Jets’ Samberg back in action

SEATTLE — Dylan Samberg went back to retrieve a puck, as he’s done so many times before.

Only this time, the Winnipeg Jets defenceman was checked into the glass by Calgary Flames winger Ryan Lomberg in the fourth of six exhibition games.

Moments later, Samberg was heading off the ice and running down the tunnel in serious discomfort.

“It wasn’t a hard hit or anything. It was awkward and jammed it. Obviously the rest is history,” Samberg said on Thursday morning. “I didn’t think it was this serious. I knew something was wrong. I obviously didn’t expect to miss six weeks out of it, but that’s the way it goes. It’s part of the game. Just a bit of adversity there.”

Unfortunately for Samberg, he’s dealt with plenty of adversity, whether it was the fractured ankle he suffered after blocking a Steven Stamkos one-timer last season or the freak injury he sustained in a training camp drill when he got tangled up with Johnathan Kovacevic a few seasons ago.

“It’s never easy to miss time and watch the guys. It’s nice to get back on the road, get back into a routine and everything,” said Samberg, who expanded on which parts of his game he’d like to continue to grow. “Obviously, the offensive side of things. That’s a main focal point. Just confidence in my game and my ability to jump into the rush. I feel like I’m pretty sound defensively and that’s one of my strong suits. I always want to work on the offensive side of things.”

After missing the first 16 games of the campaign, Samberg is eager to get back into the action and he’s never been happier to shed that canary yellow, non-contact jersey.

“I’m sick of being called Big Bird out there,” said Samberg, who had six goals and 20 points in 60 games for the Jets last season. “It’s good to get a regular jersey on there and get back to regular reps.”

There’s nothing cartoonish about trying to measure the impact of having Samberg back in the Jets’ lineup alongside his regular partner Neal Pionk.

“It feels easy,” said Samberg. “He’s very good at communicating. I always know where he’s going to be. He’ll back me up if I go in on the rush, and I’ll back him up. I feel like he’s got more of an offensive side to his game than me, but I feel like our playing styles work well together.”

For as good a job as the Jets have done in trying to play through it, Samberg’s fingerprints are found on many facets of the game, both at five-on-five and on the penalty kill.

The second-round pick in 2017 is coming off a season that saw him flourish in a second-pairing role, playing heavy minutes against top-level competition.

His ability to move seamlessly from a stay-at-home D-man on the third pairing to taking on Top-4 minutes was a massive development.

“He’s one of our best penalty killers. He blocks shots well, has a good stick, takes up a lot of space,” said Pionk, who expanded when asked what makes the pairing so effective together. “It’s the natural chemistry. It’s reading off each other. He knows where I’m going, I know where he’s going for the most part. We have that natural chemistry between passes, between reads on D-zone coverage and stuff like that. We’ll help each other out both ways.”

Pionk is off to an uneven start by his own standards, limited to two assists through 16 games.

The underlying numbers regarding his defensive metrics don’t paint a pretty picture, as his Corsi For percentage at five-on-five is down to 44.23 from 50.94 last season, while being on the ice for 164 scoring chances against (and 115 scoring chances for), including 70 high-danger chances against (and 55 high-danger chances for), according to Natural Stat Trick.

It’s important to remember that it’s still a relatively small sample size, with plenty of time to get things turned around.

While Logan Stanley did a nice job of moving up the depth chart while Samberg missed time, there’s little doubt that Pionk should benefit from having his regular partner back.

That’s not a knock on any of the other players to skate alongside him during the past two seasons, but the Hermantown, Minn., connection bring out out the best in one another.

“It’s like a linemate. Any time you get your linemate back and there’s familiarity on breakouts, there’s familiarity on coverage, and just with those two being such good friends off the ice,” said Jets head coach Scott Arniel. “It’s something that has been built over the last couple of years. It’s good for (Pionk), just as much as it is for (Samberg). It’s nice to have that pair back.”

Samberg recognizes he’ll need some time to get himself back up to game speed, though one of the benefits to the nature of his injury was that he’s been on the ice for an extended period of time — even if he wasn’t able to carry a stick or shoot pucks for part of the recovery process.

“Obviously a long road to recovery and I watched a lot of games and had the itch for quite some time. Being able to skate and not being able to play is tough, but it’s good to be back in the lineup,” said Samberg, who shared his checklist for his return. “Honestly just keep it simple, especially in the first period. Communicate. Obviously, lean on my partner a little bit, just get back into the rhythm of things and get the timing down.”

The trickle down effect means that the Jets will see Stanley slide back down to the third pairing, where he’s now been the most consistent performer to date among the group that will be vying for playing time.

Although Arniel revealed that Haydn Fleury was in concussion protocol after getting hit in the head against the Vancouver Canucks on Tuesday, Colin Miller and Luke Schenn will be in a bit of a rotation or platoon situation as the Jets look for an optimal third pairing.

“We’re not there yet, we’ll wait for (Fleury) to be back, but we’re getting closer (to a full lineup),” said Arniel. “I don’t know how it’s going to work itself out, how it’s going to play itself out from now until Game 82. But at the end of the day, guys are going to go in and guys are going to get opportunities. Whether you get in for one (game) or you come in for three or four or you play for an extended period of time, just be the best version of yourself. That’s all I ask. It’s not the best scenario to be in, obviously. But we’re a good team and we’ve got depth. So when you come in, make the most of it.”

Fleury was placed on injured reserve on Thursday, as was forward Cole Koepke, to help make room for the return of both Samberg and forward Gustav Nyquist, who is slated to skate alongside Parker Ford and Tanner Pearson on the fourth line against the Kraken.

ken.wiebe@freepress.mb.ca

X and Bluesky: @WiebesWorld