Injury update on Logan Stanley and Ville Heinola

WINNIPEG – All of a sudden, the depth on the left side of the Winnipeg Jets defence is getting tested.

Logan Stanley, who was supposed to play in Wednesday’s preseason tilt with the Edmonton Oilers, was a late scratch and didn’t participate in Thursday’s practice.

“Stan tweaked something there. We’re going to get a little more of a look at him,” said head coach Scott Arniel. “He won’t be available to us for the next few days here. We’ll see where we’re at.”

Arniel did admit that there is fear that Stanley’s injury could be more long-term, but the tests Stanley will undergo over the next couple days will be a better indicator of the path forward.

As for Ville Heinola, his timeline is just as murky as Stanley’s.

Heinola had surgery on his ankle – the same one where an infection was found just a couple days into training camp last week – and is out a minimum of four weeks.

“They took the pin out of his ankle. I’m not a doctor, so I’m not 100 percent sure how long it will take,” said Arniel. “It will depend on there being no swelling or infection. Then we go from there.”

Dylan Samberg, who played 20:59 in the 6-1 win over Edmonton on Wednesday, didn’t participate in the on-ice sessions on Thursday. The news is far better in his case than it was for Stanley or Heinola.

“That was more maintenance after last night. He got a little bit of a bump from last night,” Arniel said. “He’s playing tomorrow, so I want to make sure he’s good to go. He’s not hurt enough that he’s going into tomorrow’s game not 100 percent.”

The next preseason game on the schedule goes Friday in Minnesota. While every preseason game is an opportunity for players trying to make an impression, the injuries on the team’s back end mean there could be an added emphasis on that particular contest.

“(Dylan) Coghlan and (Haydn) Fleury, now it’s another opportunity for those guys to step up,” Arniel said, adding Elias Salomonsson to that list as well.

Simon Lundmark, who played 13:29 against Minnesota as the replacement for Stanley, was also commended for his efforts by Arniel.

“He found out five minutes before warm-up that he was going in and did a fantastic job,” he said. “Like I said at the very beginning, there are opportunities, they come in different ways, and those guys are doing a great job of taking advantage of it.”

BARRON WAITING PATIENTLY

It’s been almost a week since Morgan Barron made his preseason debut against the Minnesota Wild on September 21. He played 14:19 that night, recording two shots, but since then it’s been all practice sessions for the 25-year-old.

“I’m sure I’ll be getting in one soon again and get another opportunity to ramp up toward the season,” said Barron. “I think as we inch toward the start of the regular season the systems start to come into play a little bit more, the line-up morphs into what it will look like for game one of the regular season.”

The Halifax, NS product is looking to build on his 2023-24 campaign, which saw him set a career high with 11 goals. It was the first time he’s hit double-digits in that category.

His average ice time per-game (10:30) was a shade under three minutes less than the previous season (13:15), but he still had the third-most shorthanded ice time per-game on the team (among forwards) at 1:26.

He’s always been reliable - even taking face-offs when called upon - but like any player, he’s always hoping to expand his role.

“For me, there were times last year where I did that and there were times where I didn’t. It needs to be consistent,” he said after Thursday’s one-hour skate. “I have a belief in myself. If I keep playing my game the way that I know I can, those things will come in time. But you definitely have to manage your timeline and when you’re going to get there. It’s something we’ve all worked on, everybody wants more minutes. You’ve got to go out there and prove it to the coaches.”

It all starts on October 9 against the Edmonton Oilers at Rogers Place. Barron knows there is more work to do in training camp before that day arrives, but that doesn’t mean the group isn’t getting antsy for it to arrive.

“This is kind of the point where camp just kind of drags out and you just want to get going and compete against other teams,” Barron said. “It’s exciting. We’re all just ready to get going now.