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Morgan Barron

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.

Winnipeg Jets To Activate Adam Lowry

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The Winnipeg Jets captain has fully recovered from hip surgery. According to a team announcement, the Jets will activate Adam Lowry from the long-term injured reserve tomorrow. He’s expected to suit up for his first contest of the season against the Los Angeles Kings.

Lowry’s return couldn’t come at a better time. Color analyst Mitchell Clinton reported earlier that Morgan Barron is expected to miss the next weeks with a lower-body injury. Now, Lowry can easily replace Barron on the team’s third line or push Jonathan Toews down one forward unit.

Winnipeg will have only missed Lowry for 12 games to begin the 2025-26 campaign. The team performed well in his absence, managing a 9-3-0 record while sitting in second place in the NHL’s Central Division.

Still, Lowry’s value to Winnipeg’s lineup can’t be understated. In the past three years, he has scored 41 goals and accumulated 105 points in 236 games, averaging 15:44 of ice time per game. Additionally, Lowry has achieved a 50.3% success rate in the dot while maintaining his ability to be one of the most physical middlemen in the game.

Factoring in his prowess on the defensive side of the puck, Lowry is a prototypical third-line center and one of the best at it. Once Barron returns from his injury, the Jets will have a much better-looking center core.

Snapshots: Laine, Ristolainen, Hill, Barron, Khaira

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Montreal Canadiens forward Patrik Laine has struggled with injury issues throughout his NHL career, and unfortunately 2025-26 has been no different. The Canadiens announced on Saturday that Laine would be out with a lower-body injury on a day-to-day basis, and given that day-to-day designation, it appeared this Laine absence would be relatively straightforward. But today, Sportsnet’s Eric Engels reported that Laine “has gone for a second opinion on his lower-body injury,” and although he’s still listed as day-to-day, the report raises questions about whether he could be looking at a more extended absence.

It’s an important time for Laine and the future of his career as he nears the expiry of his $8.7MM AAV deal. Laine is set to hit unrestricted free agency in the summer, and there were times during his debut campaign where he looked like he’d found a long-term place to play with the Canadiens. He scored 20 goals and 33 points, and was particularly lethal on the power play, but injuries limited him to just 52 games. With Ivan Demidov almost certain to command a first-unit power play spot at some point down the line, and Zachary Bolduc’s addition already moving Laine down to the second unit, it’s fair to question if the Canadiens have a place for Laine going into the future. He has gotten off to a slow start this season with just one point in five games, and a potentially longer-term absence could further complicate things. For a player who has at times looked like, and performed like, a star in the NHL, today’s report is an undoubtedly discouraging development.

Other notes from across the NHL:

  • Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen has not made his 2025-26 debut yet as he recovers from the season-ending surgery he underwent earlier this year, and today DailyFaceoff’s Anthony Di Marco reported that the player is targeting a return at some point in December. Ristolainen was the Flyers’ No. 2 defenseman by ice time last season, playing in 20:31 per night including a role on both special teams units. So far this season, right-shot blueliner Jamie Drysdale is playing nearly two additional minutes per night compared to what he played last season, likely in part due to Ristolainen’s absence. The Flyers have gotten off to a decent 3-2-1 start, and getting Ristolainen back in December should only boost their competitive chances.
  • The Vegas Golden Knights recalled netminder Carl Lindbom today as part of their response to the injury suffered by starting goalie Adin Hill, and it was confirmed today by head coach Bruce Cassidy that Hill would be out on a week-to-week basis. (Report via Danny Webster of the Las Vegas Review-Journal) Cassidy added that Hill won’t travel with the team on its road trip to Florida and North Carolina, a trip that concludes Oct. 31 with Vegas’ home game against the Colorado Avalanche. It’s an unfortunate development for Hill, who has played in five games so far this season to a .888 save percentage and 2.73 goals-against average.
  • One of the breakout players of this early portion of the 2025-26 Winnipeg Jets season, Morgan Barron, will be out day-to-day with an undisclosed injury, according to The Athletic’s Murat Ates. Barron, as mentioned, has been one of the Jets’ more productive players so far this season. The hefty 6’4″ forward has scored three goals and five points in six games, which already puts him one-third of the way to his scoring total from 2024-25, one he managed across 74 games. With Barron injured, Parker Ford is likely to draw into the lineup in Barron’s vacated fourth-line role.
  • 337-game NHL veteran Jujhar Khaira played out 2024-25 on an AHL contract, and a mid-season trade to the Abbotsford Canucks allowed Khaira to help the Canucks to a Calder Cup championship. Khaira hasn’t found a team for 2025-26, but today Rick Dhaliwal of CHEK TV reported that the Canucks “are talking” with Khaira “about re-joining the team.” Assuming they’re talking about a potential AHL contract, it’s unlikely Khaira would be a cheap addition to the AHL payroll as a player with so much NHL experience and a Calder Cup championship on his résumé.

