Back to the Moose for Heinola Clearing waivers might be best for defenceman’s development, club By: Mike McIntyre Posted: 5:24 PM CDT Monday, Oct. 6, 2025

It appears Winnipeg’s longest-running sports soap opera isn’t ready to go off the air — er, ice — just yet.

The latest plot twist in the Ville Heinola saga came Monday, when 31 NHL general managers essentially said, “Nah, we’re good,” after being given the chance to land the talented but rarely used young defenceman for free.

Heinola clearing waivers was no doubt a surprise to plenty of fans who believe the Jets have held the smooth-skating 24-year-old Finn back from bigger opportunities.

A fresh start will have to wait, at least for now. Heinola will remain with the organization that drafted him 20th overall in 2019 but has only dressed him for 53 NHL games so far.

When — or if — the 54th occurs remains a mystery.

Heinola is headed back to the Manitoba Moose, where he’s already appeared in 154 contests over parts of six seasons. That’s great news for the American Hockey League club, which looks loaded on paper and should be a legitimate Calder Cup contender this season.

Not so much for Heinola, who dazzled in his NHL debut six years ago — scoring a goal and adding four assists in eight terrific games as an 18-year-old — yet hasn’t been able to find his footing since.

What happened? Injuries have certainly played a part. Two years ago, Heinola was set to crack the opening-night lineup after a strong training camp, but a broken ankle in the final pre-season game limited him to just 41 games — all in the minors as he slowly worked his way back.

Last year, the surgically repaired joint got infected and required another procedure. Heinola dressed for just 20 games total — two with the Moose, 18 with the Jets. If it weren’t for bad luck, he’d have no luck at all.

For those reasons, it’s not surprising teams opted to take a pass on Monday. Keep in mind, a waiver claim must be kept on the NHL roster; you can’t simply grab a player and stash him on the farm. There’s simply not enough of a recent body of work to justify using a roster spot on Heinola right now.

No question he has plenty of tools, but putting them all together over an extended stretch has been a struggle.

Healthy scratch

This latest development, while undoubtedly disappointing for Heinola, might ultimately be for the best. He needs to play, period. Another season spent munching popcorn in the press box does him no good.

In that sense, the Jets seemingly did him a solid by putting him on waivers.

Sure, it came with some risk for an organization that has previously lost two young defencemen the same way — Jonathan Kovacevic and Declan Chisholm. That’s not great asset management for a club that prides itself on a “draft and develop” philosophy.

But something had to give — especially since attempts over the summer to trade Heinola and alleviate the blue-line logjam weren’t successful.

To his credit, Heinola has never complained about his role or usage. He’s been a great teammate, always putting in the extra work that comes with being a perpetual healthy scratch and seemingly wearing a constant smile. That can’t be easy.

Development isn’t always a straight line, and defencemen can be especially tricky — many don’t find their stride until their mid-20s. The Ottawa Senators, for example, drafted blue-liner Lassi Thomson 19th overall in 2019, one spot before Heinola. He’s played just 18 career NHL games so far and also cleared waivers on Monday.

That’s not to absolve the Jets of all responsibility here. Looking at their first-round picks since 2016, only Cole Perfetti (2020) has developed into a full-time NHL player.

Logan Stanley (2016) remains a work in progress all these years later. Kristian Vesalainen (2017) never panned out and ultimately returned to Europe. Chaz Lucius (2021) was forced to retire because of a medical condition. Rutger McGroarty (2022) refused to sign, prompting an eventual trade for Brayden Yager, who begins his pro career this fall with the Moose.

The jury is still out on Colby Barlow (2023), who starts this year with the Moose, and Sascha Boumedienne, entering his second season at Boston University. The Jets also traded away their top picks in 2018 and 2024.

Can the Heinola situation still be salvaged?

He should log heavy minutes in a top-pairing role with the Moose, quarterback the power play, and see penalty-kill time as well. If he can stay healthy and be productive, the future remains bright.

“As The Ville Turns”

Heinola will become an unrestricted free agent next July 1 if he doesn’t play at least 27 NHL games this season. (He would remain a restricted free agent if he does). That seems unlikely, unless the Jets — already without Dylan Samberg to start the year — run into a tidal wave of injuries.

At this point, Heinola sits somewhere between eighth and tenth on the organizational depth chart. Winnipeg is starting the year with seven defencemen, and the Moose blue line also features top prospect Elias Salomonsson and veteran Kale Clague — a free-agent signing who passed through waivers last week after a solid camp with the Jets.

It’s also possible a trade could be revisited, especially now that Heinola has cleared waivers. That actually makes him more valuable to some teams, who could stash him on the farm as extra insurance. Utah waived goaltender Connor Ingram last week, then traded him to Edmonton (with some salary retention) when he cleared.

How “As The Ville Turns” ultimately plays out remains to be seen. One thing’s for sure: the waiting game — and the debate — show no signs of ending anytime soon.

 

Ice chips

The Jets had to submit their opening-night roster to the NHL by Monday afternoon’s deadline. With Heinola and journeyman forward Walker Duehr clearing waivers earlier in the day, there were still 24 healthy skaters in camp along with the injured trio of Samberg, Perfetti and captain Adam Lowry.

At least one move had to be made — likely either forward Brad Lambert or Parker Ford being sent to the Moose. (Neither require waivers.) It’s possible both could go down if the Jets opt to start the year with just 22 players, one under the league maximum, to bank salary cap space.

The team’s decision will become clear on Tuesday morning when they return to the practice ice to prepare for Thursday’s regular-season opener against the Dallas Stars at Canada Life Centre.

mike.mcintyre@freepress.mb.ca

X and Bluesky: @mikemcintyrewpg