Jets have plenty of intriguing storylines after extra-long, but productive off-season

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This article was published 21/09/2016 (3353 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

It’s been a long off-season for fans of the Winnipeg Jets.

After reaching a franchise-best 99 points in the 2014-15 season, en route to their first playoff berth since arriving from Atlanta in 2011, the Jets found themselves 21 points short of that mark last season.

Though a poor record cost Winnipeg another chance to compete for the Stanley Cup, it did set them up nicely for the future as the Jets would go on to pick second overall in June’s NHL Draft, eventually landing Finnish sensation Patrik Laine.

Laine joins a Winnipeg team filled with youth and complemented by a stable of veterans. Together, they’ll look to maximize their potential, in what should be an intriguing season ahead.

Building that chemistry begins in earnest Thursday with the official start to the 2016 training camp, beginning with team physicals before on-ice sessions begin at the MTS Iceplex Friday afternoon.

Here are five storylines to keep an eye on in the coming weeks:

THE CHOSEN ONE AT NO. 2

There will dozens of players competing for 23 spots. But all eyes will surely be on Laine.

Laine captured the attention of hockey circles around the world with his play at the IIHF World Championships in May, with the 18-year-old forward being named the tournament MVP.

That honour capped off a year in which Laine also won a gold medal at the World Juniors – he was named a tournament all-star – and helped lead Tappara, his Finnish elite league team, to a Liiga championship – a run that ended with him earning playoffs MVP.

Fair or not, there will be lofty expectations for Laine. With the Jets expected to return to a No.1 line of Blake Wheeler, Mark Scheifele and Nikolaj Ehlers, Laine figures to fill in the left-wing spot on the Jets’ second line with centre Bryan Little and right-winger Drew Stafford.

A big body (6-4, 206) with a booming shot, Laine will be hard to miss. Just how quickly will he be able to adjust to the smaller ice surface and with new linemates, we’ll just have to wait and see.

TIME TICKING FOR TROUBA

Jacob Trouba told Free Press columnist Paul Wiecek in an interview last week that he preferred no to be updated on contract negotiations while he competed for Team North America at the World Cup of Hockey. That way, Trouba reasoned, it wouldn’t create a distraction.

The 22-year-old right-handed defenceman won’t be afforded the same luxury during training camp. If Trouba doesn’t reach a deal, he won’t be on the ice once the Toronto tournament ends and speculation surrounding his absence will only heat up with each passing day.

In each year of his three-year entry-level deal, Trouba averaged more than 22 minutes of ice-time per game, while playing a key role on the penalty kill. Now set to earn a considerable raise, he hasn’t hidden the fact he hopes to play a bigger role with the Jets this season, which means more time against opposing team’s top lines and a role on the power play.

If Trouba is to get his wish, he’ll have to play on the left side. Whether he’s lined up with Dustin Byfuglien or Tyler Myers is still to be determined, making it just another reason to keep an eye on No. 8 if and when he inks a new contract.

UP FOR GRABS

You’ve spent months drafting and re-drafting your ideal lineups for the coming season. And in doing so, you’ve likely scratched your head a few times trying to come up with the ‘perfect’ team.

But there is no place more difficult to predict on the roster than the bottom six forwards – a battle that will include as many as 12 players vying for as few as five spots.

While the top two lines are pretty much written in stone, a ton of question marks remain on the third and fourth lines. Perhaps only Mathieu Perreault can be considered a lock for the third line – whether on the wing or up the middle – but the same kind of guarantee can’t be said for the rest of the competition.

What makes this battle even more intriguing, is it will pin a number of veterans against a pool of youth, with neither group having a clear edge over the other.

Early front-runners for the third line include Kyle Connor, who the Jets selected 17th overall in 2015 and in one year at the University of Michigan emerged as one of the best players in the NCAA last season; and 28-year-old free-agent signing Shawn Matthias, who enters camp with 479 games of NHL experience.

Then there’s Joel Armia, Nic Petan and Marko Dano, all of whom spent time with the Jets last year. Alexander Burmistrov will also be expected to push for a job here.

With Adam Lowry a safe bet as the fourth-line centre, Andrew Copp will have to compete for a spot on the wing with a long list of others, including returning players Chris Thorburn and Anthony Peluso; and another group of young prospects in J.C. Lipon, Brandon Tanev, Quinton Howden and Brendan Lemieux.

Indeed, spots are up for grabs, and who will fill them remains up in the air. Let the battle begin.

DEPTH ON DEFENCE

With a combination of Byfuglien and Myers and Toby Enstrom and Trouba making up the top-two D pairings, determining who will round out the Jets’ third group remains a guessing game.

It’s certainly crowded on the left side, with veteran Mark Stuart in a battle to regain his spot from last year. Ben Chiarot and newly signed left-handed defenceman Brian Strait, who inked with the Jets on July 1 after four seasons with the New York Islanders, are potential replacements; so, too, is Josh Morrissey, the Jets first-round pick in 2013 who is coming off his first professional season with the Moose. Julian Melchiori, who played 11 games with the Jets last season, is also an option.

Paul Postma, who has struggled with injuries the past couple years, enters camp healthy and will push for a spot on the right side. In the final year of his contract, it appears now or never for the 27-year-old. Although he remains the only right-handed shot, expect Chiarot and Melchiori as potential options to play on their opposite side.

CREASE CONUNDRUM

For the first time since the Jets returned to Winnipeg, Ondrej Pavelec will not be the undisputed No. 1 goaltender heading into training camp.

Pavelec, who has struggled to post quality numbers over his career, including five seasons with the Jets, will be in tough against 23-year-old, third-year pro Connor Hellebuyck.

The two shared the crease last season, with Pavelec, who missed nearly three months with a knee injury, only having a slight edge in games with 31 starts compared to Hellebuyck’s 26.

It is believed Hellebuyck has hit his ceiling in the AHL – he was named to the all-star game in both his seasons in the minors – and that he’s mature enough to handle a full season in the NHL. In 26 starts with the Jets last year, Hellebuyck finished with a modest 2.34 goals against average and a .918 save percentage, while also posting two shutouts.

As for Pavelec, the 29-year-old Czech has struggled with consistency over his career. In 371 games over nine seasons, he has a 2.85 goals against average and a .907 save percentage.

Will this be the year the Jets hand over the keys to the crease to Hellebuyck?

jeff.hamilton@freepress.mb.ca

twitter: @jeffkhamilton