Arbitration Schedule For Remaining Cases Finalized

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The arbitration hearing dates for the few remaining unsettled cases have been finalized, PuckPedia reports:

F Kaapo Kakko, Kraken: July 25

G Arvid Soderblom, Blackhawks: July 28

F Maxim Tsyplakov, Islanders: July 29

D Dylan Samberg, Jets: July 30

D Conor Timmins, Sabres: Aug. 2

F Nicholas Robertson, Maple Leafs: Aug. 3

D Jayden Struble, Canadiens: Aug. 3

There are only seven out of this year’s initial 11 player-elected arbitration cases still without a resolution as the hearings approach. Winnipeg had three of the players on that list and has settled with two of them, reaching a two-year, $3.7MM settlement with Morgan Barron and a substantial six-year, $45MM deal for Gabriel Vilardi.

The Ducks also had two arbitration cases on that list, but settled with both of them in the past few days. Depth defenseman Drew Helleson got a two-year, $2.2MM contract, while emerging star goaltender Lukas Dostal signed a five-year, $32.5MM deal.

There were two team-elected arbitration cases this year, the Sabres’ Bowen Byram and the Mammoth’s Jack McBain, but both have been settled.

As for the seven players above, they can continue talks with their clubs on a new deal until the hearing begins. After that, they’re bound to the arbitrator’s decision.

Players who reach an arbitration hearing are only eligible to sign a one or two-year contract. Since the player filed for arbitration in all seven cases above, the team gets to choose the contract length after receiving the arbitrator’s decision on the AAV. However, only Robertson, Soderblom, and Struble would be eligible for two-year contracts. Everyone else is one year away from being eligible for unrestricted free agency status, so they can’t receive a multi-year arbitration award.

If the arbitration award exceeds $4.85MM in any case, the team can decline it and allow the player to become an unrestricted free agent.

Jets Re-Sign Morgan Barron To Two-Year Deal

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According to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, the Winnipeg Jets have taken one of their restricted free agents off the board. Friedman reports that the Jets have re-signed Morgan Barron to a two-year, $3.7MM contract, with an AAV of $1.85MM.

As expected, Winnipeg and Barron came to an arrangement relatively quickly after the latter filed for salary arbitration on July 5th. The two parties were less than a week away from the start of arbitration hearings. Still, by filing for arbitration, Barron eliminated his opportunity to negotiate with other teams about an offer sheet, meaning both sides were in a comfortable spot.

The deal seems like a fair compromise for both sides. Ken Wiebe of the Winnipeg Free Press reported that Barron will earn a $1.7MM salary in the first year of the deal, and $2MM in the second. It’s only a moderate bump in pay from Barron’s previous $1.35MM salary, but the two-year structure will walk him into unrestricted free agency after the 2026-27 campaign.

It’s also a fair price for a center that is destined for a fourth-line role. After extending Vladislav Namestnikov and inking Jonathan Toews to a contract, the Jets effectively eliminated any chance for Barron to move up on the depth chart, assuming a healthy roster.

He’s a quality defensive center to have in a fourth-line role, despite having some noticeable flaws. He’s chipped in at times offensively, scoring 27 goals and 54 points in 224 games for Winnipeg over the last three years, averaging 11:19 of ice time per game. He’s averaged a strong 93.3% on-ice save percentage at even strength in Manitoba, but his 48.8% success rate in the faceoff dot leaves a lot to be desired, especially considering that he starts a majority of his shifts in the defensive zone.

Still, given his defensive prowess and the physicality he brings to the bottom of the lineup, the Jets have been willing to overlook a slightly subpar faceoff percentage from Barron. They’ll retain some continuity in their lineup, and Barron’s offensive contributions may increase next season, given the Jets’ additions of Gustav Nyquist, Tanner Pearson, and Cole Koepke this summer.

