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Brad Lambert

Winnipeg Jets Permit Brad Lambert To Seek Trade

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Despite typically being one of the first forwards recalled in case of injury, Winnipeg Jets forward prospect Brad Lambert is reportedly disgruntled about his position within the Jets organization. To that end, insider Frank Seravalli shared that Winnipeg has permitted Lambert and his representation to seek a trade partner.

It wasn’t all that long ago that Lambert was considered one of the best prospects available in the 2022 NHL Draft, with some scouts indicating he could be selected second overall behind then Kingston Frontenac, Shane Wright. Unfortunately, due to a horrific start to the 2021-22 season with the Liiga’s JYP, Lambert was cut from the team only to land with his hometown Pelicans. He finished the season with four goals and 10 points in 49 games with a -16 rating.

Still, Lambert’s previous projections cause him to stay in the first round despite the disappointing season. The Jets selected him with the 30th overall selection and loaned him to the WHL’s Seattle Thunderbirds for the 2022-23 campaign. He played well in Seattle, scoring 17 goals and 38 points in 26 games with a +27 rating, and finished the year with the AHL’s Manitoba Moose, scoring two goals and three points in 14 contests.

Lambert’s production in the 2023-24 campaign led some to believe that he may have turned a significant corner in his development. In his first full professional season, Lambert scored 21 goals and 55 points in 64 games with the Moose and even earned his NHL debut, where he registered an assist. Despite being one of the youngest players on the team at the time, Lambert led Manitoba in scoring.

He slipped last season. Although the team around him wasn’t altogether great, Lambert took a huge step back in his production, registering only seven goals and 35 points in 61 games with a -30 rating. The Moose themselves finished second-to-last in the entire AHL and had the lowest-producing offense of any team.

Lambert’s primary concern has become his NHL experience. In the last two years, including the first month and a half of the 2025-26 campaign, Lambert has scored one goal and two points in nine games for the Jets, averaging 10:28 of ice time typically in a fourth-line role.

Clearly, Lambert believes he has earned an extended look at the NHL level, and the Jets are seemingly willing to grant him that, albeit with a different team. Several contenders are seeking a second-line center, though there’s no argument that Lambert has worked himself up to that stature quite yet.

Whether through injury or another reason, the Calgary Flames, Minnesota Wild, New Jersey Devils, Pittsburgh Penguins, and Vancouver Canucks could all serve as a potential destination for Lambert. Assuming the Jets aren’t looking to receive anything close to a first-round pick, which they used to select Lambert three years ago, they should have no significant hurdles to clear in swinging a deal.

Winnipeg Jets Make Multiple Roster Moves

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The Winnipeg Jets’ forward core is going to have several differences for their upcoming contest against the Columbus Blue Jackets. Winnipeg announced that they’ve activated forwards Morgan Barron and Cole Koepke from the injured reserve.

Additionally, the team shared that forwards Nikita Chibrikov, Parker Ford, and Brad Lambert had all been reassigned in a corresponding roster move. All three forwards were exempt from waivers, making it much easier to activate Barron and Koepke.

Barron has been out since the Jets welcomed back their captain, Adam Lowry, in early November. He had assumed the third-line center duties in Lowry’s absence, scoring three goals and six points in 12 games, averaging 12:33 of ice time per game.

The fact that Winnipeg can now safely play Barron on the fourth line is a credit to their bottom-six depth this season. Barron is a well-above-average defensive center, averaging a 93.3% on-ice save percentage at even strength throughout his time as a Jet, and a 50.5% success rate in the faceoff dot.

Joining Barron on the active roster will be Koepke, who may not immediately step back into the lineup. Fashioned as a fourth-line winger, Koepke had only tallied two assists in 14 games before going down with his undisclosed injury.

Still, he remains in the team lead for physicality with 40 hits (2.86 per game). Regardless, there’s no questioning that Koepke doesn’t have the offensive ceiling of veteran wingers Tanner Pearson and Gustav Nyquist, who are expected to play next to Barron on the fourth line tomorrow night.

