The Winnipeg Jets have put Dylan Samberg on injured reserve due to a broken foot.
During the game against Nashville, Samberg got hurt in the second period when a powerful shot from Steven Stamkos hit his skate, forcing him off the ice. To fill in for Samberg, Winnipeg called up Ville Heinola from an AHL conditioning stint. Heinola is set to make his season debut after recovering from ankle surgery he had in September. This move comes as no surprise since Samberg has been a key player for Winnipeg this season, contributing six points over 21 games and playing more than 20 minutes per game.
Samberg plays alongside Neal Pionk and had a standout performance last season with 31 points. His role as a solid defensive-defenseman was cemented when he signed a four-year contract worth $19.6 million with the Jets during summer. So far, he’s accumulated 83 points in 316 games with Winnipeg and has career totals of 147 points across 575 games .
Heinola’s Return:
Heinola steps up quickly to replace Samberg, coming back to the NHL after getting one assist in two AHL games during his conditioning stint. Last year, he spent time in the minors with Manitoba Moose scoring 27 points over 41 games but hasn’t yet proven himself worthy of being picked 20th overall in the 2019 NHL Draft. Fans might wonder if this could be Heinola’s chance to finally shine.
Despite starting strong by scoring five points in his first eight NHL games, injuries and moves between leagues slowed him down. During COVID-19’s chaotic season of 2020-21, he returned briefly to Finland’s Liiga before ending that year without any NHL goals despite having scored well in AHL matches.
Since then, Heinola has shuffled between Winnipeg and Manitoba while often landing on injured reserve lists—gathering only eleven points across thirty-five NHL appearances but showing much better form with one hundred three points through one hundred fifty-four AHL contests.
Do you think Heinola will make an impact this time?
