Nikita Chibrikov making a strong case to remain with the Winnipeg Jets, however…

On December 9th, the Winnipeg Jets called Nikita Chibrikov up to take Brad Lambert’s spot on the second line. In the three games since then, Chibrikov has built a strong case to remain with the Jets beyond Nikolaj Ehlers’ eventual return from a lower-body injury. 

Nikita Chibrikov is doing more than just producing

In the three games Chibrikov has been in the lineup, he’s been on Winnipeg’s second line alongside Cole Perfetti and Vladislav Namestnikov. He has scored two goals and one assist, and has at least two shots on goal in every game to begin his 2024-25 NHL campaign. 

While the scoring is welcome for a Jets team that is still third in the NHL in goals per game, that’s hardly the only way that the 21-year-old winger is positively contributing to this lineup. 

“We should probably lock him up now before he does that for the rest of the year,” Morrissey joked after the game. “He’s just a really smart player. He’s not the tallest guy but he’s strong on his skates. Strong on pucks and on his stick. You see a lot of little plays that he’s making out there.”

The 5-foot-10, 172-pound forward plays much bigger than his size would lead you to believe. Not only has he proven that he is a strong skater, but he has leaned into the “energy guy” label that Jets’ Head Coach Scott Arniel has described him as on several occasions. He has created a handful of offensive possessions for his linemates, consistently stealing pucks from the opposition in the offensive zone, and has the skill to make a play off of that turnover. 

Despite Arniel saying they will re-evaluate the decision on Chibrikov once Ehlers is healthy, he did admit that Chibrikov has taken advantage of the opportunity.

“He had a good season last year and he gained confidence from it, got to play a game with us at the end of the year,” Arniel said. “I thought he was really good in training camp. We used him in a lot of top-six roles. He’s taking advantage of the opportunity that’s put in front of him, and you know what? That’s all you ask of your players. We’ll give you the chance, and it’s yours to go out and take, and he’s done a pretty good job of it.”

The versatility that he has shown in a limited sample size works in his favour when it comes to potentially remaining with the Jets and will help answer this next question.

Where does Chibrikov fit into the Jets lineup? 

This is the main argument against Chibrikov remaining with the Jets because it involves scratching one of the 12 forwards that the Jets seem very set on keeping intact. 

To explain just how set the Jets are in running their preferred lines, the first line of Connor-Scheifele-Vilardi and the third line of Niederreiter-Lowry-Apppleton are the top two lines across the entire NHL in minutes played at five-on-five, with Ehlers-Namestnikov-Perfetti being ninth league-wide. 

However, could Chibrikov slide into a fourth-line role and push one of those forwards out of the lineup? 

In their last ten games at five-on-five, the Barron-Kupari-Iafallo trio has scored no goals, been out-chanced 13-17, and lost the high-danger chances 6-10 in their 45:01 of time on ice. Their contributions to the penalty kill are evident, but it is no secret that their five-on-five offence has gone silent. Arniel mentioned Chibrikov’s versatility and ability to play a bottom-six style of play as a reason why he might stay with the big club.  

“I think that he’s the type of guy that could play on the fourth line, third line if there’s injuries, whatever. He’s a competitive guy. He’s an energy guy,” Arniel said. “He gets in on the forecheck. I’m not sure, because l’ve never really seen it with limited minutes, that tends to happen with your fourth line. He’d still get some PP. He’s a lot like Al. Kind of along the same lines, maybe a touch more offence than Al. But that’s always things that happen. We’ll see where we’re at when we get Nik back and kind of lay things out, see how we’re looking. But he has certainly earned himself an opportunity.” 

How might waivers factor in?

This is the one factor that does require mention as Chibrikov can be sent to the Moose without a need for waivers. The Jets are currently sitting with 14 forwards (including Ehlers who is on IR and currently doesn’t count against the roster limit), nine defencemen (including Samberg on IR who also doesn’t count) and two goalies for a total of 25 players. While Samberg won’t be back until sometime in the new year Ehlers could be ready to return as soon as today which would necessitate a move in the near future to get down to the 23-man limit. Will the Jets send down right-shot defenceman Dylan Coghlan who has only played one game for the team this season? Might they risk David Gustafsson (who remains on roster but was in concussion protocol) on waivers? From what we’ve seen from this Jets organization over the years the most likely move is the one with the least risk which is to send Chibrikov down to the AHL.

The second-round pick from the 2021 NHL Entry Draft posted 47 points in 70 games in 2023-24 for the Manitoba Moose, put together a strong training camp, and began his AHL campaign with 13 points in 19 games. His forechecking ability has translated to the NHL, and now with three points in his first three NHL games of 2024-25, Chibrikov is proving to be more than a call-up injury replacement and could use this momentum to solidify himself as one of the 12 best forwards on the Jets roster.