Jets pick up Rosen, Bryson in Stanley, Schenn trade

Kevin Cheveldayoff did his best to straddle the fine line.

The Winnipeg Jets general manager went into Friday’s NHL trade deadline with a clear goal in mind: to try and recoup some assets while not subtracting too much from the active roster.

The Jets were in selling mode, though this wasn’t going to be a fire sale, not with a group that has collected points in five consecutive games (3-0-2) coming out of the Olympic break to keep their slim playoff hopes alive.

As the Jets continue an eight-game homestand on Saturday against the Vancouver Canucks, there will be two new players in the lineup, one of whom (defenceman Jacob Bryson) is getting a test drive before having the ability to become an unrestricted free agent and the other is a prized prospect (forward Isak Rosen) who should benefit from a change of scenery.

The door is also open for forward prospect Brad Lambert to leave a lasting impression and have another chance to push for full-time duty as he was recalled from the Manitoba Moose of the American Hockey League.

Cheveldayoff completed an important trade late Thursday night with the Buffalo Sabres, after the Jets earned a convincing 4-1 victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning.

He moved two veteran defencemen that were on expiring contracts, Logan Stanley and Luke Schenn, and brought back a return that should help fill a longer-term need.

“Everything starts with me. I have got to be better,” said Cheveldayoff, taking ownership of the Jets inability to live up to expectations so far. “We’re at a point here now where we need to embrace some of these younger players to come in and see what they have. This is going to be an opportunity for a lot of guys.”

No matter how you break it down, Cheveldayoff was able to get back similar draft picks that he shipped out to acquire Schenn at the deadline last year, adding a fourth rounder in 2026 and a second rounder in 2027 that will be the better pick of the two the Sabres own (their own or the one that previously belonged to the Edmonton Oilers).

In a separate deal that snuck in under the wire before the 2 p.m. CT deadline, the Jets shipped veteran forward Tanner Pearson to the Sabres for a seventh round pick in 2026.

Winnipeg now has seven picks in the 2026 NHL Draft (with none in the second round and two in the seventh).

The Jets also added an intriguing prospect in Rosen, who was chosen 14th overall by the Sabres in the 2021 NHL Draft, and Bryson.

Rosen has been a force in the American Hockey League, supplying three consecutive 20-plus goal seasons with the Rochester Americans – including 27 goals and 43 points in 37 games in 2025-26.

The Swedish winger was blocked in the Sabres system by a number of other skilled forwards, but he’s a dynamic player with good speed and an excellent shot.

He doesn’t bring much of a physical element and his defensive game still requires work, but that’s not uncommon for young prospects.

Rosen, 22, should integrate into the Jets middle-six immediately and will get an extended look during the stretch run here.

He’ll be a restricted free agent this summer and with just 31 NHL games on his resumé so far, Rosen will be looking at a bridge deal, which means the Jets should have ample cap space to pursue a second-line centre to play with him, either via trade or free agency.

Simply put, the Jets needed to get faster and increase the skill level in the middle-six forward group and this was an important step in that process.

Bryson is an undersized D-man who is a mobile puck mover. He has two goals and five points in 35 games this season – and has appeared in 289 NHL games.

“We’re not, like you say, waving the white flag. We still believe in our group,” said Jets head coach Scott Arniel. “We pulled a guy out of the grocery store at four o’clock (on Friday) and threw him in our live lineup, and Isaak Phillips and played a heck of a hockey game, and Ville (Heinola) jumped in and played. And, we still have a strong, strong group here of veteran players. We have the best goaltender in the league. I still think we can find a way to get ourselves in.”

As for who is moving on, the end of the Stanley era comes with mixed reviews and emotions for some.

Chosen 18th overall in the 2016 NHL Draft after the Jets made a trade with the Philadelphia Flyers to move up so they could choose Stanley, there were some expected growing pains over the years.

But Stanley’s timing was impeccable, as he’s delivered career bests in both goals (nine) and points (19) in 59 games this season, months before he’s scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent.

There’s been plenty of chatter about Stanley posting an unsustainable shooting percentage, but even if he’s not going to be a guy that challenges to hit double digits, he’s got an offensive flair to his game and an ability to get his shot through from the point.

When you consider Stanley’s size and ability to add toughness, you can understand why he was appealing to a team like the Sabres who could use some additional edge.

The Jets assigned forward Walker Duehr and Phillips to the Moose on Friday morning.

Cheveldayoff said that Heinola, who was chosen by the Jets 20th overall in the 2019 NHL Draft, will remain with the Jets for the remainder of the season — even though he’s scheduled to be a Group 6 UFA this summer.

Once the trade deadline passed, the Jets still had seven pending unrestricted free agents, including Winnipegger Jonathan Toews.

Cheveldayoff was asked about Toews’ desire to stick around rather than ask for a move to a contender.

“When we negotiated that contract, we negotiated a full no move,” said Cheveldayoff. “In a situation like that, that’s me saying to him, ‘I’m not coming to you unless you’re coming to me.’ And so that’s a situation where I totally respect the player and the individual there.

“If you know Jonathan, he’s a very loyal and serious person. Jonathan Toews has really never been traded in his life. So, those are maybe emotions that come in, as well. But I suspect he wants to help us to continue to push throughout the remainder of this year.”

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