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![\"ETHAN](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/4114294_web1_CP175877982.jpg\")
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ETHAN CAIRNS \/ THE CANADIAN PRESS FILES<\/p>\n
Winnipeg Jets Morgan Barron (36) and Vancouver Canucks Linus Karlsson (94) vie for the puck during the second period of an NHL hockey game in Vancouver, B.C., on Wednesday, Feb. 25, 2026.<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn\u2019t have the puck. I think he got a two for it, that was kind of what I thought was the appropriate call,\u201d said Barron, who started the game on the fourth line with Isak Rosen and Parker Ford. \u201cI don\u2019t think it was anything more than that.\u201d<\/p>\n
After the whistle had blown, Barron found Manson in front of the net and challenged him to drop his gloves.<\/p>\n
Manson obliged and while Barron caught the Avalanche blue-liner with a hard right that left him with a black eye, the Jets forward took a shot that forced him to sit for two games.<\/p>\n
\u201cYeah, I watched it. I watched it a few times,\u201d said Barron, asked if he studied the video of his fight in the aftermath. \u201cObviously, (Manson) knows what he\u2019s doing and I kind of opened myself up there (to the punch). It\u2019s part of the game. I have no regrets about it. You learn from those things, I think. I was just sticking up for myself.\u201d<\/p>\n
Suffering the injury was an unfortunate byproduct of sticking up for himself, but Jets head coach Scott Arniel appreciated the thought process behind what transpired.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe fight came about in a situation where he got hit there without suspecting. I\u2019m glad he stood up for himself,\u201d said Arniel. \u201cMaybe not take on one of the toughest guys in the league, but at the end of the day he did a heck of a job.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s all part of this time of year, the desperation you\u2019re seeing from everybody. Everybody has battles, it doesn\u2019t have to be fights, but it does have to be that compete. That one went a little bit different, but at the end of the day to have him back, he\u2019s a key piece to our team.\u201d<\/p>\n
Arniel was happy to have Barron back for what figures to be a heavy game against the Stars in what will be the fourth and final meeting of the regular season.<\/p>\n
\u201cHim eating up minutes, both five-on-five and on the penalty kill,\u201d said Arniel, asked where Barron\u2019s impact would be felt. \u201cHe\u2019s having a heck of a year for us. He\u2019s a key piece. His speed is a big factor. He helps push that line. I think just him, his confidence this year, how he plays without the puck, he\u2019s the type of guy that will get inside and use his power. That\u2019s what we need.\u201d<\/p>\n
Barron felt fortunate that the symptoms of the first documented concussion of his career were mild.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s a lot of grey area about what is and what isn\u2019t (a concussion), with the severity of them and things like that,\u201d said Barron. \u201cI don\u2019t know. I didn\u2019t try to compare it to anyone else\u2019s or any prior experience. I just took it day by day and like I said, I felt good and just went from there.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s been fine. Obviously, sitting at home, I felt pretty good pretty much the whole time. Just kind of going through the protocol and I got to watch the guys win two games, so it\u2019s been good.<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t JULIO CORTEZ \/ THE ASSOCIATED PRESS FILES<\/p>\n Winnipeg Jets head coach Scott Arniel, center, reacts during the third period of an NHL hockey game against the Dallas Stars Monday, Feb. 2, 2026, in Dallas. <\/p>\n \u201cHonestly, I woke up the next day and felt like I played a hockey game. I felt pretty good otherwise and I\u2019ve been in the rink every day. I just ramped up the workouts and skates and stuff as time goes. I never had any setbacks, luckily, so I got to take my (baseline) test two nights ago and I felt good.\u201d<\/p>\n Getting past that final hurdle allowed Barron to jump on a plane and meet the Jets in Dallas for the critical Central Division battle.<\/p>\n \u201cI always try to look at (the glass) half full. I missed two games and the guys went and got four points. This isn\u2019t like I\u2019ve been sitting on the sidelines for a few weeks,\u201d said Barron. \u201cI feel great on the ice. I feel I can pick up right where I left off.\u201d<\/p>\n The Jets made one other change to the lineup, inserting Haydn Fleury on the third pairing for Jacob Bryson.<\/p>\n \n\t\tWinnipeg Free Press | Newsletter\n\t<\/p>\n \t\t\tThe Warm-Up<\/p>\n Winnipeg Jets Game Days<\/p>\n On Winnipeg Jets game days, hockey writers Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe send news, notes and quotes from the morning skate, as well as injury updates and lineup decisions. Arrives a few hours prior to puck drop.<\/p>\n \t\t\tSign up for The Warm-Up<\/a><\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t \u201cI have a bit of a rotation going there. We\u2019ll see how that plays,\u201d said Arniel. \u201cI wanted to get Bryson in. He had played a lot when he got here after the trade and then he sat for a while. So, it\u2019s more of that.\u201d<\/p>\n Going into Thursday\u2019s action, the Jets were two points behind the Los Angeles Kings in the chase for the second wild card berth in the Western Conference.<\/p>\n \u201cThis wildcard chase keeps getting tighter and tighter,\u201d said Barron, who sits eighth in team scoring with 11 goals and 23 points in 63 games. \u201cI think everyone is in a good space and we\u2019re excited to play a good team.\u201d<\/p>\n The Jets close out this four-game road trip on Saturday against Rick Bowness and the Columbus Blue Jackets.<\/p>\n winnipegfreepress.com\/kenwiebe<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t Ken Wiebe Ken Wiebe is a sports reporter for the Free Press, with an emphasis on the Winnipeg Jets. He has covered hockey and provided analysis in this market since 2000 for the Winnipeg Sun, The Athletic, Sportsnet.ca and TSN. Ken was a summer intern at the Free Press in 1999 and returned to the Free Press in a full-time capacity in September of 2023. Read more about Ken<\/a>.<\/p>\n Every piece of reporting Ken produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print \u2014 part of the Free Press\u2018s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press\u2019s history and mandate<\/a>, and learn how our newsroom operates<\/a>.<\/p>\n Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber<\/a>.<\/p>\n Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.<\/p>\n \t\t
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