Jets layoff extended

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This article was published 28/12/2021 (1348 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Hopefully the NHL schedule-maker is getting hazard pay these days. Because the changes keep on coming — and the Winnipeg Jets are going to have to wait even longer to return to action.

Friday’s clash in Calgary with the Flames has now been postponed, along with home dates at Canada Life Centre on Jan. 8 (against Seattle) and Jan. 10 (against Minnesota). The decision was made Tuesday by the NHL.

This time, the issue isn’t outbreaks among players, but restrictions on having fans in the stands for games north of the border. Winnipeg can only have a maximum of 250 in attendance under new public health orders which don’t expire until Jan. 11. In Alberta, the Flames (and Oilers) would be limited to 50 per cent capacity. Montreal (no fans), Toronto, Ottawa and Vancouver (50 per cent) also have limits currently place after beginning the season without any.

The NHL wants to give Canadian teams a chance to host those games later in the year, when restrictions might ease and more revenues could be reaped. A total of nine upcoming games have been impacted.

The Jets have had four other games delayed — Dec. 21 in Nashville (multiple Predators in protocol), Dec. 22 in Dallas (border concerns ahead of the holidays) and home dates on Dec. 27 against Minnesota (NHL pause extended an extra day to allow for testing) and Dec. 29 against Chicago (Jets request due to fan limits).

All seven scrapped games are expected to re-scheduled for February, when a three-week scheduling window opens up that was originally going to be used to send players to the Winter Olympics in Beijing. There are now close to 80 games around the league which will need make-up dates during that time.

The Jets last played on Dec. 19, a 4-2 victory over St. Louis. With the New Year’s Eve game now scrubbed, they are slated to return to action on Sunday Jan. 2 in Vegas. The road trip will continue on Jan. 4 in Arizona and Jan. 6 in Colorado, followed by a now week-long break before they play in Detroit on Jan. 13.

Winnipeg’s next scheduled home date is Jan. 15 against Ottawa. Best to mark that in pencil at this point.

With no games for what will now be a two-week stretch, the Jets have had plenty of time to work on their craft. Tuesday’s skate at Canada Life Centre was another hour-long affair, on the heels of similar lengthy sessions on Sunday and Monday. Under former coach Paul Maurice, skates were typically in the 30 to 40 minute range.

Interim bench boss Dave Lowry is using this as a mini-training camp of sorts to put his own stamp on his squad, although he insists he’s not trying to blow it all up but rather make some necessary tweaks.

“I think the big thing is we’re not going to overhaul our systems right now. I think we really believe that we have a very good foundation; it’s about making minor adjustments and doing things slightly different, but the foundation is in place,” said Lowry.

“Our guys have a very good understanding of what is expected. We’ve really looked at using these practice days as an opportunity to get back up to speed. Obviously with the Christmas break to tie them off, we felt this is what we were going to need. We were going to need to build practices that had some structure in them but also got us up and down the ice and we could do our conditioning through the drills.”

Lowry said there’s no question his troops will be champing at the bit to play some high-stakes hockey.

“The biggest thing for us is I hope our guys are going to be tired of practising and they’re going to be excited and looking forward to playing games,” he said.

“We’ve (gone) a little harder than we normally would at this time of the year. We want to make sure we take full advantage of the opportunity to use these practices and use them and do things with a purpose. And that’s getting ready for our next game.”

Defenceman Neal Pionk said this unexpected lengthy break is going to mean an action-packed stretch drive.

“It’s going to be — as far as schedule density — it’s going be a lot like last year where we’re playing whatever we have left, (52) games, in a short amount of time, and on top of that making a push for the playoffs,” he said.

“So, it’s gonna be compacted but it’s gonna be fun. For the break, for me, it’s always a mental refresher more than physical for me, just to walk away and do something else, talk about something else, other than hockey, and of course let your body physically rest and relax. But at the same time, once you get back it’s like that first day of school, you’re excited and you’re energized.”

Despite putting in long hours at the office this week — at least by recent standards — players appear to appreciate the process.

“It’s structured, it’s fluid, and the emphasis is hard work,” said Pionk. “We trust Dave, he’s been the head coach at a lot of levels, he’s been the assistant coach in the NHL for a long time and everyone knows he’s played over 1,000 games in the NHL, so he knows what it takes and we’re gonna follow his lead.”

This extra break should allow for forwards Andrew Copp and Kristian Vesalainen to emerge from COVID-19 protocol and potentially be available. The pair tested positive on Dec. 21 and can return to the squad as early as Dec. 31. Right now, Winnipeg has just 11 healthy forwards on the roster, with captain Blake Wheeler and winger Evgeny Svechnikov both nursing injuries. Wheeler is out long-term, while Svechnikov skated on his own Monday and Tuesday and is getting closer.

Winnipeg has seven defencemen on the roster, and Lowry had planned to use Nathan Beaulieu potentially as a 12th forward against the Flames. He’s been practising in that role all week.

The Jets are also in the process of assembling a taxi squad of up to six players as a form of extra insurance during this latest Omicron wave, with Manitoba Moose forward Mikey Eyssimont added on Tuesday. However, defenceman Ville Heinola, who joined it on Monday, was sent back down to the AHL team 24 hours later. The club would like the 20-year-old to see game action, and the Moose are slated to host Iowa this Sunday.

mike.mcintyre@freepress.mb.caTwitter: @mikemcintyrewpg