Namestnikov Makes Strong First Impression as Jets Beat Oilers

For a guy having now officially played on 25 percent of the NHL’s 32 teams, fitting in has likely become second nature for the Winnipeg Jets’ newest forward, Vladislav Namestnikov.

Having been dealt at the trade deadline on four separate occasions… well, you get the picture. The 30-year-old has really gotten around – and not by his own doing either.

“I’ve been through this a lot of times, so I’m kind of used to it now,” Namestnikov said on Saturday. “You kind of come in, you get to meet everyone and then you jump on the ice with them and go play.”

The latest stop on the map for the 2011 first round draft pick of the Tampa Bay Lightning is the Jets. Having been dealt from Tampa to San Jose in the days leading up to the deadline, the Sharks then moved him to Winnipeg in exchange for a 2025 fourth round draft pick.

He watched on television as his new teammates were thumped by the Oilers in Edmonton on Friday night, before joining the crew on Saturday for a brief meet and greet prior to puck drop in the second game of a home-and-home from Canada Life Centre in downtown Winnipeg.

“Just have a clear head,” Namestnikov said prior to puck drop. “It’s hockey. Go out there and have fun. All the systems stuff, I’ve been through it all. I just have to go out there and learn on the fly, and give my best.”

The 6:00 PM Hockey Night in Canada contest lived up to its lofty expectations, as the two teams combined for four lead changes and 12 total goals scored on the night.

#NHLJets forward Blake Wheeler is applauded by the crowd at @CanadaLifeCtr for skating in career game No. 1,100. pic.twitter.com/8oPcFdRO83

— Carter Brooks (@CBrooksie84) March 5, 2023

In the process, the Jets’ newest forward notched his first point as a member of the Jets. And in skating with linemates Adam Lowry and Morgan Barron, he helped both end lengthy goalless droughts. For Lowry, it was 35 games between tallies, while Barron had not scored in 20 outings.

Winnipeg ended up winning the retribution game 7-5, sending Edmonton home without a point, despite a Leon Draisaitl hat trick performance.

With fellow new arrival Nino Niederreiter earning his first point as a Jet on Friday night in Edmonton, and following it up with another helper on Saturday, Namestnikov was also up for the challenge of striking early.

His assist came on a Dylan DeMelo empty-netter, but no matter the way he collects his points, they still show up beside his name on the score sheet.

“I’m a two-way player, responsible in my zone. I can play in all situations and will give everything for the win,” he said earlier. “For me, I just have to come in and bring that energy maybe… But nothing really changes in my game. I just have to go out there and play that two-way, responsible hockey and be an energy plug.”

He did just that, and his teammates took notice.

“He was awesome,” defenceman Josh Morrissey said post-game. “Any time I’ve played against him in the past, he’s got skill, he’s pesky, he plays hard and gets in there. He’s pretty gritty and I thought he played that way today, made some nice plays with the puck. I’m sure it’s not the easiest in that scenario, when you get in late and we didn’t have a morning skate today. Mostly guys met him at 3:30 this afternoon. That’s never an easy thing, new equipment and all that. I thought he played great and it’s a big addition.”

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The six-foot, 180-pound winger finished the night with three hits, a shot on net, an important block late in the game, and the one assist. He also helped hold the NHL’s leading scorer Connor McDavid to just one assist in the game.

“We’ve had a lot of guys stepping up and him coming in, a long travel day yesterday and he hadn’t skated in a few days, meeting guys for the first time and he jumps right in and plays an awesome game,” forward Adam Lowry said. “No easy task going up against McDavid and that shot block at the end there, we were dead tired and handing on for dear life. It allows us to get it out of the zone. That’s what it takes to win. That’s what it takes to get out of these slides we’ve been in the last little wild. We need to see that from everyone.” 

Namestnikov may have been new to the majority of his teammates, but he actually had suited up alongside Sam Gagner (Detroit), Neal Pionk (New York) and DeMelo before. He had also worked under Rick Bowness on two separate occasions when the Jets’ bench boss was assisting in Tampa Bay, as well as his time as the head coach in Dallas.

“He’s a competitive guy,” Bowness praised Namestnikov. “He’s not the biggest guy out there, but he’s very very competitive… Those shot blocks are absolutely huge. That’s how you win games. That second effort, you gotta pay the price to win, especially against a great team like they have.”

In finally picking up a win after six tries, the Jets have now clawed back into third place in the Central Division and will remain at home as the bottom-feeding San Jose Sharks come for a visit on Monday night. Winnipeg’s nearest geographical rival – the Minnesota Wild – will then come to town on Wednesday for the third spot of a three-game homestand. Both games feature 6:30 PM central start times, and can be viewed live on Sportsnet in Canada.