Meanwhile, none of Chibrikov, Ford, or Lambert were overly impressive throughout their time on the Jets roster. Ford and Lambert led the way in scoring with one point in 11 games and four games, respectively, while Chibrikov went scoreless.

It stands to reason that the AHL’s Manitoba Moose will benefit from today’s move. The Moose are currently in fourth place in the Central Division with a 7-6-2-0 record, and have now added three top-six forwards back into the mix.

Jets Recall Brad Lambert

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The Jets announced that they’ve recalled center Brad Lambert from AHL Manitoba. The team has been operating with an open roster spot since sending defenseman Kale Clague down on Thursday, so no corresponding move is required.

Lambert initially made Winnipeg’s roster out of camp. He was reassigned to Manitoba last weekend to make way for Clague, whose insurance was needed while Haydn Fleury was nursing a minor knee injury. Clague was reassigned once it was clear Fleury was available again, but Lambert wasn’t immediately brought back up. The Jets likely wanted to get him in more game action with Manitoba, which played last night, before calling him back.

The 21-year-old Finn did not record a point in his first two AHL outings of the season while he was down on the farm. Last year was a tough one for the 2022 first-rounder. After splitting his post-draft year between the AHL and juniors, he caught on full-time with the Moose in 2023-24 and erupted for 21 goals and 55 points in 64 games, leading the team in scoring. He made his NHL debut that year as well and registered an assist. His momentum fell off last year, though, tickling the twine just seven times in 61 appearances with 35 total points and a -30 rating.

Winnipeg is looking for a bounce-back from its entire farm club this year, but especially from Lambert if he’s not going to log significant NHL time. He hasn’t looked entirely out of place in his six career big-league appearances, securing a pair of assists with a +1 rating while averaging 12 minutes of ice time per night. Winnipeg has been outshot significantly in Lambert’s even-strength minutes, though.

Lambert’s recall brings the Jets back to 23 healthy players on the active roster, 14 of whom are forwards. Eleven of them have played all four games this season. The 12th spot is looking to be a rotation between rookies Lambert, Nikita Chibrikov, and Parker Ford. Chibrikov played Winnipeg’s first three games before sitting as a healthy scratch on Thursday against the Flyers, with Ford taking his place. Neither has recorded a point.

Jets Recall Kale Clague, Assign Brad Lambert

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The Winninepg Jets recalled defenseman Kale Clague ahead of Sunday morning’s practice. He took the ice in the spot of Haydn Fleury, who did not skate due to a knee injury, per Mike McIntyre of the Winnipeg Free Press. Jets head coach Scott Arniel designated Fleury as out day-to-day with a lower-body injury after practice, per NHL.com’s Mitchell Clinton.

Fleury appeared to sustain his injury after blocking a shot off of his kneecap in the second period of Saturday’s win over the Los Angeles Kings. He took to the ice for a few laps before the start of the third period, but ended up back in the Jets’ locker room before the period got underway.

Fleury played in both of Winnipeg’s games to start the season. he managed no notable stat changes, aside from a minus-one. Even without a padded stat line, back-to-back appearances was a positive step forward for a career-long extra defenseman. The most Fleury has played in a single season currently sits at 45 games – a mark he reached with the Carolina Hurricanes in the 2019-20 season. He scored 14 points that year. His 39 games with Winnipeg last season rank second. He complimented those appearances with seven assists and a minus-12.

Winnipeg will turn to Clague as their first injury fill-in. The 27-year-old defender recorded 10 goals, 39 points, and a plus-three in 69 games with the AHL’s Rochester Americans last season. He signed a one-year, $775K contract with the Jets on July 1st, helping to build out a blue-line depth that Winnipeg has had to call on early. Clague will offer the left-hand shot needed to replace Fleruy, though he’ll still have to compete with right-shot extra defenseman Colin Miller for minutes should Winnipeg need a replacement.

