According to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet, the Winnipeg Jets have placed Jansen Harkins on waivers, as Nikolaj Ehlers and Cole Perfetti close in on a return to the lineup. Harkins already cleared at the beginning of the season but has played far too many games to be assigned to the minor leagues without going through the process again.
The 25-year-old forward has played more than 150 games for the Jets over the last four years, after developing into a dominant presence in the minor leagues. Last season he set career highs with 77 games played, seven goals, and 13 points while averaging fewer than ten minutes a game. This year the ice time has gone up, but the production has remained limited, with just two goals and five points for Harkins so far.
Ehlers has been out for nearly the entire season and Perfetti since before Christmas. The pair are expected to slot right back into top-six roles upon their return, moving everyone down a peg and pushing fourth-line players like Harkins out of the lineup. With a two-year, one-way contract on the books that carries a cap hit of $850K, it is unlikely that any other team will claim him.
Still, it’s not impossible, and that shows how recent waiver claim Karson Kuhlman has played his way up the depth chart in Winnipeg. The 27-year-old is averaging more than 15 minutes a night since arriving and was practicing on Mark Scheifele’s wing again today. When Ehlers and Perfetti return, Kuhlman can move down and into the role vacated by Harkins, should he be assigned to the minor leagues or claimed tomorrow.
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