Tough decisions to come as Jets roster taking shape

Slowly but surely, the opening-night roster for the 2025-26 Winnipeg Jets is taking shape.

Forty-five players remain in training camp with one week to go, including two final pre-season games: Tuesday night in St. Paul against the Minnesota Wild and Friday night in Calgary against the Flames.

The Jets trimmed four players from the roster Sunday, reassigning goaltender Isaac Poulter, forwards Fabian Wagner and Jacob Julien, and defenceman Dylan Anhorn to the Manitoba Moose. That followed an earlier round of cuts in which four players were returned to junior and two others joined the AHL club, which opens its camp today.

A much bigger cull is around the corner, as NHL teams must reduce to a maximum of 23 healthy players before the regular season begins Oct. 7. (The Jets open Oct. 9 at home against the Dallas Stars.)

“There’s some tough decisions, We’ve got battles at forward position, battles at defence position. We can’t keep everybody,” Jets head coach Scott Arniel said following Saturday’s 4-1 victory over Calgary which improved Winnipeg’s exhibition record to 1-2-1.

Here’s where the battles stand:

Defence

The locks (4): Josh Morrissey, Dylan DeMelo, Neal Pionk, Dylan Samberg

Also still in camp (11): Haydn Fleury, Luke Schenn, Colin Miller, Logan Stanley, Ville Heinola, Elias Salomonsson, Kale Clague, Isaak Phillips, Tyrel Bauer, Ashton Sautner, Dawson Barteaux

Remaining job up for grabs: 3-5

The skinny: Two major questions remain: Will the Jets start the year with seven or eight healthy defencemen? And will Samberg be one of them, after leaving Saturday’s game with an apparent left arm/shoulder injury?

If Samberg misses time, a spot that was essentially spoken for suddenly opens up.

It’s safe to assume Phillips, Bauer, Sautner and Barteaux will land with the Moose — the latter two are on AHL-only deals — leaving seven blue-liners fighting for three to five jobs. That’s where things get complicated.

Fleury, Schenn, Miller, Stanley, Heinola and Clague would all require waivers to be assigned to the Moose, while Salomonsson would not. Fleury, Stanley and Clague are primarily left-side defenders; Schenn, Miller and Salomonsson typically play the right. Heinola is versatile on both sides.

Salomonsson’s strong pre-season has given the coaching staff plenty to think about, but would the Jets risk losing a waiver-eligible veteran to keep the promising young Swede?

Clague, signed as a free agent this summer, has also had an impressive camp and could push his way into the mix, especially if Samberg isn’t ready for opening night.

Schenn and Stanley bring size and grit. Fleury is a smooth-skating puck-mover who filled in capably last year when Samberg broke his foot. Miller owns a heavy shot and steady presence, while Heinola — despite battling injuries the past two seasons — remains a young first-round pick with upside.

This is, without question, the toughest decision facing the coaching staff — especially given that Winnipeg has lost two blue-liners on the waiver wire in recent years (Jonathan Kovacevic, Declan Chisholm).

Adding one or two more to that list would not be great asset management, but the club may ultimately not have much choice but to roll the dice in that department.

“The big thing for us is depth. It’s important. We needed that last year during the season, we certainly needed it during the playoffs. These players, you hope they’re part of that depth. They’re hard to replace,” said Arniel.

“Hopefully it works out for us.”

A reminder, any NHL team claiming a player on waivers must keep him on the roster for a full month — they can’t just stash him in the minors.

Forwards

The locks (11): Mark Scheifele, Kyle Connor, Gabe Vilardi, Jonathan Toews, Cole Perfetti, Gustav Nyquist, Vlad Namestnikov, Nino Niederreiter, Alex Iafallo, Morgan Barron, Cole Koepke

Starting the year on the IR (1): Adam Lowry

Also still in camp (14): Tanner Pearson, David Gustafsson, Samuel Fagemo, Mason Shaw, Parker Ford, Jaret Anderson-Dolan, Brayden Yager, Colby Barlow, Danny Zhilkin, Walker Duehr, Phil Di Giuseppe, Brad Lambert, Nikita Chibrikov, Kieron Walton

Jobs up for grabs: 2-3

The skinny: Expect Winnipeg to begin the year with 13 healthy forwards, though keeping 14 isn’t out of the question.

Walton will return to junior once cleared from concussion protocol, trimming the competition slightly. Pearson, signed this summer, has been skating on the fourth line with Barron and Koepke and looks close to a lock. Gustafsson, a drafted-and-developed Jet, should also have the inside track on a job.

Players such as Lambert, Chibrikov, Ford, Yager, Barlow and Zhilkin can be sent down without waivers. Pearson, Gustafsson, Fagemo, Shaw, Anderson-Dolan, Duehr and Di Giuseppe cannot — another layer of complexity.

Several have made strong cases. Chibrikov, Duehr and Ford scored in Saturday’s win, while Yager and Anderson-Dolan set up goals. Lambert and Fagemo each have two-assist games, and Barlow and Zhilkin have both found the net.

Arniel stressed the importance of communication with those who don’t make the final cut.

“If it comes to a situation where they’re going to be put on waivers or if they’re being sent down to the Moose, we have the conversations. Chevy and I are in there and (Moose coach) Mark Morrison is in there,” he said.

“We talk to them and we explain what it is, why, the reasoning, and maybe some areas they need to work on. Hopefully, that’s part of helping them to get better.”

One thing is certain: If waiver-eligible players clear, the Moose will be loaded — giving Winnipeg valuable depth and fuelling internal competition.

Goal

The locks (2): Connor Hellebuyck, Eric Comrie

Also still in camp (2): Thomas Milic, Domenic DiVincentiis

Jobs up for grabs: None

The skinny: No drama here. Hellebuyck, the reigning Hart and Vezina Trophy winner, anchors the crease with Comrie backing him up.

Hellebuyck has yet to appear this pre-season but is expected to play the full games against Minnesota and Calgary this week.

Milic and DiVincentiis, both waiver-exempt, will eventually be assigned to the Moose, where they’ll share the net with Poulter. One of them will likely be re-assigned to the ECHL’s Norfolk Admirals to secure steady playing time.

mike.mcintyre@freepress.mb.ca

X and Bluesky: @mikemcintyrewpg