Jets Defense Trio Listed "Week-To-Week", Call Up Top Defense Prospect From AHL

The Winnipeg Jets are starting to pick things up with three straight wins to close out their recent homestand and are getting ready to travel on the road for one of their most crucial games of the season versus the Minnesota Wild on Thursday.

Right when things were starting to look up, the Jets suffer another system malfunction as their defense took a massive hit with Winnipeg head coach Scott Arniel explaining on Wednesday that defenseman Neal Pionk, Haydn Fleury, and Colin Miller are all week-to-week. 

In a corresponding move, the Jets have called up top defense prospect Elias Salomonsson from the Manitoba Moose in the AHL. It's going to be a very different looking Winnipeg defense when traveling to face off against a Minnesota team looking for a bounce back with seven losses in their last 11 games. 

Morrissey - DeMelo

Samberg - Salomonsson 

Stanley - Schenn

Phillips

Salomonsson came up and played for the Jets in four games, didn't record any points and was sent back down to the AHL but with injuries mounting, he may be able to get an extended run over Winnipeg's next few games to show what he has to offer. 

So far this season, the 21-year-old Swedish defenseman has a goal and seven assists for eight points in 25 games with the Manitoba Moose while playing top pairing minutes with fellow blue chip prospect Ville Heinola. 

Regarding the injured players, Pionk has been listed as day-to-day over the past few weeks and could be dealing with either a recurring issue or a new injury. Meanwhile, Colin Miller and Haydn Fleury were both listed as week-to-week earlier this week.

This raises the question of whether Salomonsson will see more ice time than recently called-up Isaak Phillips. Salomonsson has already logged minutes with the Jets this season, unlike Phillips, but usage could depend on the matchup. He is expected to face a tough challenge against the Wild, while in the following game, the Jets might rotate and give Phillips a chance when they return home to play the Toronto Maple Leafs.

In any case, we should gain a clearer picture of the team’s lineup and situation once more information is released ahead of tomorrow night’s game against Minnesota.

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