Kuhlman cracks Jets lineup, now the trick is to stay there

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 02/04/2023 (978 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

It’s difficult to watch your team go through an ugly stretch of games. It’s even harder when you’re not on the ice to help make a difference.

That’s the life Karson Kuhlman has lived over the last month. The Winnipeg Jets forward went from playing in nearly every game to sitting out much of March.

“Everybody got back healthy and that’s the way it goes,” Kuhlman told the Free Press following morning skate Sunday, ahead of the Jets home game against the New Jersey Devils. “We were rolling there for a while, but excited to get back and help the boys out any way I can.”

Kuhlman, plucked off waivers from Seattle on Dec. 13, returned to the lineup in a 6-2 win over the Detroit Red Wings on Friday. He had missed the previous 13 games, having last played in a 6-3 road loss to the Edmonton Oilers on Mar. 3, with the Jets losing seven of those games.

Now the 27-year-old is back on the game-day roster, his job now is to find a way to stay in the lineup. Kuhlman has put in a lot of extra work in recent weeks, along with the club’s other healthy scratches, making time after practices to do skills work and conditioning.

He’s done watching, which he admitted wasn’t easy. It’s time to see what he can do as the Jets battle for a playoff spot, currently occupying the final wildcard in the Western Conference.

“Helping us win is obviously first and foremost, especially with how big these games are coming up,” Kuhlman said. “Secondly, just keep doing what I’m doing defensively, being hard on the forecheck, but then also chipping in a little bit more offence, which is something I wasn’t doing early on. I was getting opportunities but just finishing those plays, taking that extra second, it’s something we’ve been working on the last couple weeks.”

Kuhlman has played in 31 games for Winnipeg, registering two goals and two assists. When he first arrived, he was given a major boost of confidence, playing his five games on a top line with Mark Scheifele and Cole Perfetti.

Over time, Kuhlman dropped down the depth chart, eventually carving out a role on the bottom-six. He’s strong defensively and can chip in on the penalty kill, making him a candidate for the fourth line for the postseason.

The opportunity to crack the lineup this late in the year comes at a time where Jets head coach Rick Bowness is trying to find his go-to roster for the playoffs. If there was ever a time to make a strong impression, it’s now.

Kuhlman isn’t alone, either, with fellow forwards David Gustafsson and Axel Jonsson-Fjallby and defenceman Kyle Capobianco and Logan Stanley all desperately trying to earn some ice time.

“We are looking for a consistent line-up,” Bowness said. “(Kuhlman) played very well last game, he’s worked very hard to stay in the line-up. He did a real good job for us. Gus, Saku (Maenalanen), they’ve done a great job for us. Axel has done a great job for us. We know we can trust them to get in there.”

Getting into the lineup is a clear boost for the player, but it also has the power to raise the spirits for the rest of the team. It’s not lost on the players who are in the lineup consistently how much work is being put in behind the scenes.

“When you got guys like that sitting on the outside that obviously want to play, come in and play the right way and work hard and do what they do, that’s exciting for us. Khuls is no different,” said Jets forward Nikolaj Ehlers. “That guy has worked his ass off when he hasn’t played and when he plays, he does the same thing. Having guys like that is exciting for us and you feel that in the room.”

Jeff.Hamilton@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @jeffkhamilton