Looks like young Jets starting again from base camp

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 31/10/2016 (3263 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Two seasons ago, the Winnipeg Jets were desperately seeking an NHL playoff berth — a big, hard-hitting bunch with mayhem on their minds.

Those Jets slipped into the playoffs but were quickly swept out of the post-season by the more seasoned, uber-talented Anaheim Ducks. 

Last season, in the midst of a youth movement, the Jets faded early during the regular season and were never a serious threat for the playoffs.

In 2016-17, the injection of young players has gone a step further but the improvements, if any, are sometimes difficult to see.

Fans are watching a young, inexperienced team struggling to win. The older Jets played a pounding style that became a minor success story with a less talented roster.

As GM Kevin Cheveldayoff has brought younger, more skilled players online, it’s become clear a faster, smarter team is emerging. The transition, however, is ruthlessly slow.

Here are some key things we’ve learned about the new-look Jets, who are 4-5-0 through nine games:

 

WHAT WE KNOW

Little’s absence creates big void

When veteran No. 2 centre Bryan Little left the during the first period of Winnipeg’s regular-season opener with a lower-body injury, it was a tough blow for the Jets.

Few could have anticipated the collateral damage over the next eight games.

To compensate, head coach Paul Maurice has been juggling his lines. Sometimes the combinations pay off — the recently assembled unit of Adam Lowry, Joel Armia and Shawn Matthias has been superb — and sometimes Maurice moves on to something else when it becomes clear the chemistry is off. There’s been a lot of that lately.

For long stretches, the Jets have looked out of sync. Losing Little’s veteran leadership, hard work and trustworthiness in all facets of the game has had a debilitating effect. Little’s status is considered week-to-week and he may not return until December. 

 

The trouble without Trouba

Jacob Trouba or a reasonable facsimile of the young blue-liner would be a welcome addition in Winnipeg.

Whether the restricted free agent re-signs with the Jets or continues to stay away, pushing for a trade, remains to be seen. A resolution prior to a Dec. 1 roster deadline seems likely but both sides in the dispute look like they’ve been digging in for the long haul.

Getting Trouba back to the NHL is tied to what Winnipeg’s potential trade partners believe he is capable of becoming. Is he a truly elite, first-pairing defenceman or does he project as more of a second-pairing guy, as some evaluators believe?

Cheveldayoff’s track record suggests he will make a move only when the deal suits him, and it’s likely he’s driving a hard bargain. But what happens when desperation sets in?

 

The big three

Based on their remarkable run late in 2015-16, Mark Scheifele (with an NHL best 33 points in 26 games from Feb. 18), Blake Wheeler and Nikolaj Ehlers started the season as Winnipeg’s top forward line.

Change came early when Patrik Laine was slotted in, moving Ehlers to a unit centred by Mathieu Perreault. Laine, Scheifele and Wheeler have combined for 13 of Winnipeg’s 22 goals so far but their play hasn’t reached that same level of dominance on display towards the end of last season.

“If Blake and Mark are getting a little bit of room out there, Patrik finds the holes,” said Maurice after swapping Ehlers in for Laine early against the Buffalo Sabres Sunday. “They get a little bit more time with the puck. In a real hard, tight-checking game (when) there’s a lot of holdups in the neutral zone, Niky can get on it a little faster.

“Both bring something different and both make the Perreault line look a little bit different, too. You’ll see a lot of movement there over this year.”

Translation: expect Maurice’s chemistry experiment to continue.

 

The NHL season will be gruelling

The Jets will play a compressed schedule in 2016-17, with 82 regular-season games spread out over 178 days. The season began later than usual to accommodate the World Cup of Hockey.

Factor in four mandatory days off per month and a new, CBA-mandated five-day bye in mid-season, and the concern should be clear.

Practice time, and, by extension, teaching time for Maurice will be at a premium. It’s something a squad such as the Jets (with the NHL’s second-youngest roster at an average age of 25.9) can ill afford. 

 

THE UNKNOWNS 

Roughing it in the bigs

Laine, Kyle Connor, Brandon Tanev and Josh Morrissey are raw rookies who have experienced varying degrees of success in the early stages of their NHL careers.

Will they continue to progress, or will the grind of an NHL season take its toll? And are college players such as Connor and Tanev, accustomed to a reduced game schedule, more likely to hit a wall at mid-season?

“The four new guys… and you’ve gotta throw Joel Armia in that mix, too, in his first (full) NHL season,” said Maurice. “Morrissey’s played exceptionally well. Patrik’s obviously scoring and Brandon Tanev, for what he does, has been really, really good. I think with Kyle scoring the other night, he’s skating now, and it’s just going to take some time. I’m real pleased with the way they’ve fit in. Yeah, we’re trending in the right direction.”

The plan seems to be short-term pain for long-term gain. Young players in Maurice’s scheme will continue to get significant playing time or, if their play doesn’t support it, they could be taking a trip to the AHL. Nic Petan, JC Lipon and Andrew Copp are among those waiting for their chance.

Of the four rookies, Morrissey’s presence is the most surprising. Had Trouba been in the lineup, Morrissey would likely have started the season with the Manitoba Moose. Instead, he’s partnering capably with minute-eating star Dustin Byfuglien.

 

Buff working overtime

Byfuglien has always had a heavy workload but he’s responded in heroic fashion lately, logging average ice time of 28:36 through the first nine games. That’s tops in the NHL, more than the likes of the L.A. Kings’ Drew Doughty, the Minnesota Wild’s Ryan Suter, Duncan Keith of the Chicago Blackhawks and Erik Karlsson of the Ottawa Senators.

Common sense suggests this is unsustainable.

With Byfuglien’s high risk/reward style, Trouba’s continued absence and an injury to Tyler Myers, who was averaging 23:51 of ice time per game, keeping Buff fresh and playing more manageable minutes should be a priority. Maurice has acknowledged as much, but expecting more from Paul Postma, Mark Stuart and Ben Chiarot may not be realistic.

Trouba, who averaged 22:04 of ice time to Byfuglien’s 25:12 last season, would be indispensable.

 

Is this Hellebuyck’s team?

When veteran goaltender Ondrej Pavelec was shipped to the minors last month, it signalled a significant shift for the Jets.

After more than a year of hedging their bets with the more experienced Pavelec, Maurice went all in with young Michael Hutchinson and an even younger Connor Hellebuyck. Both have been mostly average so far.

Hellebuyck was the No. 3 man for Team North America at the World Cup, and he’s the clear favourite to be the No. 1 in Winnipeg. However, Maurice went with Hutchinson as the starter in back-to-back weekend games after alternating the goalies for most of October.

More experimenting — it’s a theme that could continue for some time to come.

mike.sawatzky@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @sawa14