The Winnipeg Jets made a roster move with real stakes just hours before their meeting with the Montreal Canadiens, placing Brad Lambert on waivers and opening the door for a call-up from the Manitoba Moose.
It’s a tough turn for Lambert, who is only 22 and was taken by Winnipeg in the first round, 30th overall, in the 2022 NHL Draft. The Jets drafted him with the idea that he could grow into a long-term center option, but the offense hasn’t come close to matching that projection. He has one point in 11 games this season and a minus-5 rating, and his career totals sit at 9 points in 42 NHL games.
The timing adds another layer to the story. Just one day earlier, the Toronto Maple Leafs put Benoit-Olivier Groulx on waivers, and Montreal had a chance to make a claim.
No team did. Elliotte Friedman confirmed Groulx cleared waivers, and Lambert was added to the list shortly after.
Groulx, 26, has not recorded a point in seven games this season. Lambert, though, carries a different kind of appeal around the league: he’s younger, he was a first-round pick, and he’s on an entry-level contract worth less than $1 million that expires after this season. That kind of profile doesn’t come along often without a team having to give up anything in return.
The question now is whether another club sees enough upside to take a shot at him and hope a fresh start unlocks the offense that once made him such an intriguing prospect.
For Winnipeg, the move fits into a much rougher stretch. The Jets have lost nine straight, including a 7-0 defeat in Carolina on Sunday. They’re 28th in the NHL with four wins in 15 games.
Montreal, by contrast, is rolling into the matchup with momentum. The Canadiens have won five in a row, are 9-3-2, and sit fifth overall in the NHL and second in the Atlantic Division.
For Scott Arniel and general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff, Lambert’s waiver placement is another sign of a team trying to jolt itself out of a skid.
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