Opportunity knocks Plenty of competition for roster spots as Jets take win-now approach into training camp By: Ken Wiebe and Mike McIntyre Posted: 5:42 PM CDT Tuesday, Sep. 19, 2023 Last Modified: 11:48 AM CDT Wednesday, Sep. 20, 2023 Updates

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 19/09/2023 (1098 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Welcome to the land of parallel tracks, where the Winnipeg Jets hope a clear focus on winning now is enough to diffuse any potential distractions relating to the uncertain future of several key cogs, including perennial Vezina candidate Connor Hellebuyck and first-line centre Mark Scheifele.

Although it wasn’t nearly as dramatic a summer as many (including these two writers) predicted, there were still some significant changes that occurred, including buying out the final year of long-time right-winger and former captain Blake Wheeler and trading centre Pierre-Luc Dubois to the Los Angeles Kings for a package that included three forwards.

Along with the personnel turnover, there was a clear message from management and players that they are much more concerned about the present than the future in terms of trying to win right now and letting the rest of the chips eventually fall where they may.

It’s the second training camp under head coach Rick Bowness and his staff. This group will try to show the tough times down the stretch were the anomaly, in stark contrast to the impressive start that had the Jets competing for top spot in both the Central Division and Western Conference through mid-January.

Unlike last year, there won’t be a Banff, Alta., retreat for bonding purposes, nor do we expect another preseason players’ pledge.

With a full season of Nino Niederreiter and Vladislav Namestnikov, along with the additions of Alex Iafallo and Rasmus Kupari, the Jets should have a bit more edge to their game. There’s no shortage of skill remaining, though it’s clear that the blue-collar work ethic is on the rise.

That was clearly by design as the Jets work to put the disappointment of a first-round playoff exit behind them.

“Those three guys coming in from L.A., they’re all good players. So, our depth is improved,” Bowness said recently. “We were hard to play against last year, in terms of when we were on our game and we were pressuring them. I think with the additions we made, they’re bigger guys, they’re physical guys, we can be harder to play against physically, as well.”

Adam Lowry has been named the third captain in Jets 2.0 franchise history and he’s someone who will be leading the way in a number of important categories. There’s no doubt the organization is hoping to lay the foundation in camp for the type of consistent culture and competitiveness that will translate to on- and off-ice success.

While Jets general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff isn’t fully running it back, he’s once again putting his faith in a good chunk of the core that’s been around for a long time, and also hoping to see some contributions from the new additions as this group looks to carve out its true identity.

“There’s opportunity for guys to step up,” Jets defenceman and alternate captain Josh Morrissey said recently.

“I think as a player looking at this team, I see a lot of young guys who either had their rookie year last year or have started to get their feet wet a little bit. There’s opportunity for them to step up and take on more. And guys that have been here a while as well. I think that’s exciting as a player and as a team. What’s exciting is I think we have the guys to do it. That’s the best part.”

“I think as a player looking at this team, I see a lot of young guys who either had their rookie year last year or have started to get their feet wet a little bit. There’s opportunity for them to step up and take on more.”–Jets alternate captain Josh Morrissey

Training camp is where the molding process begins, so let’s take a deeper look at what is on the horizon:

Key storylines and questions:

1) The elephant(s) in the room: Plenty of hockey pundits believed Hellebuyck and Scheifele had already played their last games for the Jets. Yet here they are, about to break camp with the only NHL franchise either has known. As pending unrestricted free agents next summer, their cloudy futures will remain a hot topic around here until some resolution is reached. Expect both stars to address the situation with the media right off the hop.

2) 2C OR NOT 2C: That is the burning question for the Jets. Whether it’s Cole Perfetti, newcomer Gabe Vilardi or someone else (Namestnikov? Brad Lambert? Chaz Lucius?), the competition to fill Dubois’ spot will be worth watching.

3) “Disgusted and disappointed”: Will the ugly way last season ended — Bowness blasted his team’s performance after their playoff elimination to the Vegas Golden Knights, with several players then pushing back against the bench boss publicly — have any spillover into the start of this one? Bowness and Cheveldayoff are speaking Wednesday and the subject will no doubt be broached.

4) Fan-tastic: There’s no doubt the Jets are trying to re-connect with the community after a season that saw more than 1,000 empty seats on average at Canada Life Centre for home games. They launched an aggressive season-ticket campaign this summer and had a terrific rookie development camp where the stars of the future did some impressive PR work in addition to shining brightly on the ice. The Jets will hold their “Fan Fest” event this Saturday (11:45 a.m.) at the Hockey For All Centre with all kinds of fun and games, while also unveiling a new jersey for the 2023-24 campaign.

5) Teaching vs tinkering: Last year’s camp was heavy on instruction with a new coaching staff, led by Bowness. This one will likely involve much more fine-tuning. What new tweaks might we see when it comes to systems, considering Winnipeg ultimately fell short of its goal last season?

