Blake Wheeler had a season ending injury on Thursday against the Montreal Canadiens. Wheeler went down on the ice after his leg was bent in an unnatural way and he was unable to put weight on it and needed to be assisted off of the ice.

Jacob Trouba had some things to say about Wheeler’s injury. The two were teammates for six seasons in Winnipeg before being reunited this season playing for the New York Rangers.

"As much as these guys are teammates, we lost a friend. He's obviously going through something that no one wants to go through, so there's more to it than just the impact on the team," Rangers captain Jacob Trouba said. "We all care a lot about the hockey and our jobs, but we're also humans and friends and have families outside the rink."

"I'm not saying this is true, but maybe he played his last hockey game [last night]. That's something that you see as a player and as a friend. It's emotional. It's something you think about so that you don't take things for granted here," Trouba said. "And for me it's a little extra tough. He's a guy I looked up to, and he's helped me a lot in my career."

The Rangers head coach had a lot to say about the injury as well.

"He's been amazing since he's been here," Rangers coach Peter Laviolette said. "His presence, he comes into work every day positive, hardworking. He was committed to being a part of this team and making it successful, and he did that both in the room and on the ice.

"And when you lose a veteran player like that, with such an impact in the room, that's tough to replace. Certainly our thoughts are with him and a healthy recovery at some point. But that's a tough one last night. We miss him."

Wheeler has had 21 points in the last 54 games of his season after being bought out from the Winnipeg Jets. After Wheeler was injured, the Rangers recalled forward Matt Rempe from the AHL Hartford Wolf Pack. He skated on the team's fourth line in practice on Friday. If he plays in Sunday's Stadium Series game, he could become the first ever rookie to make his NHL debut in an outdoor game.

It is a big and unfortunate loss losing Wheeler but it will be interesting to see who steps up to fill such big shoes.

Rangers lament loss of veteran Blake Wheeler for season (msn.com)