Jets Notes: Bowness, Monahan, Dillon, Barron
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
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.
West Notes: Kraken, Barron, Girard
Seattle Kraken general manager Ron Francis told reporters today (via Sound of Hockey) that he intends to start talking with restricted free agents Matty Beniers and Eeli Tolvanen and fully expects that the sides will be able to come to agreements. Beniers is the reigning Calder Trophy winner but suffered a dramatic drop in his offensive production, posting just 15 goals and 22 assists in 77 games after posting 57 points in 81 games last season. While his play dropped off this season, he should still receive a sizeable raise on his $897,500 cap hit. Tolvanen was acquired off waivers by the Kraken back in December 2022 and developed into a solid depth scorer posting 16 goals and 25 assists in 81 games this season. He is also due a raise on his $1.45MM cap hit.
Francis added that the Kraken will have to decide whether or not to qualify forward Kailer Yamamoto, who suffered through another difficult offensive season posting just eight goals and eight assists in 59 games. While a $1.5MM qualifying offer seems steep for a player who tallied just 16 points this season, Yamamoto’s age and previous production could be enough to entice Francis to roll the dice one more time and qualify the 25-year-old.
In other Western Conference notes:
- Winnipeg Jets color analyst Mitchell Clinton is reporting that forward Morgan Barron has yet to begin skating as he deals with a lower-body injury and will be out of the lineup for at least another week. The 25-year-old reportedly suffered the injury in the Jets second-last game of the regular season back on April 16th and it will likely keep him out of the first four games of their series against the Colorado Avalanche. The Halifax, Nova Scotia native just completed his fourth NHL season and set career highs in games played with 80 and goals with 11. He posted 122 hits while averaging 10:30 of ice time per game.
- Meghan Angley of DNVR Avalanche tweeted that Colorado Avalanche defenseman Samuel Girard was a full participant in practice today, but Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar would not confirm his availability for Game 2 tomorrow. The 25-year-old hasn’t played in over a week and skated for just 3:26 in a 7-0 loss to the Jets on April 13th. In his last 28 games, the native of Roberval, Quebec has just three assists.
Injury Updates: Lightning, Barron, Sandin, Jensen
Several injured Tampa Bay players appear to be nearing a return to the lineup. Team reporter Chris Krenn notes (Twitter links) that forwards Tyler Motte and Luke Glendening along with defenseman Haydn Fleury all took part in a full practice today in advance on Sunday’s series opener against Florida. Motte missed the final week of the season with a lower-body injury, Glendening was scratched for their regular season finale with an undisclosed injury, while Fleury has been out the last two weeks with an upper-body issue. All three players play depth roles for the Lightning, the forwards on their fourth line and Fleury as a seventh defenseman; all should see action in the opening round at some point.
Meanwhile, Eduardo A. Encina of the Tampa Bay Times adds (Twitter link) that blueliner Mikhail Sergachev also skated in a regular (full contact) jersey. He has already been ruled out for the start of the playoffs since undergoing leg surgery back in February but this is certainly a key step toward potentially returning later in the opening round. Sergachev logged over 22 minutes a night for the Lightning this season and his potential return down the road would undoubtedly give their back end a significant boost.
Other injury news heading into the opening games of the playoffs:
- Jets center Morgan Barron won’t be available for their series opener against Colorado tomorrow, relays Ken Wiebe of the Winnipeg Free Press (Twitter link). The 25-year-old left Tuesday’s win over Seattle in the first period with a lower-body injury and did not return. Barron was a quality fourth liner for Winnipeg this season, chipping in with ten goals despite logging just 10:30 per night. One of David Gustafsson and Cole Perfetti will likely take Barron’s spot in the lineup.
- Capitals defenseman Rasmus Sandin practiced today in a non-contact jersey, notes NHL.com’s Tom Gulitti (Twitter link). The 24-year-old has missed the last two weeks with an upper-body injury and with the non-contact designation, it seems unlikely he’ll be able to suit up in the series opener against the Rangers on Sunday. Sandin was an important part of Washington’s back end this season, logging over 21 minutes a night while collecting 23 points in 68 games.
