‘I really believe I’m an NHL player’: Rosen ready for takeoff with Jets

Isak Rosen didn’t see it coming.

The Swedish forward found himself on an American Hockey League road trip with the Rochester Americans when news of a pending trade popped up on his phone.

“I was in Laval, kind of asleep actually, and then a friend texted and called me and said ‘I think you’re going, there’s been a lot of rumours,’” Rosen said after taking the morning skate with the Winnipeg Jets on Saturday. “Five minutes later, I get a call. So, it was late Thursday night. It was a weird feeling, at first, but I’m super excited to be here.”

Rosen admitted he hadn’t heard anything about the prospect of being on the move in the days leading up to the NHL trade deadline.

“No. I tried not to think about it,” said Rosen. “You know it’s always a possibility that can happen, but then you have games every day and you have to think about that. So, I didn’t think about it too much and then it happened.”

The Jets acquired Rosen, defenceman Jacob Bryson and a pair of draft picks from the Buffalo Sabres in exchange for defencemen Logan Stanley and Luke Schenn, with Winnipeg retaining 50 per cent of Schenn’s US$2.75 million cap hit.

Rosen immediately enhances the speed and skill level for the Jets in the middle-six and he’ll make his Jets’ debut on tonight against the Vancouver Canucks on a line with Jonathan Toews and fellow Swede Gustav Nyquist.

Chosen 14th overall by the Sabres in the 2021 NHL Draft, Rosen has 31 NHL games on his resume, including 16 this season – where he had three goals and seven points while averaging just over 12 minutes of ice time per game.

The bulk of Rosen’s playing time since moving to North America as a teenager has come in the AHL, where he’s been a prolific goal-scorer, tallying 20-plus goals three times in four seasons.

Jets general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff said on Friday the plan is for Rosen to spend the remainder of this season in the NHL, though he is eligible to be assigned to the Manitoba Moose for the Calder Cup playoffs.

“It’s a dream to hear that. I’ve been trying to stay in the NHL for awhile,” said Rosen, who shoots left-handed but is most comfortable on right wing. “I got a lot of call-ups, but it’s just been one game or two games and stuff like that. It’s a really good opportunity for me and I’m thankful for that opportunity and I’m going to do my best to make the best out of it.

“I really believe I’m an NHL player.”

For a team that hasn’t had enough complementary scoring this season, Rosen looks like someone who can help in that area.

“I build my game around my skating and smartness,” said Rosen, when asked to provide a self-assessment. “I’m a goal scorer and have a pretty good stick on the forecheck too, to break up plays and create offence out of that.”

Rosen drew some comparisons to former Jets winger Nikolaj Ehlers around the time he was drafted, but it’s merely a coincidence he’s chosen to wear No. 27 as he joins his new team.

“I mean, yeah, he’s a really fun player to watch,” said Rosen. “I’m not really comparing myself to anyone.”

Rosen, 22,will likely get an immediate chance to be involved with the Jets second power play unit, along with Brad Lambert, who was recalled from the Moose on Friday and should have an opportunity to show that he can be an NHL regular.

Jets head coach Scott Arniel didn’t want to break up either of his top two lines, based on how well they played in Thursday’s 4-1 victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning, so he chose to insert Rosen beside a pair of veterans and move Lambert onto a unit with Morgan Barron and Cole Koepke, who have been providing quality minutes.

Arniel confirmed that star defenceman Josh Morrissey will return to the Jets lineup for the first time in six games as he makes his way back from an upper-body injury he sustained at the Olympics.

Speaking of the defence corps, Bryson finds himself in an interesting spot.

The mobile blue-liner goes from a place he’s spent his entire career and endured a lot of losing, but was dealt a few months before becoming an unrestricted free agent, just as the Sabres are competing for top spot in the Eastern Conference and look like a legitimate contender.

“I’d say that’s probably the toughest part, is that I’ve been there for seven years, and finally, this was the year where we were good,” said Bryson, who is 28. “So leaving that organization is a little tough, but obviously I’m excited to come here and make an impact, and a new opportunity for myself and to bring what I can to this organization.”

On the flip side, Bryson had recently been passed on the depth chart and has now arrived in a situation where more playing time should be available to him during the final quarter of the regular season.

“It kind of caught me by surprise,” said Bryson, who has 289 NHL games on his resume. “Yeah, I mean, I was in and out a lot in Buffalo. For me, in my career, I feel like that’s probably the best thing, to get an opportunity to play. I haven’t played in a few games after the break, so I’m excited for tonight. It’s been a little bit, but I’m looking forward to it.”

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