Isak Rosén is starting to settle in, and the way he’s doing it says a lot about how the Winnipeg Jets want him to play.
After opening the season with a chance to impress in the Jets’ top six alongside Viggo Björck and Gabriel Vilardi, Rosén has now spent the last two games on a line with Adam Lowry and Alex Iafallo. That switch brings a different job description, and he knows it.
“I think we’re checking way more,” Rosén said.
“We’re trying to get it deep and maybe make one more simple play to just get it down there and forecheck. I think we’re doing a good job with that.”
The early return has been encouraging. Over those last two games, Natural Stat Trick says the line has produced four scoring chances at five-on-five while giving up only one against. It’s a small sample, but it points to a group handling both sides of the puck the way it should.
For Rosén, part of the adjustment has been learning how to mesh with two veterans who make the game easier to read.
“I think just they’re easy to play with and easy to read,” he said.
“You know what they want to do. They will be at the net. They will win a lot of battles, and, yeah, it’s easy to play with them.”
That comfort seems to be feeding confidence. The 23-year-old said his game has grown with each outing, and he pointed especially to the last two games as a stretch where his skating has started to show more clearly.
“I think the last two games I really showed what I can do and what I want to do every game,” Rosén said.
“Just have my feet going and create with my skating, so, yeah, better and better.”
He’s also trying to shoot more. With Lowry and Iafallo handling plenty of the work around the net, Rosén understands that his role on the line is to get pucks through and put pressure on goal.
“I think when I play with Al and Low, I think I’m the shooter there on the line,” he said.
“It just makes it easy to just try to get it to the net.”
The goals haven’t arrived yet, but Rosén isn’t backing off. He believes the production will follow if he keeps stacking the kind of shifts he’s been putting together.
“I think probably should be on the score sheet already, but it’s gonna come if I keep stacking up good shifts and good games,” he said.
Rosén and the Jets head to Chicago tomorrow to face the Blackhawks.
In Other News...
Connor Hellebuyck Trade Buzz Just Got Real For The Jets
The conversation around Connor Hellebuyck suddenly feels a lot less hypothetical. According to Sportsnets Frank Seravalli, the Los Angeles Kings have reached out to the Jets to inquire about the reigning Winnipeg cornerstone in net, and the early contact is already enough to put the story on the radar around the league. No specific players or offers have changed hands yet, but Kings general manager Ken Holland has been informed of Winnipegs asking price, and that Hellebuyck would be willing to accept a move to Los Angeles.
For Winnipeg, any serious interest in a franchise goaltender immediately raises the stakes, especially with a team trying to balance present expectations against a market that does not often see a name like this come up. The Kings need is easy to understand, given their uneven play in goal and an aging roster that makes a big swing more complicated, but this is still the kind of discussion that can stall quickly if the price climbs too high. For now, the real story is not whether the Jets are shopping Hellebuyck, but how far Los Angeles is willing to push to make the idea more than just due diligence. [Read more 🡒]
Jets Head Into Chicago Waiting On One Crucial Lineup Decision
The Jets left Winnipeg after an optional practice with Josh Morrissey still listed day-to-day, leaving his status for the upcoming game against the Blackhawks uncertain. It is the kind of late-week question that can shape everything from the opening pairings to the overall tempo, especially with a Central Division matchup on deck and projected lineups already being pieced together on both sides.
Chicago, meanwhile, has found a bit more life since captain Connor Bedard returned, adding another layer of difficulty to a meeting that already carries a little extra weight. Winnipeg still has final roster and availability decisions to sort through before puck drop, so the most important update may not come until much closer to game time. [Read more 🡒]
Kings Face A Huge Goalie Decision As Slow Start Changes Everything
A slow start has pushed the Kings into a place where even a franchise-altering move is being weighed, and Connor Hellebuyck has surfaced as the kind of name that can shift the whole conversation. Los Angeles has reportedly explored the idea of trying to land the Winnipeg Jets goaltender, with GM Ken Holland said to understand the cost and Hellebuyck reportedly open to the possibility of a move.
For Winnipeg, the wrinkle is obvious: if the talk keeps building, the Jets would have to think through what happens if Hellebuyck wants back in after any deal drama. For now, though, this is still one of those situations that is more about the pressure of the moment than a finished plan, with the Kings sorting out whether the fit matches their strategy and no trade announcement anywhere in sight. [Read more 🡒]