The Winnipeg Jets made their first notable cuts of the pre-season on Friday morning, sending down 10 players to the Manitoba Moose, and waiving five others with similar intentions.
Goalies Mikhail Berdin and Eric Comrie have been sent down, as have defenders Sami Niku, Nelson Nogier and Peter Stoykewych. Forwards Mason Appleton, Jansen Harkins, Skyler McKenzie, Kristian Reichel and C.J. Suess have also been sent down.
Five others were placed on waivers, and we’ll have to wait a day to see where they end up. Cameron Schilling, Dennis Everberg, Seth Griffith, Nicolas Kerdiles and J.C. Lipon will be in the lurch for the next 24 hours as they await their fate.
Of the players sent down or waived, Sami Niku and Seth Griffith stood out as the best players during the pre-season, with Niku scoring two and adding two helpers in five games, and Griffith with four assists in five games of his own.
These cuts leave 16 forwards, nine defencemen, and two goalies on the NHL roster. Nic Petan is still away from the team following the death of his father, Logan Stanley and Michael Spacek are believed to be injured and are likely to be sent down soon. Brendan Lemieux, Kristian Vesalainen and Tucker Poolman are among the players still with the big club.
We will continue to provide updates as they come in.