- Sandin wasn’t the only injured Washington blueliner who took to the ice today as Gulitti adds (Twitter link) that Nick Jensen also practiced in a non-contact jersey. Jensen suffered an upper-body injury last week against Tampa Bay and was stretchered off the ice. The 33-year-old spent a lot of time on the Capitals’ second pairing this season, picking up 13 points while averaging a little under 20 minutes a night. Like Sandin, the non-contact designation likely means he won’t be available on Sunday either.
Injury Notes: Mantha, Stephenson, Barron, Pezzetta
In the team’s game tonight against the Chicago Blackhawks, Danny Webster of the Las Vegas Review-Journal reports that Vegas Golden Knights’ forwards Anthony Mantha and Chandler Stephenson are both considered day-to-day due to injuries. Keeping that in mind, it is unlikely that either Mantha or Stephenson will draw into the lineup tonight as the Golden Knights prepare to defend their Stanley Cup title.
Mantha, who Vegas acquired from the Washington Capitals during this past trade deadline season, has played in 18 games for the organization up to this point. In those 18 contests, Mantha has been serviceable even though his goal-scoring rate has decreased, putting up three goals and 10 points altogether.
Joining Mantha on the list of Golden Knights expected to reach unrestricted free agency this summer, Stephenson has once again been a massive return on investment in Vegas. Making a salary of only $2.75MM this season, Stephenson has put up 16 goals and 51 points in 65 games overall, sitting fifth on the team in scoring.
Other injury notes:
- As the Winnipeg Jets look to clinch second place in the Central Division for the 2024 Stanley Cup playoffs, they will have to do so without forward Morgan Barron as the team announced he would miss the rest of the game tonight with a lower-body injury. During the game, Barron was only able to register 2:23 of ice time and registered zero points but did reach a 100% faceoff rate in the game.
- In a similar fashion to Barron, the Montreal Canadiens will be without forward Michael Pezzetta for the remainder of their game and the season with an upper-body injury (X Link). As a depth forward for the team, Pezzetta was only able to register 25 seconds of ice time over one shift, and left the game after the end of the first period.
Winnipeg Jets Sign Morgan Barron
The Winnipeg Jets signed restricted free agent forward Morgan Barron to a two-year contract today, the team announced via press release. The contract is worth $2.7MM and carries a cap hit and average annual value of $1.35MM.
It’s a nice bit of work for the two sides, who avoid arbitration with the two-year pact. The Jets still have quite a bit of work to do with Gabriel Vilardi, Rasmus Kupari and Logan Stanley needing new deals, but it’s a good dent in their remaining offseason work.
The 24-year-old forward is coming off a career year in 2022-23, setting career-highs in goals (eight), assists (13) and points (21) while transforming into an everyday NHLer for the first time, skating in 70 regular season games for the Jets. As part of the trade return for Andrew Copp at the 2022 trade deadline from the Rangers, Barron looks to develop into a solid bottom-six forward who could have staying power in Winnipeg. He also appeared in all five games of Winnipeg’s first-round playoff loss to the Vegas Golden Knights.
Barron will look to build on those offensive totals next season, although he’s likely to start the campaign in a fourth-line role. A healthy Cole Perfetti, plus full seasons from depth players like Mason Appleton and Nino Niederreiter, likely push him down the depth chart slightly, although he’s shown the ability to be effective in a limited role.
Winnipeg Jets Activate Morgan Barron, Assign Ville Heinola To AHL
Just ahead of their game this evening against the Chicago Blackhawks, the Winnipeg Jets activated forward Morgan Barron off of IR. Barron had missed the last 10 games with a wrist injury. In order to create roster space for Barron, the Jets also announced they’ve assigned defenseman Ville Heinola to the Manitoba Moose of the AHL.
Getting Barron back into the lineup is a relief for Winnipeg, who had been playing down several forwards, including Barron, Nikolaj Ehlers, and Mason Appleton. Acquired in the Andrew Copp trade this past spring, Barron had been off to a solid start in 2021-22, registering four points in nine games, appearing to establish himself as a full-time NHLer for the first time in his career. With Winnipeg’s injury issues up front, Barron should have ample opportunity to continue to establish himself.
