Few surprises expected in Jets’ season opening roster – Winnipeg Free Press

Some might call it the path of least resistance.

Winnipeg Jets general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff probably considers it the pragmatic one.

When the Jets submit their opening-day roster on Monday afternoon before the 4 p.m. deadline, it’s unlikely to include many surprises.

The only transaction made by the Jets on Sunday involved forward Jaret Anderson-Dolan being placed on waivers, with the intention of sending him to the Manitoba Moose of the American Hockey League.

Anderson-Dolan had a strong training camp and the coaching staff clearly considers him to be a good candidate for recall for a checking role if an injury opens up an opportunity — provided he clears waivers.

The projected assignment of Anderson-Dolan leaves the Jets with three goalies, 10 defencemen (though two of them are injured and heading to injured reserve) and 15 forwards remaining as training camp gives way to preparations for Wednesday’s regular season opener against the Edmonton Oilers at Rogers Place.

So what else is to come on the roster front?

Barring a waiver claim to potentially bolster the defence corps, the Jets are going to cut at least one forward (a maximum of two) and possibly one D-man and/or one goalie.

Despite turning heads and significant progression during training camp, one of the players destined for the Moose is winger Nikita Chibrikov.

The biggest thing Chibrikov needs to do during his second season playing on North American ice is to improve his pace, as he’s already got poise with the puck, an ability to score and a willingness to get to the hard areas and get under the skin of opponents.

Chibrikov should get NHL work this season and he won’t likely need to wait until Game 82, which is when he scored and didn’t look out of place in his NHL debut against the Vancouver Canucks.

Top defence prospect Elias Salomonsson has shown extremely well in camp and some observers are making the case that he might even be ready for the NHL right now.

Salomonsson has the tools and tool kit to slide in on a third pairing role and at least tread water, but this is a guy the organization believes is going to be an impact player.

And while the “give him a chance now to see how he handles it” chorus is getting louder, the benefits of Salomonsson playing 20-plus minutes a game at the AHL level and getting more puck touches than he would get while playing 10-to-12 in the NHL should win out.

At least for the time being.

Whether it’s 20, 40 or 70-plus games in the minors will be determined mostly by how Salomonsson handles the transition to the North American game — and the early returns suggest he’ll handle it just fine.

Salmonsson has done the opposite of what many inexperienced pros do, improving as training camp moved along, rather than see his game drop off.

This is someone with the combination of size, skating, puck-moving ability and edge – something the Jets are going to be looking to add before this season is complete.

If Salomonsson can be that guy instead of needing assets to be shipped out in order to acquire a D-man in a deadline deal, that’s a big win for the Jets.

That brings us to Brad Lambert, who also had a steady training camp.

Lambert showcased his shot and playmaking ability while spending time with experienced linemates and demonstrated he’s taken strides when it comes to his ability to defend.

Did he do enough to supplant incumbent Vladislav Namestnikov?

Not really, though it would have been beneficial to see him get some reps on a line with Nikolaj Ehlers and Cole Perfetti.

Lambert would give the Jets the ability to go with three scoring lines instead of the traditional top-six and bottom-six composition.

However, there could be some benefits to Lambert going down to the AHL and dominating the way Logan Stankoven did with the Texas Stars before he was summoned to Dallas late in the season.

That doesn’t mean Lambert won’t get a chance before February or March either.

It could be a brief stay, even if it’s not as short as Kyle Connor’s was back in the fall of October of 2017 when he suited up in his final four games in the AHL before graduating to full-time duty with the Jets.

Carrying three goalies would seem strange when you consider the workload starter Connor Hellebuyck is expected to carry, though it’s a possibility Jets head coach Scott Arniel has mentioned.

If the Jets choose to expose goalie Eric Comrie to waivers on Monday, it’s possible Lambert could open the campaign in the NHL, even if it seems unlikely he will be in the lineup on Wednesday.

There are obvious benefits to being around an NHL club on a daily basis, but when it comes to Lambert’s quest to show he can be the No. 2 C for the Jets, playing time is essential – even if that means getting it with the Moose on a temporary basis.

Taking fourth line minutes and getting a shot on the second power play unit – like former Jets head coach Paul Maurice tried with Nic Petan back in the fall of 2015 – isn’t going to be enough to enhance Lambert’s development at this stage of his career.

As for Comrie, he’s kept himself in the battle for the backup job.

He would also be an outstanding mentor for Thomas Milic with the Moose should he eventually end up there.

One of the themes surrounding the Jets traing camp was Cheveldayoff’s proclamation back on July 1 (and reiterated during training camp) that there were opportunities for young players on the horizon.

While some observers assumed that meant there could be a number of newcomers on the Jets’ roster in October, Cheveldayoff expanded his statement when he met with reporters last month.

“It’s an exciting time for a veteran on this team, too, because there are opportunities to take on different roles,” said Cheveldayoff. “Whether it’s an expanded leadership role, whether it’s an expanded game role… Everybody in this game wants more and it’s up to them to earn that opportunity for more.”

Arniel has said on multiple occasions that the players battling for jobs on the edges of the roster have made the decisions difficult — and that’s what an organization wants.

Internal competition is something that teams trying to win need and while it’s easy to get overwhelmed with the importance of making the opening-day roster, the truth is that the jockeying for position on the depth chart is merely just beginning.

That’s what all of Salomonsson, Lambert and Chibrikov need to keep in mind this week, no matter what decisions are made by Jets’ management.

ken.wiebe@freepress.mb.ca

X: @WiebesWorld

Ken Wiebe
Sports reporter

Ken Wiebe is a sports reporter for the Free Press, with an emphasis on the Winnipeg Jets. He has covered hockey and provided analysis in this market since 2000 for the Winnipeg Sun, The Athletic, Sportsnet.ca and TSN. Ken was a summer intern at the Free Press in 1999 and returned to the Free Press in a full-time capacity in September of 2023. Read more about Ken.

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