Jets' Sami Niku: Shuffles down to minors

The Jets assigned Niku to AHL Manitoba on Sunday.

The Jets are off until Jan. 28, so Niku is being sent down to keep him on the ice. Whether he's recalled after the break depends on the statuses of Dustin Byfuglien (ankle) and Ben Chiarot (lower body). The 22-year-old has two points in 10 games with Winnipeg this year, and he's managing just 12:22 TOI, which is quite low for a defenseman.