Pionk had missed the Jets game against the Kings and Miller filled in for him alongside Dylan Samberg until he got hurt. Clearly the big blow is losing Pionk, who is a top four defenceman that kills penalties and is the Jets power play QB on the second unit.
Isaak Phillips had already been recalled by the Jets, the 24-year-old has NHL experience and will likely get a chance in the coming days to make his Jets debut. Elias Salomonsson has been recalled as well and will fly into St. Paul tonight.
“At the end of the day, even losing other guys, the depth of what we had, with our schedule and how heavy it's been, and not having Fleur and Millsy around, it's a grind,” said Arniel.
“When we get these three in fours and four in sixes, it's nice to put new bodies in, fresh legs in there, and we can't really do that. So, look to the kids coming in, getting an opportunity. Hopefully they can step up and help us.”
One positive from the Jets skate today was that Morgan Barron was out of a non-contact jersey and into navy blue.
“He's not cleared. That was first day without the (non-contact) jersey,” said Arniel.
“He could be a player tomorrow. I've got to see how he makes out after today. Wakes up tomorrow, see if he's good to go.”
A big change from the last time the Jets and Wild met on December 27 is that Winnipeg has started putting the puck in the net with 28 goals in seven games since the calendar changed to 2026. The Jets missed out on two points as the Wild scored late in the third to tie the contest and went on to win in overtime.
“I mean, they're obviously an elite team,” said Nino Niederreiter.
“They added some great pieces and but like I said, we lost the game. We definitely did some good things. But overall, we tried to build on the last three games and go from there.”
