Jets return to youth-based focus

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 02/03/2017 (3172 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

When the Winnipeg Jets take on the St. Louis Blues tonight in their 65th regular-season game of 2016-17, it will mark the return of three young players to the lineup.

Andrew Copp, who has missed the last five games with an upper-body injury, will be back. So, too, will Marko Dano, who has been sidelined the last 26 games after blocking a shot with his right leg in a game Dec. 29 against the Columbus Blue Jackets. Jacob Trouba will also be itching to go as he returns from a two-game suspension that was prolonged by the Jets’ recent bye week.

But as much as the lineup will reflect an injection of three youngsters, it also signifies a shift back to a philosophy the Jets had envisioned for this season: youth over experience.

With Trouba back alongside rookie Josh Morrissey, it’s veteran blue-liner Mark Stuart who is the odd-man out. Dano and Copp will make up two-thirds of the fourth line, filling whatever hole was left by the exit of 31-year-old Drew Stafford, who was shipped to the Boston Bruins just before Wednesday’s NHL trade deadline in an effort to salvage whatever the Jets could from an expiring contract (in this case, a conditional sixth-round pick).

What results may come of this experiment are unknown. Despite a high interest this season to develop young talent, a record number of injuries has derailed the plan.

By Thursday afternoon, the Jets’ total man games lost due to injury was at 258 and counting, with defenceman Tyler Myers still working his way back from a groin injury.

With only 17 games left to play — and the Jets still a long shot to earn a playoff spot — what could be of most interest to fans is just how much more the team’s youth will be leaned on down the stretch. Or, more specifically, what roles they will assume once management decides to shift their focus to the future.

Or even better yet, what role will veteran players have in helping speed up the development of the Jets’ young players, knowing well that next season the grip on the torch is only loosened further?

Jets head coach Paul Maurice said he feels comfortable with that transition given the leadership group, and he fully expects those veterans, including the likes of captain Blake Wheeler and Dustin Byfuglien, will be on board to help steer the ship through the rebuild.

“Part of the reason why they’ve been so accepting of these young men isn’t just because they’re good guys,” Maurice said after Thursday’s practice at the MTS Centre.

“They see what some of these young players will do in two or three years and they’d be more than happy to fill a different role. They’re still going to fill a really important role — you’re not going from first line to the fourth line, not in the salary cap era — but I would say absolutely.”

For those who may be sceptical of this welcoming culture, Maurice said to look no further than the development of centre Mark Scheifele, who, at 23, is one of the main drivers on the Jets. According to Maurice, Scheifele’s rise from budding prospect to elite scorer over the past two seasons has a lot to do with the level of acceptance and guidance he’s received from more veteran players.

He believes the same is happening now for the young core that is coming through.

“They understand that they’re drivers here,” Maurice said.

“We’re not winning without them playing their ‘A’ game. I think that also comes with the acceptance level of your senior guys making them feel that way, making them feel that they’re a critical piece. We do have some older players and they’re drivers for sure, but with our young players — and it’s such an important thing that has to happen with our group — is they feel invested in the outcome, that it’s on them as much as it is a guy who has been here six or seven years.”

The expectation now, however, is much different than it was then.

When Scheifele broke into the league, joining the Jets for the start of the 2013-14 season, it was just he and Trouba to guide. This year, the Jets have as many as nine players in the lineup with fewer than three years experience, with most of those still in their first or second full season in the NHL.

It’s good then the guidance Maurice spoke of hasn’t been limited to budding stars such as Patrik Laine and Nikolaj Ehlers, but also for the other younger players expected to play key roles, such as Joel Armia, Nic Petan, Dano and Copp.

Copp was limited to the fourth line in his first full campaign with the Jets last season. This season, he’s played on all four lines and in every situation. He said it’s been a big difference from the one year to the next, not just with his role on the team, but for all the younger players.

“I think all the young guys feel more ownership of it this year and that’s not because there was a divide in the room or anything last year, it’s just it’s the second year for most of these guys,” Copp said. “We feel like this is our baby instead of just the older guys who have been here forever.”

That doesn’t mean there’s a sudden rush to replace the veteran players on the roster.

Players such as Wheeler, Byfuglien, Bryan Little and Mathieu Perreault have all been relied on to carry the team and will continue to be as long as they’re here. Though the results haven’t been great — some analytics websites have the Jets’ chances of missing the playoffs at around 80 per cent — Maurice has been happy with what they’ve been able to do.

“In many ways, and it may not be statistical, but in many ways I would say absolutely that they’ve done that job well in terms of carrying a team,” he said. “You know, the whole idea is there’s probably not enough of them there to put an entire team on their backs but that’s because there are other young players that are willing to do that.”

Players such as Copp, who is still battling every day for a spot with the team but feels more a part of it than ever. He credits his confidence to the veteran leadership core and the environment they’ve created for the young guys.

“It’s not like we’re acting like this is our team now. I think it’s just a matter of that extra push, that extra work ethic, that extra play during the game, we feel like it’s just as much our team as anyone’s,” he said.

“I take as much pride in this team as anybody else does. When we have that ownership by everyone on the team it definitely helps with the culture in the room and the culture on the ice.”

jeff.hamilton@freepress.mb.caTwitter: @jeffkhamilton