Jets Activate Nino Niederreiter, Reassign Parker Ford
8:30 p.m.: The Jets made Niederreiter’s activation official via a team announcement. Additionally, the team has reassigned depth forward Parker Ford to the AHL’s Manitoba Moose in a corresponding roster move.
10:49 a.m.: Jets winger Nino Niederreiter is set to come off injured reserve to play in Monday’s game against the Kraken, Ken Wiebe of the Winnipeg Free Press reports. They’ll also be getting center Vladislav Namestnikov back after he missed more than a month with a lower-body injury. However, he never hit IR prior to the roster limit being lifted at the trade deadline. It’s two steps forward, one step back, though, as head coach Scott Arniel told reporters that center Morgan Barron is now week-to-week with the lower-body injury he sustained Saturday against the Blue Jackets.
Niederreiter has not played since suiting up for Switzerland at the Olympics. He sustained a lower-body injury at some point during the tournament and required surgery upon returning to Winnipeg, which kept him out of the lineup on a week-to-week basis. After 20 games sidelined, he gets a chance to contribute – albeit in a limited role – as Winnipeg aims to hold onto its slim playoff hopes. He’ll be skating as the team’s fourth line left wing with Namestnikov and Brad Lambert.
A top-nine fixture for the vast majority of his 15-year NHL career, Niederreiter has had a tough go of things in 2025-26. That’s been the case for virtually every Jet outside their top line and Josh Morrissey, indicative of their offensive production tumbling from 3.35 goals per game last year to just 2.80 this season. His 8-11–19 scoring line in 55 outings works out to 0.35 points per game, his worst output since managing just one point in 55 games during his rookie season for the Islanders way back in 2011-12.
The 33-year-old, who had turned into a strong checking piece after playing a less physical two-way game earlier in his career, has also laid off the hits this year as his ice time dips below 14 minutes per game. He’s still returning to his usual spot on the second power play unit but has seen all of six seconds of shorthanded ice time this season. He has another year left on his contract at a $4MM cap hit to prove he can still be an effective piece heading into free agency in 2027.
Namestnikov managed to play in Winnipeg’s first game after the Olympic break but sustained a lower-body injury in his next game and has been sidelined since. Like Niederreiter, the 33-year-old has taken a tumble down the depth chart this year with captain Adam Lowry moving up to center the Jets’ second line behind Mark Scheifele. After back-to-back 30-point years for the Jets, Namestnikov has only produced seven goals and 13 points with a -11 rating in 57 outings while winning just 39.8% of his draws.
Losing Barron means losing one of the few Jets who’s taken a real step forward this season. Through 65 games, the 6’4″ pivot has a career-best 11 goals and 23 points with a +5 rating that sits fifth on the team. That’s a considerable depth loss as their playoff odds could jump back up to 10% with a win against Seattle, but drop below 5% with a loss.
Despite Late Surge, Jets At A Crossroads
Very quietly, the Jets have gone from a team near the bottom of the Western Conference to one within striking distance of a playoff spot thanks to a 21-point March. That has them within three points of the final Wild Card position heading into today’s action. While that’s closer to where they feel they should be in an injury-riddled season, Murat Ates of The Athletic argues (subscription link) that the team still needs to take a critical look at how they’ve gotten to this point, even if they ultimately squeak into the postseason.
Despite moving several first-round picks over the years, the Jets haven’t had a ton of playoff success and although GM Kevin Cheveldayoff has done well to keep the bulk of their core group around, at this point, their ceiling might be that of a bubble team, especially being in the same division as Colorado, Dallas, and Minnesota. That’s not a spot Winnipeg will want to be in so this might be the summer to take a big swing, be it in the form of adding a key piece or kicking off some sort of retooling process.
Jets Reassign Danny Zhilkin
The Jets loaned forward Danil Zhilkin to AHL Manitoba on Friday, per a team announcement. Since his recall last week came under emergency conditions, Zhilkin needed to be returned to the minors as soon as he was no longer needed for Winnipeg to ice 12 forwards. That happened last night as he was scratched for their 3-0 loss to the Stars.
Zhilkin, 22, was a third-round pick by Winnipeg in 2022. The Russo-Canadian centerman has logged the first six appearances of his NHL career this season, including back-to-back performances against the Avalanche and Blackhawks on Saturday and Tuesday. His first career point came in the latter outing, notching the primary assist on an Isak Rosen goal in an eventual 4-3 overtime win.
The skill forward had solid offensive output in junior hockey, scoring 0.88 points per game over his final two OHL seasons. His December birthdate meant he was eligible to turn pro out of the CHL in his second season post-draft, one year earlier than most. The adjustment to the pros wasn’t kind to Zhilkin, although Manitoba has been a horrid offensive environment for the Jets to develop their prospects over the past few years.
The Moose are having another tough year in the goal-scoring column, only managing 2.49 per game, but Zhilkin has been able to take something of a step forward in his third year in the pros. The 6’1″ middleman has 11 goals and 22 points in 54 games, along with a career-best -9 rating. That’s more than double the goal output and more than the cumulative point output he’d come up with over his first two AHL seasons.
