Jets Claim Axel Jonsson Fjallby Off Waivers
Winnipeg’s bottom six forward group has undergone some changes over the offseason and one more change has been made as Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports (Twitter link) that they’ve claimed winger Axel Jonsson Fjallby off waivers from Washington.
It’s the second season in a row that the 24-year-old has been claimed off waivers as Buffalo scooped him up a season ago only to waive him less than a week later with a visa issue playing a role in that. Washington reclaimed Jonsson Fjallby at that time and sent him to the minors where he had a productive season with Hershey, notching 16 goals and 18 assists in 44 games. However, he also got his first taste of NHL action, picking up two goals and two assists in 23 games while logging over 11 minutes a night with the Caps.
Jonsson Fjallby is in the final season of a two-year, two-way deal that pays the league minimum at the NHL level and will need to have much more of a regular role in Winnipeg for him to play enough games to avoid being eligible for Group Six unrestricted free agency next summer. He’ll take the place of Jansen Harkins on the roster for the Jets after Harkins cleared waivers earlier today.
Lower-Body Injury For Dubois, Not Believed To Be Serious
- Jets forward Pierre-Luc Dubois exited yesterday’s game after the first period but the injury is not believed to be a serious one, notes Scott Billeck of the Winnipeg Sun. Head coach Rick Bowness indicated that the 24-year-old had a minor lower-body issue that flared up so they pulled him out as a precaution. Despite leaving early, Dubois had his first two goals of the preseason on Friday and should be ready to return for their season opener on Friday.
Canadiens Claim Johnathan Kovacevic From Jets
The Canadiens have added some depth on the back end as NorthStar Bets’ Chris Johnston reports (Twitter link) that they’ve claimed defenseman Johnathan Kovacevic off waivers from Winnipeg.
The 25-year-old made his NHL debut last season, getting into four games with the Jets where he averaged just shy of 11 minutes per game. Kovacevic spent most of the year with AHL Manitoba where he put up 11 goals and 19 assists in 62 games, both career-bests. That was enough for Winnipeg to sign him to a three-year contract this summer, one that’s worth the NHL minimum in each season, carrying a cap hit of $766.7K. The deal is two-way for the first two years and one-way for the last season.
Montreal, who has the top waiver priority for all of October after finishing last in 2021-22, has several open spots on their back end with only veterans Mike Matheson, David Savard, Joel Edmundson, and Chris Wideman assured of spots and Edmundson has yet to play this preseason due to back injuries. They’ve spent most of the preseason running through several prospects and minor leaguers with varying results. Adding Kovacevic will fill one of those openings and push a prospect or a younger veteran on the fringes to the minors (and/or waiver wire) in advance of Monday’s season-opening roster deadline.
Latest On Mattias Janmark
- Veteran forward Mattias Janmark was waived by the Edmonton Oilers today, and while he’s just one of the several notable NHLers to hit waivers today, he may be one of the few who actually get claimed by another team. Sportsnet’s Ken Wiebe speculates that the Winnipeg Jets could be a team that possibly files a claim for Janmark. Wiebe notes that Jets are currently trying to figure out who will play in their bottom six, and since Janmark has a connection with new coach Rick Bowness, (Janmark played for Bowness as a member of the Dallas Stars) it’s possible that the Jets attempt to add him to their roster. Janmark signed a one-year, $1.25MM deal with the Oilers this summer and had 25 points in 67 games last season.
Waivers: 10/07/22
It’s an important day for waivers as the regular season approaches, and several potential targets are available. With the preseason wrapping up, teams will try to sneak players through at the last second and keep them in the organization for the time being.
Many of these placements are due to salary cap restrictions or LTIR machinations to give teams maximum flexibility as the season begins. Everyone from yesterday’s list cleared.
Here is today’s group of waiver additions:
Carolina Hurricanes
Dallas Stars
Edmonton Oilers
Mattias Janmark
Dmitri Samorukov
Minnesota Wild
New Jersey Devils
Philadelphia Flyers
Kevin Connauton
Troy Grosenick
St. Louis Blues
Martin Frk
Klim Kostin
Matthew Highmore
Vancouver Canucks
Winnipeg Jets
Mikhail Berdin To Spend 2022-23 In KHL
It was interesting, earlier this week, when the Winnipeg Jets recalled Arvid Holm from the minor leagues to serve as an extra goaltender. That third-string spot would have presumably gone to Mikhail Berdin under normal circumstances but he was away from the team.