Photo courtesy of Walter Tychnowicz-Imagn Images.

Eleven Players Elect Salary Arbitration

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Eleven players across the NHL have elected for salary arbitration, per the NHLPA.

Those names include:

The deadline for second club-elected arbitration is Sunday at 5 p.m., with arbitration hearings scheduled from July 20 to August 4. Two seasons ago, 23 players filed for arbitration, and last summer, that number dropped to 14 — a downward trend that continues this year.

As a reminder, not every player is expected to head to a hearing, as negotiations will continue leading into July 20. However, each player who elects for salary arbitration is now prohibited from negotiating with other teams or signing an offer sheet.

Jets Activate Morgan Barron Off Injured Reserve

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The Jets will welcome back a forward for their game tonight against Philadelphia.  In their announcement of the projected lines for the contest (Twitter link), the team noted that Morgan Barron is expected to play, meaning he has been activated off injured reserve.  To make room on the roster, forward Jaret Anderson-Dolan was reassigned to AHL Manitoba, per the AHL’s media site.

Barron has missed a little more than a month with an upper-body injury sustained in late January.  However, with the long break for the 4 Nations Face-Off, he’ll wind up missing just eight games due to the issue.  The 26-year-old has five goals and three assists in 52 contests this season while chipping in with 85 hits in 10:27 of playing time per night.  Barron also takes a regular turn in the penalty kill rotation for Winnipeg so his return should also help on that front.  He’s expected to suit up on the fourth line alongside Rasmus Kupari and Alex Iafallo.

As for Anderson-Dolan, his recall was relatively short-lived after being up on Wednesday, his first recall of the season.  The 25-year-old is in the first season of a two-year, two-way deal signed last summer but he has struggled considerably with AHL Manitoba, notching just 13 points in 38 games with the Moose.  For comparison, he had 47 points in 54 minor league contests in 2021-22, his last season as a regular in the minors.  He’ll now have to wait at least a little longer to make his Jets debut.

Jets Recall Parker Ford

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9:38 a.m.: The Jets made Ford’s recall and Barron’s IR placement official with a team announcement.

9:05 a.m.: Mark Divver of the New England Hockey Journal reports Thursday that the Jets are set to recall forward Parker Ford from AHL Manitoba. He takes up the Jets’ lone roster spot, which they opened by placing forward Morgan Barron on injured reserve yesterday, per PuckPedia.

Winnipeg signed Ford as an undrafted free agent out of Providence College near the end of the 2022-23 season. He was coming off a strong senior season for the Friars and has produced well in a top-nine role with the Moose in the AHL, posting 31 goals and 62 points in 116 games.

The 24-year-old Ford will make his NHL debut tonight if he plays against the Bruins, but today doesn’t mark his first recall. The Jets summoned him on an emergency recall for their final game of the 2023-24 regular season, also amid an injury to Barron, but he served as a scratch. He was returned to Manitoba the following day. This season, the undersized but feisty center/right-winger is the only double-digit goal scorer on an offensively anemic Moose squad, posting 11 goals and six assists for 17 points in 30 games with 30 PIMs and a minus-three rating.

Ford isn’t a lock to play against his hometown Bruins. The Jets still have 13 healthy forwards on the active roster without him, including fellow AHL call-up Brad Lambert, who’s likely due for a game after sitting out Tuesday’s 4-1 trouncing of the Canadiens. Ford, a pending restricted free agent with arbitration rights, does not require waivers this season.

There’s no word on what’s keeping Barron out of the lineup. The 26-year-old fourth-liner logged 12:10 of ice time against the Habs and didn’t appear to miss any action. The IR placement rules him out of the Jets’ next three games, though, and he won’t be eligible to return until Feb. 7 against the Islanders. He’s been limited to five goals and eight points in 52 games this season, although his usual unit with Rasmus Kupari and Alex Iafallo has been sterling defensively, allowing 1.91 expected goals against per 60 minutes, according to MoneyPuck.

Jets Notes: Bowness, Monahan, Dillon, Barron

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The Jets’ second-best regular season in franchise history came to an unceremonious end in the postseason, losing in five games to the Avalanche in the first round. That’s led some to wonder if head coach Rick Bowness will be back for his third season with the team next season.

