The New Jersey Devils drafted Command 12th overall in the 2026 NHL Entry Draft, and the Jets will hope he lives up to his high-draft expectations. The 18-year-old Swedish forward has yet to play a professional game in North America. He has played 12 games for Orebro HK (SHL) over the past two seasons and has not registered a point.

Daws played his final game for the Devils last night and left on a high note, saving 16 of 17 shots (.941 SV%) in a 4-1 win over the Anaheim Ducks. He has a 2.94 GAA and .897 SV% in 59 career NHL appearances (26-26-1). The 25-year-old German goalie will likely get a chance to battle for playing time behind Stuart Skinner on the Winnipeg Jets.

Mercer, the 18th overall pick in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft, was typically buried in New Jersey's lineup and never had a chance to show his offensive potential. The 24-year-old forward had an encouraging 56-point season (27G / 29A) as a sophomore in 2022-23, but never lived up to that billing in the following three seasons. He should see a larger offensive role with the Winnipeg Jets.

Impressive early-season performances from Stuart Skinner and Clay Stevenson made Connor Hellebuyck's (suspension) absence an afterthought, but recent struggles are keeping Winnipeg's crease uncertain. That said, even in a 2-1 loss to the St. Louis Blues in his previous game, Skinner played well, stopping 26 of 28 shots (.929 SV%). The 27-year-old Canadian goalie has a 2.65 GAA and .910 SV% in six games (3-1-2). The Jets enter Thursday's game as +174 road underdogs against a Dallas Stars team with points in six of its last seven games (5-1-1).

Brayden Yager will draw into Winnipeg's lineup on Thursday for his season debut, resulting in Koepke being a healthy scratch. The 28-year-old Koepke is averaging 9:44 time-on-ice and has one goal in seven games this season.

Yager was drafted 14th overall by the Pittsburgh Penguins in the 2023 NHL Entry Draft, but has yet to make a full-time jump to the NHL. The 21-year-old made his NHL debut last season, playing three games with the Jets and scoring zero points. He has nine points (5G / 4A) in six games this season with Manitoba (AHL).

Impressive early-season performances from Stuart Skinner and Clay Stevenson made Connor Hellebuyck's (suspension) absence an afterthought, but recent struggles are keeping Winnipeg's crease uncertain. That said, even in a 2-1 loss to the St. Louis Blues in his previous game, Skinner played well, stopping 26 of 28 shots (.929 SV%). The 27-year-old Canadian goalie has a 2.65 GAA and .910 SV% in six games (3-1-2). The Jets enter Thursday's game as +174 road underdogs against a Dallas Stars team with points in six of its last seven games (5-1-1).

The Devils are coming off an impressive 4-3 win over the Colorado Avalanche, thanks to a strong performance by Jake Allen, but they will turn to Daws on Thursday. The 25-year-old Daws has only played three of nine games this season (1-2-0), posting a subpar 3.38 GAA and .857 SV%. That said, he was solid in his most recent outing, saving 18 of 19 shots (.947 SV%) in a 7-1 win over the New York Rangers. The Devils enter Thursday's action as significant -201 home favourites against a struggling Anaheim Ducks team that has been outscored 16-8 during a four-game losing streak (0-4-0).

The Devils are coming off an impressive 4-3 win over the Colorado Avalanche, thanks to a strong performance by Jake Allen, but they will turn to Daws on Thursday. The 25-year-old Daws has only played three of nine games this season (1-2-0), posting a subpar 3.38 GAA and .857 SV%. That said, he was solid in his most recent outing, saving 18 of 19 shots (.947 SV%) in a 7-1 win over the New York Rangers. The Devils enter Thursday's action as significant -201 home favourites against a struggling Anaheim Ducks team that has been outscored 16-8 during a four-game losing streak (0-4-0).

Duehr is an undrafted forward with 95 games of NHL experience, but he has spent most of his career in the AHL. The 28-year-old Duehr scored 34 points (17G / 17A) last season in 62 games with the Manitoba Moose (AHL).

Impressive early-season performances from Stuart Skinner and Clay Stevenson made Connor Hellebuyck's (suspension) absence an afterthought, but recent struggles are keeping Winnipeg's crease uncertain. Skinner is coming off a season-worst performance, allowing four goals on 28 shots (.857 SV%) in a 4-3 overtime loss to the Chicago Blackhawks. The 27-year-old goalie has a 2.76 GAA and .906 SV% in five games (3-0-2). The Jets enter Tuesday's contest as +128 road underdogs against a St. Louis Blues team that has lost five of their last seven (2-4-1).

Impressive early-season performances from Stuart Skinner and Clay Stevenson made Connor Hellebuyck's (suspension) absence an afterthought, but recent struggles are keeping Winnipeg's crease uncertain. Skinner is coming off a season-worst performance, allowing four goals on 28 shots (.857 SV%) in a 4-3 overtime loss to the Chicago Blackhawks. The 27-year-old goalie has a 2.76 GAA and .906 SV% in five games (3-0-2). The Jets enter Tuesday's contest as +128 road underdogs against a St. Louis Blues team that has lost five of their last seven (2-4-1).

The Pittsburgh Penguins selected Yager with the 14th overall pick in the 2023 NHL Entry Draft. The 21-year-old forward made his NHL debut last season, playing three games with the Jets and scoring zero points. That said, he could be primed for more NHL deployment after a strong start to 2026-27 in the AHL with the Manitoba Moose, scoring nine points (5G / 4A) in six games.

Salomonsson missed the first eight games of the season as he recovers from a shoulder injury. He'll start the season in the AHL but will likely return to the Jets at some point in the near future. Salomonsson had nine points (1G / 8A) in 29 aAHL games last season.

Namestnikov played a season-high 13:28 in Winnipeg's 5-2 win over Minnesota on Tuesday, but he did not play on Thursday and will remain out week-to-week. The 33-year-old Russian forward has one assist and is averaging 12:06 time-on-ice through six games this season.

Stuart Skinner has been excellent early in the 2026-27 season for the Winnipeg Jets, but is coming off his worst performance in a 4-3 loss to the Chicago Blackhawks on Thursday. The Jets hope to rebound on Saturday, turning to Stevenson to tend the twine against the Carolina Hurricanes. The 27-year-old Stevenson has a 3.10 GAA and .872 SV% in two games (1-1-0).

Duehr has yet to play this season due to a lower-body injury, but he was a full participant at practice on Friday. The 28-year-old defenseman signed a two-year, $1.75 million contract with the Jets in the offseason.