Now, the Jets have explained where Berdin is. In a release, the team has indicated that per a recommendation from the NHL/NHLPA Substance Abuse and Behavioral Health Program, the young goaltender will not be with the organization this season. His agent Dan Milstein tweets that Berdin will return to Russia to be closer to his family and will play in the KHL this season.
The Jets will not incur a cap charge and Berdin will not be paid by the team. Instead, he will be allowed to sign a one-year deal in the KHL for this season. His NHL rights will stay with Winnipeg for the time being.
Now 24, Berdin was a sixth-round pick of the Jets back in 2016 and has been away from Russia for years. He spent two full seasons in the USHL following his draft, and has been in the minor league system for the past four. There was a short 14-game stint with St. Petersburg SKA in 2020-21 when the AHL season was postponed, but beyond that, he has been competing in North America for six years.
Hopefully, whatever has caused him to need this split from the organization will be resolved and he can continue his pro career here in the future. The young netminder has a lot of upside and posted a .902 save percentage in 32 games with the Manitoba Moose last season.
Interestingly, because of his age and contract status, Berdin should actually qualify for Group VI unrestricted free agency next summer. That means the two sides could be parting ways permanently, though since this is a special circumstance there could be other factors at play. Even if he does qualify for UFA status, the Jets would be free to sign him to another contract next offseason.
Winnipeg Jets Recall Arvid Holm
Oct 6: Holm has been returned to the minor leagues.
Oct 5: With just two games left in their preseason schedule, the Winnipeg Jets have brought some goaltending back up from the minor leagues. Arvid Holm has been recalled, after being cut a few days ago.
It’s an interesting one, given that Connor Hellebuyck and David Rittich are both still scheduled to dress for tonight’s game against the Calgary Flames. Likely just precautionary, it does highlight the lack of depth at the moment for the Jets. Mikhail Berdin, who would normally be considered the third-string option, is away from the team because of personal reasons. If Hellebuyck or Rittich were to suffer an injury, the 23-year-old Holm certainly doesn’t bring much experience to the table.
A sixth-round pick in 2017, the Swedish netminder has just 24 appearances in North America, all of them in the AHL. He posted an .877 save percentage in that league last year and is still quite a distance from being a legitimate backup option for the Jets. Hopefully, this recall is nothing more than an emergency backup and the two NHL options get through the last two games intact.
Brad Lambert Reportedly Close To Signing ELC With Jets
- While forward Brad Lambert was one of the most divisive players of the 2022 entry draft cycle, it seems that such debates over his merit are over in Winnipeg. Per Murat Ates of The Athletic, Lambert’s agent, Rick Curran, and the Winnipeg Jets have had “positive” contract talks regarding an entry-level deal, and Curran is confident that a deal will be reached before the start of the season. While Lambert might have a hard time breaking into one of the Jets’ scoring lines to start this season, his impressive play this preseason could force the Jets into a more aggressive timeline regarding his transition to North American professional hockey.
Brad Lambert's Opening Night Status "Yet To Be Determined"
- As reported by TSN’s John Lu, Winnipeg Jets head coach Rick Bowness today commented on 2022 first-round pick Brad Lambert, whose opening night spot “has yet to be determined.” He went on to say that Lambert’s skating and speed are NHL-ready, but is unsure about his ability to elevate his intensity and decision-making to NHL standards at this time. Lambert, who’s still just 18, slipped to the Jets at 30th overall after scoring 10 points in 49 Liiga games last season.
Waivers: 10/03/22
The waiver wire is full as teams continue to get closer to regular season rosters. These are the players available today, after Radim Zohorna and Magnus Hellberg were claimed from yesterday’s list.
Anaheim Ducks
Columbus Blue Jackets
Trey Fix-Wolansky
Gavin Bayreuther
Los Angeles Kings
Minnesota Wild
Joe Hicketts
Joseph Cramarossa
Tampa Bay Lightning
Winnipeg Jets