6) Not enough room at the inn: The Jets are a deeper team compared to a year ago, appearing to have too many capable NHL-ready forwards and defenceman than spots available. How does it all sort itself out? Does the club potentially lose a player or two on waivers? Does Cheveldayoff have a potential trade or two up his sleeve to clear space?

Job openings:

FORWARD: Along with the aforementioned battle for the second-line centre job, there should be plenty of jockeying for position within both the top six and the bottom six. Given the depth at his disposal, Bowness should be able to more evenly distribute ice time and also create plenty of internal competition.

There doesn’t appear to be many, if any, open spots available among the 12 forwards that are expected to be in the opening-night lineup but the challenge for those on the periphery of the roster is to go out and try to push their way either into the mix or to the front of the recall line.

Part of training camp will be used to figure out where the newcomers fit and what could be the best permutations and combinations. Homegrown players such as David Gustafsson and Jansen Harkins find themselves at a crossroads when it comes to where they will end up.

DEFENCE: So far, everyone from last season is back. Since there were no off-season trades, there are more capable NHL players coming to camp than spots available. In short, the defensive logjam has yet to be remedied.

What does that mean for prospects Declan Chisholm (who is no longer exempt from waivers) and Ville Heinola (who is exempt from waivers for one more season)? Can they force their way into the Top-6 mix? Is there a trade that many thought might happen during the summer still to come or are the Jets going to potentially lose a guy on waivers as they did with Johnny Kovacevic last fall?

If it’s the latter, it is more likely Kyle Capobianco (who filled in admirably last season despite going long stretches without getting into game action) would be the guy rather than Chisholm or Logan Stanley.

Optimizing the pairings and testing out a few more combinations is likely to be a priority. While it’s clear Morrissey will be leaned on heavily, the Jets are also banking on a bounce-back season from Neal Pionk, who led the team in post-season scoring.

GOAL: The top spots on the depth chart are crystal clear, barring a blockbuster trade involving Hellebuyck.

Laurent Brossoit returned as a free agent on a one-year deal to support his close friend, but he’s also here to push him — and to help keep Hellebuyck fresh for the stretch drive. Brossoit was able to shine with the Golden Knights down the stretch, but an injury knocked him out of the Stanley Cup playoffs, and Adin Hill took over.

Collin Delia is clearly the No. 3 guy in the organization and can be counted on if an opportunity presents itself. Otherwise, he’ll be the starter with the AHL’s Manitoba Moose and likely share the crease with Oskari Salminen, who is back for his second season in North America.

Thomas Milic, chosen by the Jets in the fifth round of the 2023 NHL Draft, is likely heading to the Norfolk Admirals of the ECHL so he can get more game action but will also be pushing for AHL duty during his first season of professional hockey.

Players to watch:

1) Scheifele: His contract situation aside, it will be fascinating to see which version of Scheifele the Jets get. His offensive ability is never in question, but his commitment to play in his own end of the rink often is. You’d think the 30-year-old, coming off a career-best 42-goal season, should be highly motivated to get off to a sizzling start and carry that through the year. It would, quite literally, pay off for him — whether it’s Winnipeg or another organization signing his cheque.

2) Vilardi: He was the prized return for Dubois, so naturally plenty of eyes are going to be on the 24-year-old forward. Vilardi was the first member of the Jets to arrive in town and seems eager to build off an impressive season last year with the Los Angeles Kings (23 goals, 18 assists in 63 regular-season games). It looks like he may get a chance to start on Winnipeg’s top line as training camp begins with Scheifele and Kyle Connor. No pressure, kid.

3) Perfetti: The skill and hockey smarts are there. What’s been absent is an ability for the still-just 21-year-old to stay healthy and a regular in the lineup. He’s had three significant injuries in his first two seasons, both of which ended early for him. If Perfetti can stay upright and take advantage of the opportunities that will come his way — he might get the first crack at replacing Dubois as the second-line centre based on training camp groupings — Winnipeg will reap the benefits.

4) Chisholm: He’s done all the Jets could have asked for in the AHL over the past three years, establishing himself as a top defenceman at that level. Now, for the first time, the 23-year-old is not exempt from waivers should they wish to send him down to the Moose. A solid showing over the next few weeks could force Winnipeg to find a spot for him rather than have another team swoop in and grab him for free.

5) Lambert and Lucius: We put these two together because they’ve followed similar paths so far. First-round draft picks who started last season with the Manitoba Moose, were loaned to their respective World Junior Championship teams, then re-assigned to the Western Hockey League. Might one, or both, push into the forward mix with strong camps and pre-season performances?

 

ken.wiebe@freepress.mb.ca

X: @WiebesWorld

mike.mcintyre@freepress.mb.ca

X: @mikemcintyrewpg