Healthy Jets face numbers crunch Jonsson-Fjallby placed on waivers to clear space for DeMelo’s return from injury By: Mike McIntyre Posted: 7:00 PM CST Monday, Feb. 13, 2023

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This article was published 13/02/2023 (937 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The Winnipeg Jets are finally close to full health after an ugly run of aches and pains and bruises and breaks which left them scrambling to fill out the roster on many nights this season.

Defenceman Dylan DeMelo’s expected return to the lineup on Tuesday night against Seattle means an injured list that once had seven names on it is down to just one — forward David Gustafsson, who is also getting closer to game action.

Unfortunately, there’s a price to be paid for this reversal of fortunes. And the first domino fell on Monday when forward Axel Jonsson-Fjallby was placed on waivers. There’s simply no longer any room at the inn.

“That’s a move we do not want to make,” coach Rick Bowness said following a difficult conversation with the 25-year-old Swedish speedster after an hour-long practice at Canada Life Centre.

“Axel has done everything we’ve asked him to do. He’s been a great teammate, he’s helped us get to where we are today but we’re only allowed to have 23 bodies. It’s an unfortunate move that we’re forced to make. We’re hoping we don’t lose him, selfishly, because he’s been a very strong part of our hockey club.”

Jonsson-Fjallby had 11 points (four goals, seven assists) in 45 games with Winnipeg this year, which are all career highs. With previously injured forwards Nikolaj Ehlers, Cole Perfetti, Blake Wheeler, Morgan Barron, Saku Maenalanen and Mason Appleton all back in the fold, he’s been squeezed out.

“He’s a good person, he’s a good teammate. We talk a lot about the culture in the room. He’s a part of it. He is,” said Bowness. “From the day we picked him up, he’s fit right in. He’s done everything we’ve asked him to do. He has. It’s unfortunate, but again, selfishly we’re hoping we do not lose him.”

“He’s a good person, he’s a good teammate. We talk a lot about the culture in the room. He’s a part of it. He is.”–Coach Rick Bowness

It was a similar story earlier this year when forward Michael Eyssimont was waived, only to be claimed by the San Jose Sharks where he remains. Winnipeg also lost defenceman Johnathan Kovacevic on waivers to Montreal just before the season began.

The Jets will hope all 31 other NHL teams take a pass on Jonsson-Fjallby by Tuesday’s 1 p.m. deadline. That includes Washington, who put Jonsson-Fjallby on waivers at the end of training camp last fall only to have Winnipeg make a claim. The Capitals would be able to grab him and immediately assign them to their American Hockey League club, if they wish.

This isn’t the only difficult decision staring Bowness and company in the face.

Veteran Sam Gagner, fresh off playing his 1,000th game in late December, is likely to be a healthy scratch once again for a second straight game when the Jets host the Kraken to finish out this homestand. He’ll be joined in the press box by defencemen Kyle Capobianco and Logan Stanley, who gets pushed out of the lineup by DeMelo’s return.

 

 

Things could get even more tricky in the coming days once Gustafsson gets the green light, assuming nobody else gets hurt between now and then. The young centre appeared in a non-contact jersey at Monday’s practice, and his return would force another player to be exposed to waivers.

As for who is in the lineup right now, it’s safe to say Winnipeg’s top nine forwards are pretty much set in stone. Mark Scheifele, Blake Wheeler and Nikolaj Ehlers form one top line, with Pierre-Luc Dubois, Kyle Connor and Cole Perfetti on the other. The shutdown checking trio with Adam Lowry between Barron and Appleton has now been reunited.

That creates an ongoing battle for the fourth line, with Moose callup Kevin Stenlund currently between Saku Maenalanen and Karson Kuhlman. Gagner, for now, is the odd man out, with Gustafsson looming.

“It’s going to be an ongoing competition because no one deserves to sit out multiple games at the forward position,” said Bowness.

“Sam has done a good job for us. Kuhlman has done a good job for us on that right side. Saku has been really good, right or left. We have that luxury of moving Saku right to left. Kevin has steadied himself as that fourth line centre right now. He’s good in the face-offs, good on the penalty kill, we’re going to try him on the power play now. No one deserves to sit out, but we can only dress 12. So someone has to sit.”

“It’s going to be an ongoing competition because no one deserves to sit out multiple games at the forward position.”–Coach Rick Bowness

Those on the bubble are well aware of the situation.

“I think everybody knows it’s in the back of your head but everybody just wants to do their best and help the team win while they’re here,” said Kuhlman, who was plucked off waivers from Seattle earlier this year. “You can’t really control anything beyond how you play and how hard you work.”

Although his offensive numbers won’t jump off the page, with just two goals and two assists in 23 games with Winnipeg, Kuhlman has speed to burn and does plenty of little things right, such as setting a perfect screen on Josh Morrissey’s game-opening goal against Chicago last Saturday.

“Just trying to help the team win. That’s what it comes down to,” said Kuhlman. “If you’re doing that, you’re doing the right things out on the ice and good things usually happen if you’re doing that.”

Kuhlman said you can’t spend too much time worrying about what might happen.

“That’s the beauty of it. We’ve got so much depth in this organization on this team that everybody is pushing each other from below, whether it’s in practice or competing in a game to help the team win,” he said.

Bowness said Kuhlman and Jonsson-Fjallby play similar types of games, but the fact the former is a right-handed shot helps his cause as Winnipeg doesn’t have a surplus in that area.

“He’s doing the things we would hope he would do when we picked him up,” said Bowness. “Karson has been really good. He’s been part of the penalty-killing team all year. He’s fearless out there. He goes to the net, he’s in the corners, he’s on the forecheck, he’s a strong skater. He’s everything we were told he would be. He’s done a very good job for us, no question.”

Stenlund might be the biggest surprise of all to still be here, given that other forwards including Jansen Harkins and Dominic Toninato are currently down with the Moose after earlier stints with Winnipeg. The big centre has acquitted himself well.

“We weren’t very impressed with him in training camp, and he knows it. He didn’t have a good training camp,” said Bowness.

“He went down, and Mark Morrison and his staff did a great job with him, they gave him a role, gave him an identity. What he’s done is come up, and he’s done that for us, face-offs, penalty kill, he’s reliable. He’s a smart hockey player. We didn’t like the pace at which he played in camp, but he’s picked up his pace, so now everything else looks a lot better.”

mike.mcintyre@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @mikemcintyrewpg