WINNIPEG — Back when he was coaching the AHL’s Manitoba Moose, Winnipeg Jets assistant coach Marty Johnston foreshadowed what we’re seeing from Morgan Barron today.
It was in late March 2022 and Barron — acquired by Winnipeg nine days prior, in the Andrew Copp deal — had just concluded a two-game series against the Laval Rocket where he registered a goal, an assist and nine shots. The six-foot-four forward looked dominant in those two games, making his presence felt in all three zones of the ice.
“It’s a good sign for fans of the Winnipeg Jets,” Johnston, then an assistant with the Moose, said. “Because he’s got a lot of potential.”
Three years later, we’re getting a glimpse of Barron’s ceiling as a high-end bottom-six centre.
It’s not like it’s come out of nowhere, with the 26-year-old solidifying himself as a trusted bottom-six winger and penalty killer over the last two seasons. But since becoming the team’s fourth-line centre since the trade deadline, Barron has kicked his game up a notch.
“I feel like I’ve been playing my best hockey of the year right now,” Barron said after Monday’s 3-1 win over the St. Louis Blues, in which he scored the game’s opening goal.
In 15 games as a centre, Barron has recorded two goals and six points. During his five-on-five minutes, Winnipeg has controlled the high-danger shot share by a significant margin (35-21).
“He’s always said he’s a natural centreman. I think everybody was when they were playing junior or college,” Jets coach Scott Arniel said with a smirk.
While Arniel’s comment about Barron’s familiarity with the position was somewhat tongue-in-cheek, his transition to centre has been seamless.
He exemplifies the ideal modern-day bottom-six centre — with a knack for winning faceoffs (52.2 FOW%), forechecking and holding onto pucks down low. Plus, he pairs those workman traits with blistering speed.
“You want those type of guys coming through the middle of the ice,” Jets forward Kyle Connor said.
Look no further than Monday’s goal: Barron beat Blues forward Mathieu Joseph in a foot race, cut to the inside and chipped the puck past Joel Hofer to give Winnipeg a 1-0 lead early in the second period.
“I like that move, instead of bailing out and going behind the net, (Barron) sticks his leg out and drives inside,” Arniel said.
According to data tracked by AllThreeZones.com, Barron ranks in the 97th percentile in Zone Entries per 60 minutes (25.73) among forwards who have played at least 100 minutes this season.
Earlier in the year, Rasmus Kupari’s speed added an extra layer to the team’s fourth line. But different from Kupari, Barron plays a more direct, straight-line style of play. He doesn’t hesitate to cut to the inside and once he’s in the zone, he leverages his large frame and strong stick skills to extend plays along the wall.
The Cornell alum may have only five playoff games to his name — and not much to show for, aside from that gnarly scar he got from the freak skate incident back in 2023 — but he looks poised to become an impact player once do-or-die games begin.
Big Line Continues to Cook
Connor, Mark Scheifele and Alex Iafallo put on a clinic against St. Louis on Monday.
That trio outchanced the Blues 10-2 during five-on-five play against Robert Thomas, Pavel Buchnevich and Jimmy Snuggerud.
“That Thomas line has been one of the best lines coming (since) the 4 Nations,” Arniel said. “I love the fact that Scheif and those guys go up against the other teams’ top line and do what they do.”
Iafallo scored the game-winning goal with 12:56 remaining in the third period at the tail end of a shift that exemplified that line’s best version of itself. Scheifele and Connor made quick and precise passes along the wall, they fought hard to win pucks back and Iafallo crashed the net for a second chance opportunity.
I wouldn’t rule out this line — which has outchanced opponents 39-27 during five-on-five play — remaining intact once Gabriel Vilardi returns.
Should Arniel opt to roll Nikolaj Ehlers alongside Adam Lowry — a duo that’s jived well in a small sample size — Arniel could slot Vilardi, instead of Nino Niederreiter, alongside Cole Perfetti and Vladislav Namestnikov. Doing so would provide the Jets with a more balanced top nine.
Jets forward Brandon Tanev got a hearty ovation from the fans after blocking three shots in the same shift near the midway point of the third period.
“Doesn’t matter if he gets hit once, twice or three times, he’s going to jump back in that lane,” Arniel said.
The Jets coach described Tanev as an “Energizer bunny,” a fitting nickname given the 33-year-old’s dog-on-a-bone approach.
A month into his second stint with Winnipeg, Tanev is shaping up to be one of the best trade deadline acquisitions of the season. He’s had an impact wherever he’s been deployed — be it on the third line alongside Lowry, the fourth line with Barron or the penalty kill.
He may be approaching his mid-30s, but would anybody complain if Tanev was inked to a multi-year deal this summer by Jets GM Kevin Cheveldayoff?
• Winnipeg tied their franchise record in wins (53) against St. Louis. Unsurprisingly, Arniel wasn’t patting his team’s back after the game.
“It’s gratifying, but it’s stuff for after the year,” he said. “We’re still after something here, we’re still trying to get that division, and this was another step towards it. It’s amazing that we’re at Game 53 and we still haven’t clinched the division, that’s how good our division is.”
• Blues coach Jim Montgomery tipped his cap to the Jets post-game.
“They’re the measuring stick in the West,” Montgomery said, after his team’s franchise-record 12-game win streak was snapped.
• Winnipeg will clinch the Central Division if Dallas loses to Vancouver on Tuesday and the Jets beat the Canucks on Thursday.
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