The Winnipeg Jets are making some eye-catching lineup choices in Pittsburgh tonight, and the biggest one is veteran winger Nino Niederreiter sitting as a healthy scratch.
Clay Stevenson is also set to make his team debut in goal, while Jack St. Ivany draws in on the third pair and gets a shot to make an impression in his Jets debut against his former team. Tyrel Bauer, meanwhile, is out.
Niederreiter, 34, has carved out a long career after once being viewed as a disappointing fifth overall pick by the Islanders in 2010. He found his footing in Minnesota and turned into a steady secondary scorer, topping out at 25 goals about a decade ago and averaging exactly 20 goals and 20 assists over his career.
But last season showed signs of decline. He scored just eight goals in 60 games, and his ice time dropped to 11:46, his lowest since his early days as an uncertain Islander prospect.
In Winnipeg, his zone starts have shifted heavily, and under Scott Arniel he’s mostly been used at five-on-five in his own end. He’s signed for one more year at $4MM, so this could serve as a reset, though the Jets also have reason to keep putting young forwards Isak Rosen and Brad Lambert in better spots.
Stevenson’s first chance with the club comes after the Jets claimed him off waivers from Washington one week ago. The 27-year-old was undrafted, climbed through the ECHL, and helped the Hershey Bears win a Calder Cup title.
He arrives with some of the same under-the-radar appeal Brandon Bussi had last year after being picked up off waivers and suddenly making people wonder how he’d stayed out of the NHL for so long. Stevenson’s opportunity is there while Connor Hellebuyck remains suspended.
Bauer has already made a noticeable first impression in his two NHL games, though the physical edge has come with plenty of penalty minutes - 14 of them, to be exact. He delivered a heavy hit on Detroit’s J.T.
Compher and dropped Keegan Kolesar in a fight that made the rounds on social media. For now, he gets a night off from the rough stuff.
St. Ivany, acquired in June in exchange for David Gustafsson, comes in as a depth option who has yet to appear in more than 20 games in a season.
The 27-year-old has seen his place on the depth chart affected by Bauer’s emergence, but tonight gives him another chance to stick.
Around the league, New Jersey’s Connor Brown skated today, but Sheldon Keefe told Amanda Stein, Team Reporter, that he’ll remain out for this week and is targeting a return sometime after. Brown has been dealing with an undisclosed injury and has missed both Devils games so far.
There’s a decent chance he could be back by next Thursday, when New Jersey hosts the Rangers. The 32-year-old scored 18 goals in 75 games last season, his first with the Devils, and even with the roster crowding in the top nine after new general manager Sunny Mehta’s additions, Brown’s three-year contract at $3MM and his value on both the power play and penalty kill give New Jersey an easy path to work him back in.
Also expected back soon is Blue Jackets defenseman Damon Severson, who The Athletic’s Aaron Portzline reports should play Friday against Pittsburgh. The 32-year-old former Devil had shoulder surgery last spring after taking a hard hit from Montreal’s Zachary Bolduc, which ended his season a few weeks early.
Severson has been remarkably durable over the years, playing no fewer than 67 games in each of the last five seasons, and he’s generally been a reliable top-four defender. Once he returns, he should line up with star Zach Werenski.
Columbus opened the season with a win over Buffalo, then lost to Utah on Saturday, and won’t play again until the Penguins game. Last year, Severson averaged 21:04 over 71 games, third on the team behind Werenski and Ivan Provorov.
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