With Dmitry Kulikov away from the team due to a personal matter, Sami Niku comes up from the Moose, where he has two assists in two games this season. With very few quality NHL defensemen on the roster, Niku should play in Pittsburgh on Tuesday—he had four points (1G / 3A) in 30 NHL games last year.
Niku has been in the Jets lineup for the last six games but will be replaced by Ben Chiarot in the lineup on Tuesday.
Niku was sent down over the All-Star break but is expected to draw right back into the Jets lineup in Philadelphia on Monday. Niku played the final five games before the break because the Jets are without Dustin Byfuglien and Ben Chiarot on the blue line. Niku, who has great AHL numbers, has just two assists, six shots and a plus-3 rating while playing 12:21 TOI/gm in 10 games with Winnipeg.
Niku has not recorded a point in five games with the Jets this season. Niku has registered 10 points (2G / 8A) in 17 games with the Moose. He could draw into the Jets lineup while Dustin Byfuglien is sidelined.
Niku played in five games with the Jets but was a healthy scratch for the last three games. The 22-year-old is one of the Jets’ top prospects but needs some more seasoning while the Jets are loaded on the blueline. Niku has five points (1G / 4A) in 12 games with Manitoba this season.
Niku will make his season debut with Joe Morrow sidelined with a lower-body injury. It will be Niku’s second career NHL game. He has registered 59 points (17G / 42A) in 88 career AHL games, so he brings some offence to the Jets blueline.
Niku, 21, was a seventh round pick in 2015 and has had a great debut season in North America. The Finnish defenseman has registered 15 goals and 37 assists (52 points) in 71 games with Manitoba after spending the early parts of his career in Finland.
