Jonsson-Fjallby back with big club after injury to Kupari

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This article was published 16/11/2023 (684 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Axel Jonsson-Fjallby was packing for a lengthy Manitoba Moose road trip Wednesday when his phone started ringing. Winnipeg Jets general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff was on the line, with a major change to the speedy forward’s itinerary.

An injury the previous night to Rasmus Kupari meant an immediate job opening with the big club, one Jonsson-Fjallby is thrilled to get a chance to fill.

“Really happy to get the call-up,” Jonsson-Fjallby said Thursday following Jets practice.

The 25-year-old Swedish winger will make his 2023-24 NHL debut Friday night when Winnipeg hosts the Buffalo Sabres, skating on the fourth line with Morgan Barron and countryman David Gustafsson.

“Me and Gus played, I think, pretty much every game last year together, and Morgan is really easy to play with,” he said. “You know what you’re going to get from him. They’re both really good players.”

Jonsson-Fjallby was a regular with the Jets last season, getting picked up on waivers from the Washington Capitals just prior to the start of the year and appearing in 5o games. He had 14 points (six goals and eight assists) and, as an unrestricted free agent this past summer, inked a two-year contract extension that pays him US$775,000 in the NHL.

Unfortunately for him, Winnipeg’s deep forward group meant there wasn’t an immediate spot on the opening-night roster, so down to the Moose he went after clearing waivers.

“You know, you’re a hockey player. You have to be a pro. You have to learn how to deal with it. It’s not always going to go your way, so I’m just trying to learn from it,” said Jonsson-Fjallby.

He appeared in the first 10 games of the year with the Moose, scoring three goals and adding two assists.

“For me personally, first couple of games I was struggling a little bit. I feel like I’ve been playing a lot better lately,” said Jonsson-Fjallby. “Getting sent down, what can you do? Just go there and play your best. That’s what I tried to do. Now, I’m happy to be back.”

Kupari’s shoulder injury, suffered in Tuesday’s 6-3 victory over the New Jersey Devils, is expected to sideline him for between four-to-seven weeks. He joins forward Gabriel Vilardi (sprained MCL, still another couple weeks away) and defenceman Ville Heinola (broken ankle, likely at least a month away) on the injured list.

“Just the experience he had with us last year and through training camp, he had a really good camp with us. He brings very good speed and that’s something we need right now,” Jets assistant coach Brad Lauer said of Jonsson-Fjallby.

“We’ve used him on the penalty kill last season. Being able to play both sides of the line, left wing and right wing, that definitely benefits us being a little more creative with our lines.”

Winnipeg still has just 12 healthy forwards on the roster, and there’s a good chance another recall will happen prior to the team embarking on a three-game road trip next week through Florida and Tennessee.

Dominic Toninato, who had been serving as the 13th forward after Vilardi went down in the third game of the year, was recently sent down to the Moose to get some game action and would be the most likely candidate.

After hosting the Sabres, the Jets return to action Saturday night with the Arizona Coyotes in town to close out the five-game homestand.

mike.mcintyre@freepress.mb.ca

X: @mikemcintyrewpg