To make room to recall Clague, Winnipeg has also assigned top prospect Brad Lambert to the minor-leagues. Lambert was serving as a press box forward for the Jets early in the season. He scored seven goals and 35 points in 61 games with the AHL’s Manitoba Moose last season. He also appeared in five NHL games, and recorded one assist. Lambert was the 30th-overall pick in the 2022 NHL Draft but hasn’t yet proven his worth at the NHL level. He’ll return to the minors as a strong scoring presence, with 90 points in 125 AHL games on his career.

Western Notes: Dostal, Jets, Garland

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The Anaheim Ducks face several key questions heading into the 2025–26 season, one of which is whether goalie Lukas Dostal can deliver a breakout campaign following the trade of veteran John Gibson, per NHL.com’s David Satriano.

Dostal appeared in a career-high 54 games with Anaheim last season, securing a 23-23-7 record and a .903 save percentage that aligns with his career average of .902. That performance allowed the Ducks to trade Gibson to the Red Wings at the draft for goaltender Petr Mrazek and two draft picks, as well as land Dostal a five-year, $32.5MM contract on July 17.

A 25-year-old native of the Czech Republic, Dostal is expected to lead one of the league’s only true three-man rotations in net, along with Mrazek and Ville Husso. But according to new head coach Joel Quenneville, Dostal possesses special traits that could help him take the next step in his career.

“Dostal had a tremendous year. I don’t know too many people that get a rave review at this age of their career about what a professional, what a competitor (they are), but everybody always says the greatest things about him. … I don’t know if this guy’s a stereotypical goalie, but at the same time, he’s got some different ways about him that makes him special,” he said.

Elsewhere in the Western Conference:

  • While the Winnipeg Jets added veteran leadership to their forward group this offseason by signing the likes of Jonathan Toews and Gustav Nyquist, NHL.com’s Darrin Bauming wonders if a few rising forward prospects could crack the lineup to start the season. Bauming lists both 22-year-old Nikita Chibrikov and 21-year-old Brad Lambert as being “on the cusp” of regular NHL time. Chibrikov appeared in four games for the Jets last season, recording three points. The 5’10”, 175-pound winger added 18 points in 30 games for the AHL’s Manitoba Moose. Lambert posted 35 points in 61 games last season for Manitoba, and 55 points in 55 points in 64 games for the squad the year before. The native of Finland has yet to appear in an NHL game but should break through at some point this upcoming season.
  • The road for Vancouver Canucks’ forward Conor Garland wasn’t always easy, which makes his six-year, $36 million extension he signed on July 1 all the sweeter, outlines Ben Kuzma of The Province. As Kuzma notes, Garland has faced adversity throughout his hockey journey (largely due to his small stature), which included not making the famed Shattuck-Saint Mary’s junior team in Minnesota that produced several NHL stars, including the aforementioned Toews. That adversity, however, has been a driving force behind the player Garland is today — one who has missed just two games over the past three seasons while tallying 143 points. Garland feels his extension was not just for prior results, but also for the continued growth he and the team expect. “I try to come back each year better, and I know I have to produce more. I’ve learned most about consistency. When the puck wasn’t going in, or I wasn’t making plays, I became a pretty responsible defensive forward on a shutdown line,” he said.

Islanders, Jets Explored Brock Nelson Trade At Deadline

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The New York Islanders landed a Trade Deadline steal when they sent aging veteran Brock Nelson to the Colorado Avalanche for top prospect Calum Ritchie, defenseman Oliver Kylington, and draft picks in the 2026 first-round and 2028 third-round. But new reports have shared that New York could’ve found a jackpot return even if their offer with Colorado fell through. Marco D’Amico of Responsible Gaming reports that the Winnipeg Jets were also aggressive in their pursuit of acquiring Nelson – and were ready to offer a package very similar to Colorado’s. D’Amico specifies that Winnipeg would have offered up one of Brad Lambert, Brayden Yager, or Colby Barlow in the return, in addition to future draft capital.

New York can rest happy with how things ended up, but acquiring one of Winnipeg’s top names would have been just as lucrative. All three prospects offer their own upside, led by 2023 14th-overall pick Brayden Yager, who scored 82 points in just 54 WHL games this season. He also chipped in 14 points in 16 playoff games – but fell short of the championship run he went on with the Moose Jaw Warriors last season. Yager is likely headed for the pros next season, and could rapidly rise up Winnipeg’s depth chart with a hot start to his career.

