The Winnipeg Jets’ crease has gone from thin to crowded in a hurry, and now the challenge is figuring out who actually gets the net.
Head coach Scott Arniel put it plainly when talking about his options: “I can only play one at a time,”
“This is all fresh and new. We’ll chat this one over a little bit.
We’ll see. Yeah, it’s tricky.
We’ve get three real good people and good goaltenders. Obviously, (Skinner’s) been off to a great start.
We’ll just go day-to-day on this one.”
That three-goalie mix now includes Stuart Skinner, Clay Stevenson and Nico Daws, the newest piece to land in Winnipeg as part of the Hellebuyck trade return from the New Jersey Devils. The situation looked very different not long ago. With Connor Hellebuyck refusing to report to training camp during the now-finished trade demand saga, the Jets had only Skinner available as an NHL-ready option until they picked up Stevenson on waivers a few days before their season opener.
Skinner and Stevenson have both settled in quickly and become fan favourites, in part because they are not Hellebuyck, and both have been steady enough to keep the Jets afloat. Skinner has posted a 2.60 goals against average and a .911 save percentage in eight starts. Stevenson has a 3.08 GAA and .893 SV% in three appearances, with his numbers weighed down by a rough outing against the Anaheim Ducks, when he gave up four goals on 16 shots.
Both are 27, both were born in Alberta, and the two seem to have developed a close friendship.
Daws changes the picture. He is 25 and from Germany, and while he was not the centerpiece of the trade return, Winnipeg did not need him to be. General manager Kevin Cheveldayoff had already protected the club from having to land a true No. 1 by signing Skinner and claiming Stevenson.
“Our goaltending situation has obviously changed I guess 133 per cent, or whatever you want call it, from where it was before,” Cheveldayoff said Friday.
Daws brings the most NHL experience of the group outside Skinner, with 59 appearances and 54 starts, all with New Jersey since being taken 84th overall in 2020. His career line sits at 26-26-1 with a 2.94 GAA, .897 SV% and one shutout. Like Stevenson, he has spent plenty of time fighting for NHL chances while also logging significant minutes in the American Hockey League.
The obvious move would be to waive Stevenson, simply because he is the least experienced of the three. But Winnipeg clearly likes enough about him to avoid risking losing him on waivers, which is why the club is prepared to carry three goalies for now.
That arrangement is not likely to last forever. Arniel probably does not want any of the three sitting too long, and he will need to sort out a usage plan with goaltending coach Wade Flaherty. Carrying all three also means one fewer skater on the roster.
There is another layer to this too: the Manitoba Moose have a pair of promising prospects pushing closer to the picture.
Domenic DiVincentiis and Thomas Milic are both off to strong starts in the AHL. DiVincentiis, a seventh-round pick in 2022, is 3-2-0 with a 2.02 GAA, .941 SV% and two shutouts. Milic, a fifth-round pick in 2023, is 4-0-0 with a 2.48 GAA and .922 SV%.
“That's it. I have your save of the year right here, @TheAHL
Thomas Milic, you are worthy of the Milly Magic moniker 🪄 pic.twitter.com/iYCigbNj49”
At 22 and 23, respectively, both goalies could probably use another full AHL season, but there comes a point in every development path when a player needs NHL work to keep moving forward. If they keep playing like this, they could be in the conversation for big-league minutes before long.
For now, Winnipeg is in a decent spot - just not a simple one. The club no longer has the clear-cut elite starter it had before Hellebuyck was dealt, but it does have options.
The complication is that none of the five goalies in this mix are signed beyond next season. DiVincentiis and Milic will be restricted free agents this offseason, Stevenson is headed for unrestricted free agency, and Skinner and Daws are both in the first year of two-year deals.
That means Cheveldayoff and the Jets will have some decisions to make. They may need to sort out which goaltenders are part of the future and which ones could be moved for help elsewhere in the lineup.
In Other News...
Connor Hellebuyck Just Exposed What Rivals Still Think Of Devils Fans
Connor Hellebuycks move to New Jersey is the kind of trade that instantly changes the conversation around a team, especially when it involves multiple players and draft picks. After a contentious exit from Winnipeg, the goalie arrived with plenty of attention already attached, and the reaction on both sides of the border has been as much about the fanbase as the player. In Canada, the response has been shaped by what Hellebuyck left behind, while in New Jersey it has opened up a familiar discussion about how outsiders still view Devils supporters.
For a franchise that has spent years trying to reshape its image, the chatter matters. The Devils have long had to push back on lazy assumptions about their crowd and their place in the sport, and a high-profile addition like Hellebuyck only sharpens that spotlight. What makes this twist worth watching is not just the hockey fit, but the way the deal has stirred up old perceptions again, leaving the broader story of how both markets see one another very much in play. [Read more 🡒]
Former Devils Forward Is Already Proving New Jersey Right
When the Devils decided not to extend Paul Cotter a qualifying offer, it sent him into free agency and opened the door for him to sign with Vancouver. It also created a quiet little test case for New Jerseys roster judgment, since Cotter was viewed as a player who could bring energy and depth in a bottom-six role without costing much to keep around.
Early on, Cotter looked capable of making the Devils second-guess the move, getting off to a strong start with the Canucks. But the momentum did not last, and his recent struggles have pushed him into healthy-scratch territory. Meanwhile, New Jersey has filled that spot with Jesper Boqvist and Amadeus Lombardi, giving the Devils a chance to point to production and lineup stability as reasons they were comfortable moving on. [Read more 🡒]
Former Red Wings Prospect Is Making Detroit's Trade Look Risky
A quiet part of the Devils offseason shuffle has started to stand out: the addition of Amadeus Lombardi from Detroit is looking more interesting by the week. New Jersey sent Jacob Markstrom to Florida for three forwards, brought in Luke Evangelista from Nashville and signed Anthony Mantha in free agency, but Lombardi has become the kind of depth piece that can make a deal age better if he keeps trending up.
Lombardi made his NHL debut in the 2026-27 season opener and soon picked up his first points at the league level, a promising early stretch for a player who had been waiting for his chance. He was briefly a healthy scratch before getting back into the lineup, and that small detour only adds to the intrigue around what the Devils may have in him if his development keeps moving in the right direction. [Read more 🡒]