WINNIPEG – The injuries continue to pile up for the Winnipeg Jets ahead of the 2025-26 regular season.
After a day off, the Jets were back on the ice for their first practice since their final preseason game which was a wild, 5-4 win in Calgary. Although the Jets came back and won in a shootout, they lost Dylan DeMelo and Cole Perfetti to injury.
DeMelo took part of practice as did Jonathan Toews, but Perfetti did not.
“Ankle injury. He’ll be out week-to-week,” said head coach Scott Arniel.
“So, not the best news that we wanted to get.”
Perfetti is coming off a breakout season that saw him register career highs in games (82), assists (32) and points (50). The 23-year-old was pencilled in on the second line with Gustav Nyquist and Jonathan Toews and was also stepping into Nikolaj Ehlers spot on the top power play.
“It’s hard, he’s upset about it. But he understands its early in the year here,” said Arniel.
“Get him back up and running. It’s frustrating to see what happened. Five seconds left (in the second period in Calgary). Just to go in and it was a simple play, he kind of got twisted.”
As per usual with injuries, the door opens for others to fill in. In this case, Nikita Chibrikov moves into Perfetti’s spot on the second line with Toews and Nyquist. Chibrikov just signed a two-year, extension with the Jets on Saturday with an AAV of $885,000. The Russian forward is being rewarded for all the hard work that he put in over the summer to come back from a serious knee injury that he sustained last season with the Manitoba Moose
“Great for Chibby, real happy for him. Get some security there, obviously. One of the young prospects for us that has kind of got opportunities in the last couple of years here,” said Arniel.
“The big injury, that was a tough injury, missed a lot of hockey. Not just the injury, but the rehab itself was hard, very, very hard. I got a chance to talk to him just after his surgery, I know that management talked to him and made the point of how it was going to be tough and how he needed to work to make sure that he came back in good shape.”
Chibrikov touched on the amount of work that he had to put in give him a chance to make the Jets opening night roster.
“The first couple of months I spent six or seven hours per day at the rink and having conversation with Chevy and Arniel, ‘yeah, you should have a big summer and come back (as this is) a big opportunity,” said Chibrikov.
“I kept working every day and see what was going on and hear about (a contract) extension, it is really appreciated. It is the first step to moving forward with what is going on.”
Chibrikov obviously got the message because he did everything that was asked of him and from the first game at the 2025 Prospect Showdown in Montreal to today, he has got stronger and more confident. So not only has he been rewarded with a new contract but a chance to play with a three-time Stanley Cup winner and Nyquist.
Arniel said that Chibrikov being on the Toews line wasn’t a one-time only opportunity.
“We're going to see how it looks again on Tuesday,” said Arniel.
“Obviously, he's had a good camp and with Cole not being there, we'll see it again probably in Tuesday's practice and make some decisions for leading up to Thursday.”
Speaking of opening night, DeMelo will be there but will be a little quieter than usual after taking a stick to the neck on Friday night. Josh Morrissey was asked about feeling a sense of relief that the preseason is over after losing Dylan Samberg and now Cole Perfetti.
“So, guess next year we only have four (preseason) games, so maybe that decreases the odds. Hopefully, knock on wood,” said Morrissey.
“But yeah, it's just what happens in hockey. And obviously, we've got lots of depth here, and guys that are gonna have to step up in some big absences to start the year.”
The deadline for NHL teams to submit their final opening night rosters is Monday at 4 CT.
