After flashing potential following a high-stakes trade, the Swedish winger must now translate his elite minor-league production into a breakout campaign to climb the Jets' deep depth chart.
Last season, when the Winnipeg Jets moved on from a pair of highly sought-after defensemen in Logan Stanley and Luke Schenn, the return included depth defenseman Jacob Bryson, a 2027 second-round pick, a conditional 2026 fourth-round pick and a lottery ticket in forward Isak Rosen, a former top-14 pick.
The 23-year-old Swedish import has yet to make a meaningful breakthrough at the NHL level, even as he's proven himself well beyond the AHL as an above point-per-game player in recent seasons. After joining Winnipeg and receiving middle-six minutes, Rosen closed out the season with six goals and four assists for ten points in 37 games.
Heading into the 2026-27 season, Rosen appears ticketed for a bottom-six role to start, where he'll need to show the same steady improvement that marked his three seasons in the AHL.
Prorated over a full 84-game season, his production last year would put him at just short of 23 points, and it would be a meaningful step forward to see him push that number to 30 or even 40 points with a full season and another offseason of development under his belt.
With a young Brad Lambert and a versatile Alex Iafallo ahead of him on the right wing, Rosen still has a path to move up the lineup if he can sustain a strong season. If he can force his way back into a middle-six role, there's a chance he ends up playing alongside more established scorers like Cole Perfetti or Nino Niederreiter, a development that would make the return in the Stanley deal look that much better for Winnipeg.

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