Zhilkin ranked #13 in Scott Wheeler of The Athletic’s overview of the Jets’ pool last month. He still has another year left on his entry-level contract. Another step forward in Manitoba in 2026-27 will likely be necessary for him to warrant a qualifying offer from Winnipeg.
Elias Salomonsson Leaves Game With Upper-Body Injury
- Faulk and Kleven weren’t the only defensemen injured last night. The Winnipeg Jets announced that Elias Salomonsson left the game due to an upper-body injury after being on the receiving end of a reverse hit by Dallas Stars forward Jason Robertson. It’s been confirmed that Salomonsson has entered concussion protocol, so there’s a strong likelihood that his season is over.
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Bill Riley Passes Away At 75
In an unfortunate announcement from the team, the Washington Capitals shared that former player Bill Riley passed away at the age of 75.
In their press release, Washington said,
Bill was a true trailblazer in our game, becoming one of the first Black players to play in the NHL, following pioneers such as Willie O’Ree and playing alongside fellow Capital Mike Marson. His courage, perseverance, and passion for the sport helped pave the way for future generations. During his time with Washington, Bill exemplified leadership, professionalism, and dedication both on and off the ice. He carried himself with integrity and pride, leaving a lasting impact on his teammates, the organization, and the broader hockey community. We honor Bill’s legacy and the important role he played in growing the game. He will always be remembered as a valued member of the Capitals family.
The word perseverance couldn’t ring truer. Riley came from humble beginnings in Amherst, Nova Scotia, with his parents notably making great financial sacrifices to fund his hockey endeavors. Tearing up the Nova Scotia youth leagues, Riley was spotted by Tom McVie, who was scouting talent for his new team at the time, the IHL’s Dayton Gems, and offered Riley a tryout.
During the 1975-76 season with the Gems, Riley scored 35 goals and 66 points in 69 games and was offered a spot on the Capitals for the next season, following a one-game tryout with them the previous season. He stayed in Washington for the next three years, scoring 28 goals and 56 points in 125 games with 313 PIMs.
Taken by the original iteration of the Winnipeg Jets in the 1979 NHL Expansion Draft, Riley finished his NHL career during the 1979-80 season, scoring three goals and five points in 14 games before being sent to the minor leagues. That would unfortunately be his last NHL appearance.
Riley continued his professional career in the AHL for several years, playing for the Nova Scotia Voyageurs, New Brunswick Hawks, and Moncton Alpines before retiring at the end of the 1983-84 season. Riley won the Calder Cup with New Brunswick in 1982, scoring eight goals and 16 points in 15 postseason contests.
PHR joins the Capitals organization, the Jets organization, and others around the game in sending condolences to his family, friends, loved ones, and former teammates.
Niederreiter And Namestnikov Around A Week Away From Returning
- While the Jets needed to bring two players up under emergency conditions today, that situation may not exist for too long. Mike McIntyre of the Winnipeg Free Press mentions that forwards Nino Niederreiter and Vladislav Namestnikov are on Winnipeg’s road trip and could be options to return within the next week. Both veterans are in the middle of down years, with Niederreiter notching just 19 points in 55 games and Namestnikov currently with only 13 points in 57 contests. However, both would still be viewed as welcome returns next week as the team looks to hang around in the battle for a Wild Card spot.
Jets Recall Parker Ford, Danil Zhilkin
The Winnipeg Jets have recalled forwards Parker Ford and Danil Zhilkin under emergency conditions. The duo will help Winnipeg fill in for injuries to Vladislav Namestnikov, Nino Niederreiter, and Morgan Barron.
Zhilkin, 22, played through the first four games of his NHL career on a brief call-up in January. He managed no scoring, no penalties, and a plus-two in those appearances, while only playing more than 10 minutes in one game. He has planted his feet as a top center for the AHL’s Manitoba Moose in the months since, even despite scoring only 22 points in 54 games this season. He had a brief hot streak – five points in five games – in late December, leading up to his first NHL recall, but has otherwise struggled to post consecutive games with points for much of the year.
Ford has played through a fairly similar season. The 25-year-old winger began the season as an extra forward on Winnipeg’s roster. He appeared in 11 NHL games between October and November but only posted one point, four penalty minutes, and a minus-two. Ford was assigned to the AHL in November and has since recorded 21 points in 45 games with Manitoba. He has offered a responsible game around a young Moose lineup, helping to create space for Jets prospects Brayden Yager, Brad Lambert, and Zhilkin. Ford also appeared in three NHL games, and scored one point, last season.
The pair of call-ups will help Winnipeg stock the lineup as they prepare for a four-game road trip. Winnipeg now carries Zhilkin, Lambert, Isak Rosen, Ville Heinola, and Elias Salomonsson on the NHL roster. With the postseason well out of sight, they’ll embrace a chance to test out prospects with 10 games left on the schedule.
Jets Sign Lucas Wahlin To Two-Way Deal
The Jets announced they’ve signed college free agent forward Lucas Wahlin to a two-way contract for next season with a cap hit of $850K. He’ll report to AHL Manitoba on a tryout for the remainder of 2025-26.
