Barron takes flight with move to middle Jets forward’s impact evident as centre of fourth line trio By: Ken Wiebe Posted: 4:45 PM CDT Thursday, Apr. 24, 2025

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This article was published 24/04/2025 (448 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

ST. LOUIS — Morgan Barron is quick to point out that it’s more of a matter of coincidence than connecting the dots.

Yes, the Winnipeg Jets forward acknowledges that he’s playing with some additional confidence these days, but Barron also points out that growth was happening before he actually moved into the middle on the fourth line.

“The timing has lined up to where I moved to the middle. I felt like I was kind of building,” Barron said before the Jets faced the St. Louis Blues in Game 3 of the opening-round series between Central Division rivals. “I think there’s more to it than that. It’s not some magical fix where you change positions and all of a sudden, it’s a new player.”

Since Barron is such a straight shooter, we’ll take him at his word.

What can’t be debated is the impact he’s made since shuffling from the wing to centre.

These days, he’s playing on a trio with David Gustafsson and Jaret Anderson-Dolan.

“Well, that was to be an experiment and it’s worked out well,” said Jets head coach Scott Arniel, who sent Barron for a test drive after Rasmus Kupari sustained a concussion. “He’s a good skater. When you see him, it looks like he moves even better being in the middle of the ice, probably because you’re covering more ice as a centreman. He’s really good on faceoffs and obviously knows his responsibility, how to play without the puck.

“To me, he’s really bought into the role and I know he’s excited about being in there. It’s just a bonus for us at this time of year.”

Barron is a natural centre and spent much of his life playing there, though a good chunk of his pro career — especially in the NHL — had been spent on the wing.

The transition has certainly been smooth, but it hasn’t happened by accident either.

This is where Barron’s hockey sense has allowed him to flourish.

Barron’s teammates have noticed how he’s handled the additional responsibilities that come with the move.

“He took that extra role on, which we all know that he’s capable of,” said Jets forward Nino Niederreiter. “He’s such a pro on and off the ice. He’s very competitive and he cares a lot. His game keeps growing.

“He’s very reliable defensively. He does a lot of little things the right way and that’s something that is great to have in the lineup.”

“He’s such a pro on and off the ice. He’s very competitive and he cares a lot. His game keeps growing.”–Jets forward Nino Niederreiter

Barron had to miss the 2024 Stanley Cup playoff series against the Colorado Avalanche after suffering a lower-body injury late in the regular season.

Being relegated to the sidelines left Barron with an empty feeling, especially after the Jets were ousted in five games.

“It’s a lot more fun to be a part of it, obviously,” said Barron, who suffered the injury when he crashed into the boards awkwardly in a game against the Seattle Kraken. “Last year, I got a sense of the anxiety that fans have watching those games. It’s pretty stressful and it’s almost easier and less stressful than when you’re playing, believe it or not.

“To be able to go out there, once things settle down after the first few minutes of these games, it seems like you just go out and play. It’s a nice release from all of the thinking and stuff. It’s great to be back out there.”

Barron suited up in 74 games during the regular season and finished with eight goals and 15 points — a slight decrease in production from 2023-24 when he recorded 11 goals and 18 points in 80 games.

The eight games Barron missed this season came after a bone-jarring hit on Montreal Canadiens forward Kirby Dach on Jan. 29 and disrupted what he felt were the early signs of getting his season turned around.

Barron went into the post-season on a high note and that has allowed him to be effective both at five-on-five and on the penalty kill.

“Ultimately, everybody wants to be someone who shows up in the playoffs,” said Barron. “I’ve played over a handful of playoff games now (eight including Thursday) and you just try to keep building and contributing and hopefully we’ll get on a good run here and get quite a few more games.

“You try to play that power forward game that typically works well in these tight-checking games.”

When you see how well Barron has played in the early stages of the playoffs after finishing strong down the stretch, it’s obvious his presence was missed.

“That injury was big for us last year,” said Arniel. “He’s a big, heavy guy and (at) this time of the year, those are the type of guys that can help move the weight down the ice. That’s what he does, whether that’s him getting hard on the forecheck or him battling in the D-zone and being heavy and boxing people out that are trying to get to the net, having that size certainly helps.”

Barron used that size to get to the front of the net on multiple occasions so far, culminating with what looked like his first Stanley Cup playoff goal in Game 1.

After Gustafsson got the puck back to the point to Luke Schenn, Barron parked himself in front of Jordan Binnington and got his stick on the shot.

So did Anderson-Dolan and after the goal had originally been credited to Barron, it was eventually switched.

“Every team that goes on to win the Cup, you see that depth scoring come through at different times,” said Barron. “It’s akin to scoring your first NHL goal or your first goal of the season — you want to get it out of the way early, so you’re not thinking about it.

“Our line and (Anderson-Dolan) was able to do that and now it’s about continuing to build. Zone time and all of that is great, but we need to keep finding ways to get pucks to the net and to see if we can get a few more to fall.”

Barron wasn’t the least bit concerned about having his first playoff goal taken away and he’ll celebrate it again when the time comes.

“It doesn’t really matter,” said Barron. “There is so much emotion in the games. I know it’s a cliché and everybody says it and, oftentimes, you say you don’t care about scoring but of course you want to score. But to me, in that moment it felt like a huge goal to swing the momentum. To be a part of it, we’re working as a team, but also in units, in terms of the guys you are playing with.

“I didn’t really care if it was me or (Anderson-Dolan) or whoever it was. We got it and it was a big goal in the game.”

ken.wiebe@freepress.mb.ca

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