Four Jets Hit Waivers as the Roster Crunch Arrives

Winnipeg placed Noah Gregor and three others on waivers Friday, the routine end-of-camp trimming that every team does this time of year — except nothing about this camp has been routine. The cuts bring the roster closer to opening-night shape, with Gregor, who had worked his way to the third spot on the left wing depth chart during camp, among those let go.

The timing is worth noting. The Jets are already thin in places they'd rather not be, with Elias Salomonsson still out and the blue line carrying real depth concerns behind the top pairing. Losing fringe forwards to waivers is standard procedure; doing it while your franchise goaltender is suspended and your roster flexibility is limited makes the math tighter than usual.

None of the four players placed on waivers were going to solve the problems this organization is actually facing. Those problems — the Hellebuyck standoff, the defensive gaps, the questions about who starts in net on opening night — remain exactly where they were. This is just the calendar doing what the calendar does.