New faces debut as Jets face Canucks. Draft lottery implications loom with deadline trades reshaping both rosters.
The 25-26-10 Winnipeg Jets will take on the 18-36-7 Vancouver Canucks from Canada Life Centre in the third test of a season-long, eight-game homestand.
The all-Canadian, Hockey Night in Canada showdown will feature two of the league's worst teams, jockeying for better odds at the draft lottery.
Photo by James Carey Lauder/USA Today Saturday's contest will also mark the first game for both clubs since the trade deadline, to which Winnipeg's GM Kevin Cheveldayoff sent Logan Stanley, Luke Schenn and Tanner Pearson packing - all to Buffalo for a shot at the Stanley Cup this season.
Winnipeg, which has not had an enjoyable 2025-26 season, continues to fight and stay in the chase, despite the excruciatingly difficult task at hand to make it into the postseason.
Recent acquisitions Isak Rosen and Jacob Bryson will make their Jets debuts on Saturday, while Ville Heinola will serve as a healthy scratch.
Brad Lambert has also been recalled from the minors following the trade deadline.
Connor Hellebuyck will start in goal, while Josh Morrissey will return to the lineup to play for the first time since injuring himself early on in the first game of the Olympics in February.
Winnipeg Jets expected line combinations for Saturday, March 7 vs. Vancouver:
Connor-Scheifele-Iafallo
Perfetti-Lowry-Vilardi
Nyquist-Toews-Rosén
Koepke-Barron-Lambert
Morrissey-DeMelo
Samberg-Salomonsson
Fleury-Bryson
Hellebuyck
Injured: Pionk, Miller, Namestnikov, Niederreiter
Healthy Scratch: Heinola