Heinola, unlike Barron, has had trouble getting his footing in the NHL, something that has become a pretty well reported story in its own right. The defenseman has only appeared in two games this season for the Jets, but does have seven assists in 10 games for the Moose to start. For his career, Heinola has played in just 27 NHL games spread over three seasons, recording 10 points, but will have to continue to sharpen his skillset in the AHL in order to take the next step.
Snapshots: Roslovic, Yamamoto, Barron
The Columbus Blue Jackets and Vancouver Canucks have been two of the most disappointing teams in the league to start the year. But over the summer, there were talks between the two teams about a potential Jack Roslovic trade, according to The Athletic’s Aaron Portzline.
Portzline reports the Canucks inquired about Roslovic, looking to add to what was becoming a deep forward core, but the Blue Jackets were reluctant to move him. While Columbus’ subsequent start and Roslovic’s mediocre stat line (one goal, six points in 15 games) may make it look like a poor decision in hindsight, it’s understandable why Columbus wanted to hold onto their assets in an effort to be competitive. Many viewed Roslovic as a potential candidate to center a line between Johnny Gaudreau and Patrik Laine after he broke out for a 22-goal campaign last year, but with Laine never really getting his feet under him, and Roslovic not playing up to the bar he set for himself, that trio has seen just 21 minutes together at even strength, per MoneyPuck.
- Edmonton Oilers winger Kailer Yamamoto has returned to the ice after sustaining an undisclosed injury over a week ago. Head coach Jay Woodcroft said today that Yamamoto skated on his own, and he remains hopeful Yamamoto joins the team “at some point” on their upcoming three-game New York/New Jersey road trip. The Oilers hope that Yamamoto can come back refreshed and help spark some depth scoring, which has been a serious issue for Edmonton this season.
- Winnipeg Jets team reporter Mitchell Clinton notes that forward Morgan Barron is back on the ice shooting after undergoing wrist surgery earlier this month. It’s a great sign for Barron, whose five-week timeline pegged a return date somewhere around December 8. The 23-year-old had gotten off to a solid start to 2022-23 with a goal and three assists in nine games.
Morgan Barron To Undergo Wrist Surgery
Nov 4: Barron has been placed on injured reserve, allowing the Jets to turn Jansen Harkins‘ emergency recall into a regular one.
Nov 3: Winnipeg Jets forward Morgan Barron is scheduled to have wrist surgery tomorrow according to team reporter Mitchell Clinton. The procedure will keep him out for four to five weeks.
Barron, 23, was part of the return for Andrew Copp last season and quickly made an impact with his new team. With four points in nine games this season he was well on his way to setting a career-high (five, last year) and looked like he would grow into a reliable contributor for the Jets.
A five-week absence will throw a wrench into that development and set back the 6’4″ forward quite a bit. Wrist surgeries are notorious for impacting a player’s scoring ability long after they are cleared to return but hopefully, given his youth, he’ll be able to bounce back quickly.
Mason Appleton – who was sick yesterday – is expected to play tonight, but there is no update on Nikolaj Ehlers, whose recovery is coming along slowly.
The Jets are in action against the Montreal Canadiens in the first of a three-game homestand.
Adam Fox Placed On Injured Reserve
It hasn’t been a great few days for All-Star representatives, as Drake Batherson suffered a high-ankle sprain, Nathan MacKinnon suffered a facial fracture and now Adam Fox has been moved to injured reserve with an upper-body injury.
Fox left last night’s game and was considered day-to-day, but will miss at least the last three New York Rangers games before the All-Star break with his IR designation. Whether he can take part in the festivities is unclear, though it seems unlikely he’ll be on the ice for the game itself given this new injury.
The Rangers, meanwhile, have recalled both Tim Gettinger and Nils Lundkvist to the active roster, sending Morgan Barron to the taxi squad to make room. Lundkvist would potentially represent a replacement for Fox in the lineup, though it is hard to fill the skates of the reigning Norris Trophy winner.
In 44 games this season, Fox has already matched his previous career-high of 47 points including 16 in his last 12 matches. He averages more than 24 minutes a night, plays both the powerplay and penalty kill, and is overall one of the most impactful players in the entire NHL. Without him, the Rangers will have to rely more on some of their other young defensemen including K’Andre Miller, who broke the 22-minute mark last night for the fourth straight game.