-at-home style, which will be beneficial.

Winnipeg is back in action Tuesday when they host the Tampa Bay Lightning to start a season-long 10-game homestand at Bell MTS Place.

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Scott Billeck is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop him a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow him on Twitter @scottbilleck