The Winnipeg Jets will be without a key piece of their defense in front of Connor Hellebuyck after an unfortunate injury in the preseason. Head coach Scott Arniel announced that Dylan Samberg will miss 6-8 weeks after a hit in the Jets' recent preseason game broke his wrist, via Elliotte Friedman.
Samberg is the latest in an unfortunate string of injuries to key players this NHL preseason. Front offices are left wishing that the new schedule rules for 2026-27 were already put in place, as next year should lead to fewer injuries to start the regular season with fewer preseason games.
Samberg is a former second-round pick of the Jets in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft. He appeared in 216 games for Winnipeg, with his most recent season being his best, with six goals and 14 assists in 60 games. The Jets expected the 26-year-old to take another step toward being one of the team's go-to blueliners this season.
Adam Lowry is another key player for the Jets who is set to miss roughly the same amount of time as Samberg. While Winnipeg is a deep team, Samberg and Lowry are two of the emotional leaders, bringing a winning element to the team. It'll be hard to bridge the gap until they are healthy in the interim.
The Jets hope that the addition of Jonathan Toews will remedy some of that stress up front, while Hadyn Fleury figures to take on a more prominent role with Samberg out of the lineup on the backend. Winnipeg returned all eight of its defensemen from last season's postseason run, which should help alleviate some of the depth lost in Samberg's absence.
