Brad Lambert’s NHL Journey Feels Like It’s Just Beginning

Brad Lambert’s 2025-26 season kind of felt like what development often looks like for young NHL forwards. There have been flashes of excitement, a few frustrating detours, and long stretches where the organization was clearly trying to figure out exactly what it had in the player. It wasn’t a breakout year yet, but it also wasn’t a bad one. More than anything, it felt like a season where Lambert slowly started inching closer to becoming a real NHL option.

Lambert had some injury issues early in the season.

Things actually got a little scary before the regular season even started. Back in September, Lambert was briefly evaluated for a concussion during a preseason game against Minnesota after being removed by the concussion spotter. Fortunately, he avoided anything serious and quickly returned to the lineup against Edmonton a couple of days later. At the time, Winnipeg still looked interested in giving the former first-round pick a real shot to stick around.

That opportunity didn’t last long, though. Lambert opened the season as a healthy scratch for Winnipeg’s first two games before being sent down to AHL Manitoba in mid-October. The message was clear that the Jets wanted him playing, not sitting around watching games from the press box. And that probably made sense for his development.

Lambert kept bouncing around the Jets’ organization.

Still, Lambert kept bouncing back into the NHL picture throughout the season. Winnipeg recalled him in October, and by early November, he scored his first NHL goal in a win over Pittsburgh. It was one of those moments young players remember forever. Even then, you could tell consistency and opportunity were still issues. He spent time as a healthy scratch again before eventually heading back to Manitoba in mid-November.

The second half of the season is where things got more interesting. Following Winnipeg’s trade deadline moves in March, Lambert got another NHL recall and finally started receiving a more regular run in the lineup. That’s when you could see some confidence starting to build.

He picked up the first multi-point game of his NHL career in March against Pittsburgh, showing off the kind of skill that made him a first-round selection in the first place. A few weeks later, he snapped a seven-game drought with another goal against Seattle while continuing to settle into a bottom-six role.

Lambert finished the season with questions and a few answers.

By the end of the year, Lambert finished with three goals and six points in 25 NHL games, along with six goals and 13 points in 34 AHL contests. Those numbers won’t blow anybody away, but that’s probably not the real story here anyway. The important thing is that he finally started getting NHL experience consistently instead of bouncing around for emergency appearances.

Young forwards often take a while before things click. The skill has always been obvious with Lambert. The question has been whether he can settle into the grind and structure of everyday NHL hockey. This season felt like a small but meaningful step toward that happening.