Lambert is another top prospect, though expectations around him have cooled slightly after he scored 35 points in 61 AHL games this season – 20 fewer than he managed in 64 games last year. Lambert’s a dynamic and skilled forward, but is still a bit small for pro competition. He offers plenty of upside, but will need to first rediscover the scoring he posted last year.

Barlow is perhaps the most unheralded of the bunch after wrapping up his age-20 season in the OHL. He scored 32 goals and 61 points in 62 games this year. That mark continued his quiet slide down the OHL leaderboard – after he posted 40 goals and 58 points in 50 games last year, and 46 goals and 79 points in 59 games of his draft year in 2022-23. But Barlow intercut that with three points in three AHL games at the end of last season, and could translate as a hard-nosed scorer with pro-level physicality.

But while all three prospects carry reason for upside and reason for question, D’Amico specified that a deal with the Jets fell through because Nelson was unwilling to waive his no-trade clause to head to Canada. He instead waived it to land in Colorado, earning the Islanders the rights to Ritchie just a few months after he made the NHL roster directly out of training camp. Ritchie played in seven games and scored his first NHL goal before returning to the OHL for a dominant season. He posted 70 points in 47 regular season games, and 25 points in 21 playoff games, while serving as the clear-cut top center on an Oshawa Generals lineup that made it all the way to the OHL Championship.

Jets Loan Brad Lambert And Parker Ford To AHL

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The Winnipeg Jets announced that they’ve loaned forwards Brad Lambert and Parker Ford to the Manitoba Moose of the AHL. The move mirrors a transaction from last Sunday when the Jets assigned both players to the Moose.

Lambert has been back and forth from the NHL to the AHL this season but has played the bulk of the season with the Moose, dressing in 30 AHL games and tallying three goals and 13 assists. The 30th overall pick in the 2022 NHL Entry Draft has played sparingly when in the NHL, dressing in five games and posting a single assist while averaging 11:36 of ice time per game. He’s been noticeable at times, racking up five hits and four blocked shots in limited action, while treading water on the possession front with a CF% of 49.5% at even strength. The Jets have sheltered Lambert heavily when he has played, starting 70% of his shifts in the offensive zone.

As for Ford, he’s seen action in three NHL games this season and scored in his NHL debut back on January 30th against the Boston Bruins. The 24-year-old was an undrafted free agent signing by the Jets back on March 25, 2023, after he had wrapped up a four-year NCAA career at Providence College. The Wakefield, Rhode Island native has been a depth scorer dating back to his days in the USHL and produced a solid rookie season last year in the AHL, registering 18 goals and 23 assists in 72 games. Ford was held scoreless in his last two NHL games but is white hot in the AHL, tallying seven markers in his last nine games.

Both players appear likely to spend the NHL break on the Jets AHL roster as Winnipeg doesn’t play again until February 22nd against the St. Louis Blues.

Minor Transactions: 2/2/25

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With the AHL All-Star break now in effect, we could see an influx of paper transactions as teams look to bank an extra little bit of cap space.  We’ll keep track of today’s minor moves here.

  • The Hurricanes continue their daily roster movement. They announced that they’ve assigned forward Ryan Suzuki to AHL Chicago while recalling blueliner Riley Stillman; the two have been trading places in recent days.  Despite the numerous recalls, Stillman has only suited up once this season with Carolina.  Suzuki, meanwhile, played his first two NHL games earlier this week.  It wouldn’t be surprising to see one or both of these players in another transaction in the near future.
  • The Lightning have returned goaltender Matt Tomkins to AHL Syracuse, per a team release. He has been recalled recently with Jonas Johansson banged up and could be back up if Johansson can’t return on Tuesday versus Ottawa.  The 30-year-old has a 2.87 GAA with a .900 SV% in 17 games with the Crunch this season.
  • The Bruins have assigned center Matthew Poitras and winger Vinni Lettieri to AHL Providence, per the AHL’s transactions log. This move is likely just a paper one to bank a bit of cap space with the two likely to be recalled for Tuesday’s game against Minnesota.  Poitras has a goal and eight assists in 23 games with Boston this season while Lettieri has two goals in eight outings at the NHL level.
  • The Jets announced (Twitter link) that they have assigned wingers Brad Lambert and Parker Ford to AHL Manitoba. Lambert has been up and down a fair bit lately but is still looking for his first NHL point after being held off the scoresheet in his four games with Winnipeg this season.  As for Ford, he scored in his NHL debut on Thursday so it won’t be surprising if he’s recalled before Tuesday’s contest against Carolina.

