Mike McIntyre

Niederreiter first Switzerland-born player to reach 1,000-game mark A weekly lap around the NHL by Free Press hockey writers Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe Nino Niederreiter vividly remembers his first NHL game. He had just recently turned 18 years old, fresh off being t...

In our latest edition of Dump & Chase, I take a trip down memory lane with #NHLJets veteran Nino Niederreiter as he prepares to play his 1,000th game and @wiebesworld.bsky.social chats with Bruins forward Alex Steeves about his Manitoba connections.

www.winnipegfreepress.com/sports/2025/...

Expecting one player to magically fix Winnipeg Jets’ problems would be foolhardy Connor Hellebuyck is a huge fan of True hockey gear — his glove, blocker and pads all bearing the company logo. Might they be able to whip up a cape for him as well? The Winnipeg Jets will need Helleb...

Maybe Connor Hellebuyck’s equipment company could send him a cape?

On the return of the #NHLJets resident superhero and how he’s going to need a helping hand if the season is to be saved.

My story: www.winnipegfreepress.com/breakingnews...

The tough part of today’s blockbuster trade for the #NHLJets is both Minnesota and Vancouver became harder to catch — depending on which race you might be focused on.

It’s plausible — perhaps even probable — that the 3 best teams in the NHL now reside in the Central Division.

Colorado. Dallas. Minnesota.

What a gauntlet.

Meanwhile, last year’s top regular season team, the #NHLJets, are T-28th in the standings.

Life moves fast.

The Central Division now features Cale Makar, Quinn Hughes and Josh Morrissey, who finished 1-3-4 last year in Norris Trophy voting.

Plus the likes of Roman Josi, Miro Heiskanen, Colton Parayko, Thomas Harley, Mikhail Sergachev.

Best “D” division in the NHL?

Expecting one player to magically fix Winnipeg Jets’ problems would be foolhardy Connor Hellebuyck is a huge fan of True hockey gear — his glove, blocker and pads all bearing the company logo. Might they be able to whip up a cape for him as well? The Winnipeg Jets will need Helleb...

Maybe Connor Hellebuyck’s equipment company could send him a cape?

On the return of the #NHLJets resident superhero and how he’s going to need a helping hand if the season is to be saved.

My story: www.winnipegfreepress.com/breakingnews...

A couple things: No clue what the 2nd, 3rd ad 4th lines would be here. Pay no attention to how I ordered them.

Also, Scott Arniel told me Haydn Fleury is fully cleared to play. And that they may look to use him on the right side.

A Stanley-Fleury 3rd pair at some point soon is likely, I believe.

I asked #NHLJets coach Scott Arniel if team is considering #MBMoose callups, even if it means putting players on waivers.

"It's extremely tough now that we're healthy. We certainly talk about it, and we're having more conversations. For me, I gotta coach what's here and what's in front of me."

Some additional tweaks to #NHLJets lines at today’s skate.

Connor-Scheifele-Iafallo
Barron-Toews-Vilardi
Niederreiter-Namestnikov-Nyquist
Perfetti-Lowry-Koepke (Pearson rotating in)

Morrissey-Pionk
Samberg-DeMelo
Stanley-Schenn
Fleury-Miller

Hellebuyck
Comrie
DiVincentiis

#NHLJets coach Scott Arniel did not rule out Connor Hellebuyck potentially starting Saturday night against Washington.

Everybody present and accounted for at today’s #NHLJets practice. Of note: Connor Hellebuyck has one net to himself, while Eric Comrie and Dom DiVincentiis split the other one.

Bruins exploit myriad weaknesses in 6-3 win over Jets The Winnipeg Jets are in a full-blown freefall. An ugly, uninspired 6-3 loss to the Boston Bruins on Thursday night is the latest in a growing list of games to raise a series of alarming questions abo...

Is this all the players have to give?

Has the coaching staff run out of answers?

What is management going to do to fix this mess?

Has fan apathy set in?

Is this rock bottom?

Thursday’s ugly #NHLJets loss left me with 5 burning questions:

My column: www.winnipegfreepress.com/breakingnews...

There are now just 3 teams with less points than the reigning Presidents’ Trophy winning #NHLJets.

Nashville and Calgary are each 1 behind Winnipeg. Vancouver is 3 behind.

Every Eastern Conference team has more.

Just a stunning turn of events.

I’m not saying this will happen — quite frankly, I’d be surprised if it did — but if I’m the #NHLJets I’d have 2-3 players on waivers Friday and 2-3 recalls from the #MBMoose.

This group needs a major jolt and injection of life.

Bruins exploit myriad weaknesses in 6-3 win over Jets The Winnipeg Jets are in a full-blown freefall. An ugly, uninspired 6-3 loss to the Boston Bruins on Thursday night is the latest in a growing list of games to raise a series of alarming questions abo...

Is this all the players have to give?

Has the coaching staff run out of answers?

What is management going to do to fix this mess?

Has fan apathy set in?

Is this rock bottom?

Thursday’s ugly #NHLJets loss left me with 5 burning questions:

My column: www.winnipegfreepress.com/breakingnews...

The #NHLJets are in a full-blown freefall.

A 6-3 loss to the Boston Bruins -- in front of a season-low crowd of just 13,158 -- leaves them with just 5 wins in the last 18 games.

Now 14-15-1 overall and among the worst teams in the NHL.

Next: vs Washington on Saturday

6-3 Boston. David Pastrnak into an empty net. What a game he's had.

Assuming Connor Hellebuyck isn't ready by Saturday, I don't see how you don't give Dom DiVincentiis his first NHL start against Washington.

At this point, what do you have to lose?

And that should probably do it. David Pastrnak with a wicked feed to Elias Lindholm, who rips it by Eric Comrie.

#NHLJets well on their way to a 13th loss in the last 18 games.

5:17 left in the 3rd period.

I believe this is the smallest #NHLJets crowd of the season here at Canada Life Centre: 13,158.

That's especially surprising since Boston always has drawn well, and there are a ton of Bruins fans here.

The #NHLJets now have 90 goals this season.

Mark Scheifele (16), Kyle Connor (15) and Gabe Vilardi (14) have exactly 50 per cent of them.

And they do, indeed, score. Mr Macarena, Gabe Vilardi, and the #NHLJets are down 4-3.

#NHLJets will go to the power play for a 4th time tonight, and this one feels like a must-score if they are to have any chance of coming back.

Down 4-2, 2:24 left in the 2nd

4-2 Boston.

That all starts because Eric Comrie gives up a rebound on a puck he should have been able to corral, and the Bruins end up making the #NHLJets pay.

Some message-sending by #NHLJets coach Scott Arniel, who has the 2nd PP unit to start the 2nd period, with 43 seconds to work with. That's quite an indictment of the work of PP1 lately.

#NHLJets had a 3-2 power play advantage in the 1st period, but are losing 2-0 in the special teams battle.

Really, really tough to win when that's the case.

Quite the penalty filled affair here. #NHLJets going to the PP for a third time in this opening period, and they've already given up a pair of PP goals to Boston.

Whistles getting a workout

It's been wild, but not 43-2 wild. Whoops.

Another slump-buster goal for the #NHLJets

First in 13 games for Iafallo, after Barron got his first in 20 games.

Next up: Namestnikov, Nyquist, Lowry, Toews, Perfetti?

So it's going to be one of those games, eh?

Alex Iafallo with a wicked move goes bar-down and the #NHLJets are back within a goal, down 43-2.

There's still 6:23 left in a wild first period.