Jets place David Gustafsson on waivers for Oct. 9

Just hours before the puck drops on their season, the Winnipeg Jets have already made a roster move.

On Thursday, the team placed forward David Gustafsson on waivers. It comes not long after the news that forward Jonathan Toews would be in the lineup for the Jets’ season-opener against the Dallas Stars.

If he clears waivers on Friday, Gustafsson will be eligible to be assigned to the Jets’ American Hockey League affiliate, the Manitoba Moose.

The Swedish center was initially placed on Winnipeg’s opening-night roster, as Toews and Adam Lowry were both listed as injured, non-roster players. However, with the former Chicago Blackhawks captain cleared to play, Gustafsson seemed to be the odd man out.

Gustafsson has split time with the Jets and the Moose throughout his tenure with the organization. Last year, the 25-year-old spent the entire season with Winnipeg, but appeared in just 36 games. He scored two goals and four assists for six points, registering a plus/minus of +10 while averaging less than nine minutes of ice time per game. He played in four postseason games as the Jets made it as far as the Central Division Final before ultimately losing to the Stars.

It came after a 2023-24 campaign where Gustafsson set career highs in goals (3) and points (7), while playing in 39 games. The most games the HV71 product has played in a single NHL season is 46, a number he reached during the 2022-23 season.

In 149 regular-season games with the Jets, Gustafsson has scored six goals and 14 assists for 20 points. He’s also scored a couple of goals in 11 Stanley Cup Playoff contests. In 93 AHL appearances, both regular-season and playoffs, he has totaled 24 goals and 36 assists for 60 points.

Gustafsson, who was taken by the Jets in the second round of the 2018 NHL Draft, is heading into the final season of his two-year contract. The deal has an NHL cap hit of $835,000, with the Tingsryd native becoming a restricted free agent with arbitration rights next summer.