#FreeNiku is a popular hashtag among Winnipeg Jets fans on Twitter. On Monday night, Sami Niku was freed, playing his first NHL game this season as Winnipeg took on the Montreal Canadiens. The 23-year-old, who was selected in the 7th round by the Jets in 2015, has been itching for a chance in Winnipeg in 2019-20 so badly that he's admitted to a Finnish media outlet that he was considering requesting a trade if he didn't get one by the Christmas Break. An injury derailed those plans and Niku said he's since decided to stick around until the end of the season, at least.
“Niku was not at all satisfied with the situation and did not hide his disappointment,” a translated version of the article read. “Earlier this fall, Niku and his camp made it clear to the Winnipeg club management that the player was not happy with the situation. Before the latest injury (upper-body), Niku camp thought that Christmas would be the deadline of the NHL call. If there was no invitation, the player would be ready to request a transfer to another club.”
Niku, who was named Best Defenceman in the AHL in 2018, admits in the article to having a bed temper, saying it can go "from 0 to 100 in seconds." He also revealed an incident between him and assistant coach Charlie Huddy during a morning skate in the fall where the two clashed. Niku was told to stay for extra work. He said he apologized and admitted to being in the wrong.
“There was a little confusion, which I later apologized for."“Just some miscommunication, nothing really, and I apologized to him so we don't think about that,”
“Sometimes, I'm just frustrated and maybe I show that a bit too much,” he said. “It's just the way I am and I am working on it.”
Niku said playing in the AHL has become too easy, making everything "f--king difficult." He stated he considered an offer by Lokomotiv Jaroslav in the KHL because he could make more money there than with the Manitoba Moose (Niku has a wife and young child). He declined as he wants to play in the NHL. It likely didn't hurt that Winnipeg told Niku they consider him a big part of the team's future. Coach Paul Maurice reiterated those thoughts while meeting with the media prior to Monday night's game.
"Listen, here's what happened to Sami Niku,” Maurice said. “He got in a car accident two days before training camp and then pulled his groin and he was out for about a month and a half. And it turned out the Winnipeg Jets were winning an awful lot of hockey games. Then he got a real tough injury that he couldn't skate on and he was out another month and a half and we waited for him to get healthy, he played a couple games in the minors and now he's back up here.
“That's what's going on with Sami. There's no controversy with him. He's a good young player who, like all of them, think they should be in the NHL at 14. He's going to be a good NHL player for the Winnipeg Jets for a long time. I like the guy.”
Source: YLE.fi, National Post
