Frank Seravalli: Winnipeg Jets prospect Brad Lambert has permission for representatives to find trade partner

While this isn’t a commonplace occurrence from time to time prospects in a team’s system can be frustrated by the logjam of players blocking their path to the NHL.

This season a pair of prospects in Brad Lambert (2022 1st) and Nikita Chibrikov (2021 2nd) had a chance to stick with the big club to start the 2025-26 campaign as a result of players (Adam Lowry, Cole Perfetti) being unavailable due to injury.

Lambert scored his first NHL goal in the four games he played this season while Chibrikov had one assist in his eight games.

It seemed inevitable that they’d be sent down which head coach Scott Arniel was reluctant to discuss (before the decision was announced) limiting his comment to:

“The fact that they’ve been able to be here for first 18 games has been really good for them.”

And it was clear the plan was to have these two plus Parker Ford feel like they were a part of the team. So when they were next recalled it would be a fairly seamless move for the player.

Ford expressed this sentiment when we spoke yesterday after Moose practice.

“..if you are gonna get called back up there’s really no transition. It’s just the same. You don’t think that really does a lot, but it does for sure”.

Which bring us to today’s news via Frank Seravalli who tweeted:

“League sources say #GoJetsGo  have given 2022 first round pick Brad Lambert’s representation permission to find a trade partner.”

Morgan Barron’s comments from this two days ago seem prescient given today’s news as he spoke about the positive impact of Lambert, Chibrikov & Ford with Jets, while acknowledging roster challenges for a win-now Winnipeg team.

Of course there are always reports, some become public and some stay private, of this nature. I can think of at least one player (Logan Stanley) who reportedly expressed this sentiment in the past and who remains a member of the Jets.