In a move that was bound to happen at some point, Sami Niku has been assigned to the Manitoba Moose today.
TRANSACTION: The Winnipeg Jets have reassigned D – Sami Niku to the Manitoba Moose.
— Winnipeg Jets PR (@WpgJetsPR) December 14, 2018
This move has needed to happen for a while now. Niku is young enough he needs to be playing and he has not done a lot of that for the past two months. He was scratched until all the Jets defencemen were injured and then he was scratched again after performing well for five games, a couple of which had him on the first pair with Jacob Trouba.
The fact that the Jets allowed Niku to stay in the press box for so long instead of letting him play a lot with the Manitoba Moose. While it does not hurt players to watch games here and there, it is best for youngsters to play lots and learn from their mistakes.
Niku should remain the Jets best option as a defensive call up through the regular season and playoffs. He is raw, but under that rawness is a skill-set that can help the Jets this season and beyond. If the Jets are not going to play him, he is best on the Manitoba Moose so he can continue to refine his game.
