The Winnipeg Jets made a pair of roster moves early Monday morning, by placing Ondrej Pavelec on IR and recalling Joel Armia. Armia was acquired last season, along with Drew Stafford, Tyler Myers, Brendan Lemieux and a first round draft pick, in exchange for Evander Kane and Zach Bogosian.
The Jets' organization was quite open about their expectations for Joel. Both Kevin Cheveldayoff and Paul Maurice expected Armia to make the jump to the NHL in short order. It didn't happen. The Jets went on a roll and he struggled out of the gate. He didn't showcase much this pre-season either.
That said, Joel has turned it on some of late. Armia has been one of the key figures in the recent turnaround of the Manitoba Moose. He is currently 4th in team scoring and starting to showcase some of the slick skills that made him a first round draft pick. Now he gets the call.
Winnipeg Jets recall Joel Armia from Moose >>> https://t.co/bsWPqalVZb pic.twitter.com/gpDcfyIgOT
— Manitoba Moose (@ManitobaMoose) November 23, 2015
The big question will be, how will Armia be used? Will be be riding pine in the press box or will he be deployed on the wing of one of the Jets two bottom lines. Armia is probably a more natural fit for the third line than Chris Thorburn, but the more realistic option could be swapping him for Anthony Peluso. A fourth line of Adam Lowry, Andrew Copp and Armia would definitely bring some intrigue to tonight's game. It would also be an upgrade in skill.
Would it be enough to earn the trio more than 4 minutes of ice time? That has yet to be determined.
