The Winnipeg Jets placed forward Cole Perfetti on injured reserve, per a team announcement Tuesday afternoon. Forward Axel Jonsson Fjällby has been recalled from the Jets’ AHL affiliate Manitoba Moose on an emergency basis. In 51 games played so far this season, Perfetti has scored eight goals and 22 assists for a total of 30 points. After spending much of the 2021-22 NHL season split between the Jets and the Moose, Perfetti has shown off his playmaking prowess this year, displaying just why he was such a high selection at the 2020 NHL Draft.
As the Jets find themselves in a very tight Central Division playoff race, losing Perfetti will leave a sizeable hole in the lineup. Entering Wednesday night’s game against the New York Islanders, the Jets are averaging 3.14 GF/G and a PP% of 21.8%, good for 16th and 14th in the league, respectively. Spending most of his time on the first line and helping out with the second power-play unit, the Jets will need to find offensive help in different ways in the near future without the young gun. With 25 games remaining in the regular season, the Jets find themselves one point back of the division-leading Dallas Stars and four points up on the third-place Colorado Avalanche, a team with two games in hand on the Jets. After missing out on the playoffs for the 2021-22 season, losing Perfetti will be a hurdle that the Jets will need to clear in order to return to the postseason.
Replacing Perfetti in the lineup, Jonsson Fjällby will return to the Jets after a one-week stay in the minors. Claimed from the Washington Capitals in early October, Jonsson Fjällby has been able to provide some depth scoring for the Jets this year. In 45 games played during the 2022-23 season, Jonsson Fjällby has scored four goals and seven assists. Although he does not garner the same recognition as Perfetti for many Jets fans, Jonsson Fjällby should be able to provide serviceable minutes for the Jets in Perfetti’s absence.
