Winnipeg Jets loan prospects Brad Lambert & Brayden Yager to Moose for playoffs

The Moose are in Des Moines to face the Wild this evening to close out the 2025-26 season. It’s a game that has some importance as a win coupled with a loss by the Stars would mean that Manitoba would finish 3rd in the Central and give them an automatic berth in the second round. If they don’t then they’ll face the Admirals this week in Winnipeg for the first round which is a best of three series.

There were four players up with the Jets that were available to be returned to the Moose for their playoff push including forwards Nikita Chibrikov, Brad Lambert, Brayden Yager and defenceman Elias Salomonsson.

This afternoon the Jets announced that Lambert and Yager had been loaned to the Moose but didn’t include Chibrikov. That sounds like they discovered something during his end of the season physicals that would preclude him from being loaned. If that is the case and depending on severity he could still be back with Manitoba at some point.

When it comes to Salomonsson, he has been in concussion protocol since April 2nd when he was on the receiving end of a Jason Robertson reverse hit in Dallas. As recently as Thursday morning head coach Scott Arniel indicated that he continues to have “good days, bad days” and that he had failed his most recent test.