Barron pays it forward Jets’ centre welcomes mentor role to club’s young guns By: Ken Wiebe Posted: 6:12 PM CDT Wednesday, Mar. 25, 2026

Morgan Barron can only smile when he thinks of the role reversal.

Although the Winnipeg Jets forward is only 27, for the bulk of his time with the organization, Barron has felt like one of the younger guys.

But these days, when he looks at his current wingers — Brad Lambert and Isak Rosen — Barron sees that he’s evolving into the role of shepherd, watching over the newcomers and doing whatever he can to help with their transition and progression.

“It feels like the last few years I haven’t moved up the (ladder) in terms of being like a veteran, per se. The team has gotten a little bit older over the years as we’ve kind of pushed and nabbed guys at the deadline and such,” Barron said after an optional practice Wednesday afternoon.

“Now, all of a sudden there’s been a little infusion of youth. Obviously I’m trying to help bring those guys along, which isn’t a position I have been in.”

As the Jets prepare to welcome the Colorado Avalanche for the front end of a home-and-home series with the league leaders, the centre has welcomed an increase in responsibilities and playing time.

Barron is someone who can easily relate to Lambert and Rosen, both of whom are working to establish themselves as NHL regulars after spending multiple seasons in the AHL.

Prior to the trade that sent Barron over from the New York Rangers, he was occasionally on the yo-yo — being sent down to the Hartford Wolf Pack and recalled on multiple occasions before eventually finding his way to full-time duty with the Jets.

“I’m trying to help bring those guys along, which isn’t a position I have been in.”

One of Barron’s mentors during his time with the Rangers was Chris Kreider, who is now with the Anaheim Ducks after spending the first 13 seasons of his career with the Broadway Blueshirts.

“I actually lived with him for two summers and trained with him,” said Barron, who was originally chosen in the sixth round of the 2017 draft.

“He was a player that I always looked at growing up. I admired a lot about his game and I got to know him quite well as a person. He’s another guy who has carved out a way to continue to be such an effective player. Going back to his 50-goal season, I was up and down that year and watched a lot of the games.

“Whether I was scratched or playing that year, there were so many little things that you pick up on that he’s so good at. My game has diverted a little bit from his game in some ways. But there are still elements I like trying to watch and learn from him. To have someone to talk to and help you through the process of turning pro was great.”

Kreider has a similar stature to Barron — who is six-foot-four and 220 pounds — so having access to both the mind and body of work of a power forward was an invaluable resource for someone trying to find his footing at the NHL level.

“To have someone to talk to and help you through the process of turning pro was great.”

Barron recalls a time as a healthy scratch, when he was watching his teammate from the catwalk during the 52-goal season, where Kreider went to work just outside the blue paint in front of the opposition goalie.

“I remember a puck came (to the net) and he tipped it on the left side of his body and he immediately spun clockwise,” said Barron, who appeared in his 300th game with the Jets and 318th of his NHL career in Tuesday’s 4-1 win over the Vegas Golden Knights.

“The puck hit the goalie, bounced off him and landed right on his stick. His stick was there before the puck. He tipped it and immediately recognized the angle that it should hit the goalie and where it would likely hop out.

“That was a moment that I still have such a vivid memory of sitting there and watching it happen and realizing that’s the difference (between good and great). Ninety per cent of the league, maybe more, tips that puck and turns the same way that they tipped the puck. It doesn’t even clock for them to calculate where the rebound is going to go.”

Barron isn’t just thriving in a mentorship role; he’s enjoying the most productive season of his NHL career and is adding components to his game that have allowed him to excel — whether that’s on the penalty kill or at even strength.

With 11 games remaining in the regular season, Barron has equalled his career-high for goals (11) and established a new mark for points (23) in 62 outings.

Barron credits some of the growth to his off-season training group in Halifax that includes a trio of Canadian Olympians: Sidney Crosby of the Pittsburgh Penguins, Brad Marchand of the Florida Panthers and Nathan MacKinnon of the Avalanche.

“Just the speed at which they do everything and the consistency is a lot of fun to watch and be a part of,” said Barron.

“Those guys aren’t taking days off and they’re not going on the ice to kill time. They’re going out there and continuously getting better. That’s something I admire about a lot of the guys. From talking to guys in this league, there’s no sense of satisfaction, regardless of how good they are.

“It’s good for me to just go out there and try to keep up with those guys.”

When it comes to MacKinnon specifically, Barron says one thing that separates him from most NHLers is the ability to make plays while skating at warp speed.

“The biggest thing I take away is: you see the way (MacKinnon) picks up the puck through the neutral zone in transition and he’s going full blast very quickly,” said Barron.

“There’s a part of that that me and a lot of other people will never be able to emulate, but you try to watch it and build your own version of it and realize the effectiveness of being able to push that puck north as quickly as possible.

“I’ve played with some guys who could reach close to that top speed that they reach, but he’s doing it while stickhandling with his head up, scanning the ice, so it makes for a real challenge to play against.”

While the Jets continue to try and push for a playoff spot, they enter Thursday’s game five points behind the Nashville Predators in the chase for the second wild-card position in the Western Conference, while the Avalanche hold a seven-point cushion on the Dallas Stars for top spot in the Central Division.

“It’s a tight race, but the only thing we can control is what we can do,” said Lambert. “If we go out there every night and play the way we did (on Tuesday) night, we’ll give ourselves a good chance.”

Jets welcome Wahlin

The Jets inked college free agent Lucas Wahlin to a one-year entry-level contract on Wednesday, adding organizational depth in the form of a right-handed shooting forward that is capable of playing all three positions up front — and was used primarily at centre this past season at the University of St. Thomas in Minnesota.

Wahlin, whose deal kicks in next season, will join the Manitoba Moose of the AHL on an amateur tryout offer and will be eligible to participate in the Calder Cup playoffs.

The Minnesota product is known for his sound, two-way play along with his skating ability, competitive spirit and leadership, as he’s been captain at St. Thomas for the past three seasons.

Wahlin, who spent one season with the Lincoln Stars of the USHL before moving to the college level, had 21 goals and 39 points in 36 games this past season with St. Thomas and was named the top defensive forward of the Central Collegiate Hockey Association.

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