Wahlin, 25 in May, is too old to be eligible for an entry-level deal, so his first NHL contract is a standard one. His signing today is a bookend to one of the more unlikely development stories of the past few seasons. He turns pro after spending all four NCAA years at the University of St. Thomas, where he’s served as team captain since his sophomore year and has helped guide the program to top-20 status nationally, still early in its Division I years.
A remarkably consistent two-way producer, Wahlin was named the CCHA’s best defensive forward this season and finishes his collegiate career with a 56-75–131 scoring line in 137 games for the Tommies. His worst points-per-game rate was still a strong 0.81 figure as a freshman, topping out with a pair of 1.08 points-per-game seasons as a junior and senior.
The fact that Wahlin, a three-position forward who checks in at 6’0″ and 170 lbs, even became an effective NCAA producer is shocking considering his development path. Initially draft-eligible way back in 2019 out of the Minnesota high school circuit, he spent his post-draft season way down in tier III juniors with the North Iowa Bulls of the NA3HL. Even when jumping to a more competitive tier II junior environment with Alaska’s Kenai River Brown Bears as a 19-year-old, his output was still limited to a middling 27 points in 44 games.
Wahlin only played one season of high-level junior hockey – as an overage 20-year-old, at that – before landing at St. Thomas. It was the 2021-22 campaign, spent with the USHL’s Lincoln Stars, that seemed to finally unlock his two-way game at a high level. He exploded for 31 goals and 61 points with a +26 rating in 59 games there.
Now, after captaining the Tommies to back-to-back CCHA championship game appearances, he’ll land not too far from home in Winnipeg to begin his pro career. The Jets will welcome any sort of forward depth, especially on the farm. Manitoba has only scored 2.54 goals per game this season, and the NHL side isn’t much better at 2.83.
Wahlin’s relatively advanced age for a player signing his first NHL deal makes his pro impact harder to project. Nonetheless, given his run of collegiate success, he’ll at least be given a long look for a fourth-line role in training camp next fall.
Samuel Fagemo Expected To Sign In SHL
The 2025-26 campaign is expected to be the last for forward Samuel Fagemo in North America, for at least one year. According to a report from Sweden, the former second-round pick is expected to join the SHL’s Frölunda HC next year.
Frölunda has tried to poach Fagemo from the North American circuit for some time. The 26-year-old originally came up through Frölunda’s program in his youth, and last played for them during the 2019-20 season, scoring 13 goals and 22 points in 42 games with a -2 rating.
Since then, he’s played for the Los Angeles Kings, Nashville Predators, and Winnipeg Jets organizations. Originally drafted by Los Angeles in the 2019 NHL Draft, that’s where Fagemo has spent much of his professional career in North America.
Unfortunately, despite being a particularly reliable scorer at the AHL level, he hasn’t earned many opportunities in the NHL. Despite playing in North America for the last six years, Fagemo’s NHL career scoring line stands at three goals and four points in 21 games, averaging 9:29 of ice time per game.
Still, as mentioned, he’s been an effective offensive player in the AHL, which is generally regarded as a better league on the international stage than the SHL. Across six years, playing for the Ontario Reign, Milwaukee Admirals, and Manitoba Moose, Fagemo has scored 148 goals and 232 points in 326 games with a -24 rating. He topped out with a 43-goal performance in 50 games during the 2023-24 season with the Reign, earning Second All-Star Team honors.
Currently in the postseason, there’s no question Frölunda could use additional offense. Despite finishing the regular season as the league’s second-best team, Frölunda didn’t have a single player in the top 10 in scoring. The team’s highest scorer was winger Jere Innala, who managed 22 goals and 40 points in 48 games.
Jets Activate Neal Pionk From Injured Reserve
Only five points out of the final Wild Card spot in the West, the Jets still have an outside shot at a playoff spot but they will have to be much sharper down the stretch to have a chance. Getting one of their top defensemen back will help as the team announced (Twitter link) prior to today’s game against Pittsburgh that Neal Pionk has been activated off injured reserve.
The 30-year-old has missed more than two months with a lower-body injury and Winnipeg’s back end has certainly taken a hit for it. Even in a down year offensively by his standards (just eight points in 40 games after putting up 39 points last season), Pionk has been an all-situations player this season. His 22:47 ATOI ranks second on the team behind only Josh Morrissey while he leads all Jets players in shorthanded playing time per game.
Winnipeg’s back end has undergone some changes in the second half of the season. Veteran Colin Miller remains out with a long-term injury of his own while Logan Stanley and Luke Schenn were shipped to Buffalo at the trade deadline. That deal yielded Jacob Bryson as part of the return while youngster Elias Salomonsson is now playing more of a regular role.
Now, Pionk’s return means that Winnipeg’s top four is now fully intact, with him joining Morrissey, Dylan DeMelo, and Dylan Samberg. Whether that’s enough to kickstart a long enough winning streak to get back to the postseason remains to be seen but he’ll still be a big addition to their back end for the stretch run.