The Winnipeg Jets have recalled Brenden Kichton on an emergency basis, while removing those same conditions on Brandon Tanev. While it’s not clear who exactly is injured in the Jets’ defense corps, Rick Ralph of TSN reports that Dustin Byfuglien did exit the game early last night. Should Byfuglien be the one to sit out, he’d join an all-star group on the sidelines. Tyler Myers, Jacob Trouba, Toby Enstrom and Ben Chiarot are all dealing with various injuries at the moment, making the Jets’ defense look like an AHL squad.
One of those AHL players is Kichton, who Winnipeg selected 190th overall in 2013 after he failed to come to terms with the New York Islanders and re-entered the draft. The 24-year old as yet to make his NHL debut but does have two 40+ point seasons in the AHL and has always been an extremely offensive threat. He regularly jumps into rushes, and has an excellent point shot when he’s given the time to release it. The defensive game is coming along, and he has turned himself into more than just an afterthought when it comes to NHL call-ups.
Tanev on the other hand has established himself in the NHL this season, playing 43 games and showing that he can be relied on as a defensive presence among the bottom-six. The brother of Vancouver Canucks defenseman Chris Tanev, Brandon is a hard-working winger who has registered four points this season while logging 111 hits. His presence, while not usually seen on the scoreboard is definitely felt among the opposing player bench. He’ll likely stick around for the rest of the season.