Jets Recall Brad Lambert

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Jan. 27: It turns out Lambert’s demotion was a paper transaction to bank cap space. The Jets announced he’s been added back to the roster Monday, although it’s not clear if he’ll play Tuesday against the Canadiens.

Jan. 25: Lambert’s stint with Winnipeg was short-lived as the team announced that he has been returned to the Moose.  He didn’t play against Utah on Friday.

Jan. 24: The Jets summoned top forward prospect Brad Lambert from AHL Manitoba on Friday, per a team announcement. They had an open spot on the active roster after placing captain Adam Lowry on injured reserve earlier this week, so no corresponding transaction is required.

Lambert, 21, could be in line for his most extended NHL call-up yet with Lowry sidelined week-to-week with an upper-body injury. Their captain’s absence leaves them without much offensive punch down the middle past Mark Scheifele and Vladislav Namestnikov, so adding the more offensively inclined youngster to the roster gives them more options to get depth scoring out of their bottom six. Running Rasmus Kupari and David Gustafsson down the middle of lines three and four isn’t a good short-term solution with Lowry out.

Since Winnipeg selected him 30th overall in the 2022 draft, Lambert has made five NHL appearances – four of which came early last month with Nikolaj Ehlers sidelined. He went pointless in those but recorded his first NHL assist in his debut last season.

In the minors, Lambert has taken a step back after a 55-point rookie season in 2023-24. He’s been limited to just three goals in 29 games for Manitoba, adding 13 assists for 16 points. Offensive struggles have mired the entire club – those 16 points still have him tied for second on the Moose in scoring – but his -15 rating is also second-worst behind Jaret Anderson-Dolan.

Perhaps some more NHL looks will allow the Jets to more accurately gauge where he’s at in his development instead of accumulating viewings in what’s been a difficult minor-league environment for the organization this season. The center and right winger will be an option to enter the lineup for Winnipeg tonight against Utah.

Jets Recall Nikita Chibrikov, Reassign Brad Lambert

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The Winnipeg Jets have made a roster move as they continue to deal with the void of Nikolaj Ehlers in their top six. The organization announced they’ve recalled Nikita Chibrikov from their AHL affiliate, the Manitoba Moose, and have sent Brad Lambert the other way in a corresponding move.

Winnipeg’s roster move indicates Ehlers won’t return for tomorrow’s matchup against the Boston Bruins and the Jets will allow a different prospect an NHL opportunity. Chibrikov was drafted by Winnipeg with the 50th overall pick of the 2021 NHL Draft and debuted for a one-game stint last season.

He’s been an efficient forward for the AHL Moose since coming to North America from the KHL’s Spartak Moskva last year. He’s scored 22 goals and 60 points in 89 games for Manitoba with another goal in two postseason contests. Still, he has plenty of work to do on the defensive side of the puck but Chibrikov is showing he can already score at the game’s second-highest level.

Heading back to Manitoba as arguably the Jets’ top prospect. He was projected as high as second overall for the 2022 NHL Draft on some boards but a disastrous 2021-22 season with JYP of the Finnish Liiga dropped Lambert to Winnipeg at 30th overall.

He’s recovered exceptionally well scoring 26 goals and 69 points in 94 games over three years with the Moose. He registered four games for the Jets throughout his recent call-up but unfortunately went scoreless. He only averaged 12:44 of ice time per night during those games but will now move back to Manitoba’s first line.

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