Speaking to reporters today, Bowness confirmed he has a club option for next season on his contract (via The Athletic’s Murat Ates). Jets general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff hasn’t yet decided whether or not to exercise it, and Bowness said today that he still needs to talk with his family and Jets management about his future.

The 69-year-old was away from the Jets twice this season – once in October after his wife was hospitalized and once near the end of the season after undergoing an undisclosed medical procedure. Associate coach Scott Arniel assumed interim head coaching duties on both occasions.

Under Bowness, the Jets have a 98-57-9 record over the past two seasons and have made the playoffs in consecutive campaigns after missing out in 2022. If he doesn’t return to the club for next season, Winnipeg would become the seventh team with an active vacancy at head coach.

Elsewhere from Winnipeg with their season wrapped up:

  • Pending unrestricted free agent center Sean Monahan is open to re-signing, he said today (via the Winnipeg Sun’s Scott Billeck). He told reporters that he “is looking for a place that wants to win,” and his last few months in a Jets uniform evidently satisfied that requirement. Winnipeg picked up the 29-year-old pivot from the Canadiens in early February, parting with their 2024 first-round pick. He gelled well in Manitoba, posting 13 goals and 24 points with a +9 rating in 34 games while locking down the second-line center spot behind Mark Scheifele. Between the Habs and Jets this year, his 59 points in 83 games were his most since his career-best 82-point season with the Flames in 2018-19.
  • Another pending Jets UFA interested in sticking around is defenseman Brenden Dillon, who told reporters today he was frustrated with the lack of extension talks in-season (via Billeck). Dillon, 33, signed a four-year, $15.6MM extension with the Capitals in 2020 but was traded to Winnipeg for a pair of draft picks after one season. He’s been a consistently above-average shutdown defender in that time, accumulating 63 points with a +38 rating and 235 PIMs in 238 games with the Jets. He averaged 18:44 per game this season, fourth among Jets defenders behind Josh Morrissey, Dylan DeMelo and Neal Pionk.
  • Depth forward Morgan Barron’s previously undisclosed injury, which kept him out of the Avs series, was related to his knee, Bowness said today (via Billeck). He wouldn’t have played had the series extended to seven games. The 25-year-old sustained the knee injury in the team’s penultimate game of the regular season against the Kraken. It was otherwise a strong second season for Barron in Winnipeg, providing solid depth scoring in a fourth-line role with 11 goals and 18 points in 80 games, along with a +10 rating and team-average possession metrics. He has one season left on his contract at a $1.35MM cap hit and will be eligible to sign an extension beginning July 1.

Jets Notes: Namestnikov, Dillon, Barron

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Winnipeg Jets Color Analyst Mitchell Clinton tweeted that Jets forward Vladislav Namestnikov has a fractured left cheekbone and will travel back to Winnipeg today. Clinton’s comments come from a conversation with Jets head coach Rick Bowness who wouldn’t rule Namestnikov out for game 5 tomorrow night.

Namestnikov was sent to hospital last night after he took a slapshot from Nate Schmidt to the side of the head near the end of Winnipeg’s 5-1 loss to the Colorado Avalanche. The 31-year-old stayed on the ice for a minute before putting a towel on his head and skating off the ice with the trainer’s assistance. Namestnikov then went straight to the dressing room and eventually the hospital.

Winnipeg faces elimination tomorrow night and will likely provide an update on Namestnikov’s availability at some point tomorrow.

In other Winnipeg Jets notes:

  • Winnipeg defenseman Brenden Dillon will not play in game 5 because of the cut on his left hand (via TSN’s John Lu). Dillon cut his hand in game 3 after the final whistle when he was involved in a scrum with some Avalanche players. One of the other player’s skates hit Dillon’s hand and cut it, forcing him to quickly leave the ice to seek medical attention for his hand. The 33-year-old will likely remain day-to-day and will be re-evaluated should the Jets force a game 6 later this week.
  • Ken Wiebe of The Winnipeg Free Press reports that Jets’ forward Morgan Barron won’t be available for tomorrow night’s game 5. Barron continues to be out of the lineup with a lower-body injury and has not skated yet. The 25-year-old center will miss his sixth straight game after being hurt in a game against the Seattle Kraken on April 16th. Barron posted 11 goals and seven assists this season in 80 games and provided the Jets bottom six with a physicality that has been missing through their first-round series against the Avalanche.

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