Note: The Jets had Sunday off although the team did make some news when they loaned D prospect Elias Salomonsson to their AHL affiliate, putting him in position to play his first game since undergoing shoulder surgery last April. The prevailing thinking is that Winnipeg will recall him, along with a forward, for the upcoming road trip to St. Louis and Dallas given the week-to-week injury timelines for Josh Morrissey and Vlad Namestnikov. I’m leaning towards Brayden Yager getting the call up front, although there are several deserving candidates and fit will certainly be a factor in the decision. The team may also be ready to put Walker Duehr on waivers if he’s been cleared by the medical staff. We should have a clearer picture when the Jets hit the ice for practice at 11 AM CT before departing for Missouri. Check back for the Practice Report.
Note II: Worth remembering that on Saturday night Elliotte Friedman revealed that Connor Hellebuyck’s suspension by Winnipeg will come to an end this Friday. While some believe this development will increase the pressure on the Jets to make a trade, I’m not convinced it changes much. My suspicion is that Winnipeg will simply tell Hellebuyck to remain at home while collecting his salary. I have a hard time envisioning a scenario in which the Jets would want him back with the team, particularly with the Heritage Classic and Alumni games taking place next weekend.
Note III: The Moose enjoyed another banner weekend, picking up two more wins, although Sunday’s victory required a comeback against the Stars in their rematch before Brayden Yager played the role of overtime hero. While I don’t want to get too hyperbolic just six games into the season, there have been plenty of encouraging signs from this Manitoba club. As I noted yesterday, they certainly didn’t play their best game on Sunday but still found a way to win. Through six games, the Moose boast the AHL’s best power play (41.1%), top penalty kill (89.1%) and have scored more goals than any other team in the league. It’s still early, but there certainly seems to be a lot to like about this Manitoba Moose team. Today, they head out on the road for six games which begins on Wednesday with the Griffins in Grand Rapids.
Note IV: All of which will give us plenty to talk about throughout the week on the Daily Dose of the Illegal Curve Hockey Show. Join us Monday to Friday at 3 PM CT on the IC YouTube and across our other social media platforms as we discuss all things Jets and Moose.
Jets news:
Sportsnet: Hellebuyck would make Mammoth a Cup contender/Connor will score 50 this season. There are two Jets topics in his overreactions column the first looking at the fit for the disgruntled Connor Hellebuyck in Utah while the second one speculates whether Kyle Connor will finally get over 50 this season.
Photo Credit: Colby Spence (Illegal Curve)
Daily Faceoff: Cole Perfetti’s contract is already looking like a steal. I joked the other day that Winnipeg was probably thankful given how poorly their season went anyways last year that he didn’t have this monster start during the 2025-26 campaign as it likely wouldn’t have reversed their fortunes and would have meant he cost them a whole lot more moolah when it came time to sign his long-term extension.
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