Winnipeg Jets Dump Former First-Round Pick

The Winnipeg Jets have placed forward Brad Lambert on waivers, making the 22-year-old available to the rest of the NHL.

Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported the move, which gives the other 31 teams 24 hours to claim the former first-round pick.

If Lambert clears, Winnipeg is expected to reassign him to the American Hockey League’s Manitoba Moose.

Lambert arrived in the 2022 NHL Draft with fading but still substantial pedigree. A year earlier, many scouts ranked him among the top three prospects in his class.

A difficult draft season in Finland’s Liiga eroded that standing.

He managed only two goals and six points with JYP while posting a minus-10 rating, then added two goals and four points in 25 games with the Pelicans after a midseason move, finishing at minus-6. The Jets selected him 30th overall nonetheless.

After signing his entry-level contract, Lambert began his professional career with the Moose, collecting two goals and three points in 14 games.

Winnipeg then loaned him to the Western Hockey League’s Seattle Thunderbirds for the remainder of the 2022-23 season.

There he found his stride, scoring 17 goals and 38 points in 26 games with a plus-27 rating. In the playoffs he added six goals and 26 points in 17 contests while posting a plus-13, helping Seattle reach the Memorial Cup final.

Since returning to the Jets organization, Lambert has spent the large majority of his time with Manitoba, with intermittent NHL call-ups.

His offensive ability has never been in question, yet the same concerns that surfaced before the draft have lingered: a casual approach to defense and stretches when he appears mentally disengaged.

From the 2023-24 season onward, he has scored 34 goals and 103 points in 159 AHL games, but those numbers come with a stark minus-46 rating. In the NHL he has three goals and nine points in 42 games, averaging 10:33 of ice time and carrying a minus-9.

At his age and with his skill set, a claim would not be surprising. Clubs near the bottom of the league’s offensive rankings—among them the Calgary Flames, Chicago Blackhawks, Columbus Blue Jackets and Philadelphia Flyers—could reasonably view him as a low-risk addition capable of providing scoring depth.

There is also a family dimension. Lambert’s uncle, Lane Lambert, is head coach of the Seattle Kraken. Seattle traded center Shane Wright to Nashville earlier this week, which could create an opening if the Kraken choose to bring the younger Lambert into their organization.

The next day will clarify whether he remains in Winnipeg’s system or begins a new chapter elsewhere.