WINNIPEG — You can’t sugarcoat that Brad Lambert struggled in his fourth pre-season game.
Aside from a heads-up assist to Simon Lundmark late in the third period, which marked the Winnipeg Jets’ fourth goal in their 5-2 win over the Calgary Flames on Wednesday, the 20-year-old centre wasn’t noticeable in a positive way. A combination of turnovers and ill-timed passes — many of which would’ve been intercepted in an NHL regular-season game — negated opportunities to provide offence. His trademark footspeed was seldom on display, at least in a flashy way, as the Jets’ 2022 first-round pick was seldom able to generate runway when carrying the puck.
And defensively, losing several puck battles along the wall — including one sequence where he got called for a hook — added salt to the wound. While there were some flashes of improvement in the third period, including a between-the-legs shot attempt in-tight and a strong read to intercept an opponent breakout pass, it wasn’t enough to make someone walk away from that game thinking ‘that guy is going to make the team out of camp.’
At this point in camp, you’d expect Lambert to look that good in a game against an assortment of bubble NHL players and minor leaguers. But he didn’t. And with the 2024-25 regular season being just a week away, one has to wonder if Lambert’s run out of time to make the opening night roster.
It appears the second-line centre ship has sailed, with Vladislav Namestnikov appearing to cement himself in that spot alongside Nikolaj Ehlers and Cole Perfetti. So, is that it? Is there a point in keeping him around with the big club if he’s not in a top-six role? In theory, the Jets could still carve out a role for Lambert if they veered away from a traditional top-six / bottom-six configuration.
“There’s lots of that, where you have three lines of skill and you’ve got a line that can kill penalties and shut down the opposition and play a physical role. So yeah, you can go down that road,” Arniel told reporters on Tuesday morning. “I’m not really tipping my hand where I’m going, but that is a possibility.”
Realistically, though, the only way the Jets are doing that is if Lambert pushes the envelope and proves he deserves a roster spot. But has he truly shown enough to bank on him being a meaningful NHL contributor? So much so that it’d be better for his development to have him in the NHL, playing 10-12 minutes a night, as opposed to being the go-to guy in the AHL? While Lambert’s recorded three points in four pre-season games, just one of those points have come during five-on-five play. And better yet, Lambert’s play hasn’t elevated to the level you’d expect as we creep closer to October and exhibition play gets closer to resembling real NHL action.
How a three-scoring line approach would look
Kyle Connor — Mark Scheifele — Gabriel Vilardi
Cole Perfetti — Vladislav Namestnikov — Nikolaj Ehlers
Morgan Barron — Adam Lowry — Mason Appleton
Nino Niederreiter — Brad Lambert — Alex Iafallo
On paper, this type of lineup has the potential to be lethal. It also solves a problem the Jets ran into last year with Cole Perfetti, where the Jets were unable to squeeze some youthful skill into their lineup due to him not solidifying himself as a top-six forward, or fitting the mould of a bottom-six forward.
Granted, it goes without saying that Lambert would have to earn the trust of Arniel for this potential lineup configuration to come to fruition. Sure, the Jets could still try this out to start the year and see what happens but once the real games start, Arniel is going to lean on players he trusts. And if Lambert isn’t one of those guys, he won’t be getting ice time alongside two established NHLers.
Vilardi Is Poised For A Breakout Year
You never want to glean too much from pre-season, but man, does Gabriel Vilardi ever look poised to hit another level.
He’s looked dynamic in exhibition games, driving five-on-five play in impressive fashion.
“His passing ability, his vision, his ability to hold onto pucks — is elite,” Arniel said after Vilardi recorded three assists on Wednesday night. “When he does that, he opens up ice for other people. Sometimes he’ll have two defenders on him and that creates some of those holes.”
Vilardi is coming off a promising year where he recorded 22 goals and 36 points in 47 games — that’s a 38-goal, 63-point pace across an 82-game season. The biggest X-factor for Vilardi will be if he can remain healthy, as the 25-year-old — who missed time last year due to an MCL Injury and an enlarged spleen — has never played a full 82-game season.
Since the start of the 2022-23 season, Vilardi ranks tied for 12th in five-on-five goals per 60 minutes (1.25) among skaters that played at least 500 minutes, according to NaturalStatTrick.