Jets coach, GM stoked for start of training camp

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 20/09/2023 (747 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Both the past and the future were major themes Wednesday as the Winnipeg Jets officially opened training camp.

Head coach Rick Bowness fielded several question about the ugly way the 2023-24 NHL season ended, while general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff was grilled about the shaky contract situations of stars Connor Hellebuyck and Mark Scheifele.

Not surprisingly, the preference was to focus on the present.

“That’s done. That’s four-and-a-half months ago, man. That’s way behind us,” said Bowness, on calling out his players for a poor effort in their season-ending playoff loss to the Vegas Golden Knights, only to have several of them push back publicly.

“We’ve already addressed all of that. We’ve all moved on from that… not even an issue.”

Cheveldayoff wasn’t willing to provide any clarity about his No. 1 goaltender and centre, who were the subject of numerous off-season trade rumours and can both become unrestricted free agents next summer if new contracts aren’t reached.

“We’ll see how it all plays out,” is about as much as Cheveldayoff would offer.

“That aside, I know those are all talking points and things that everyone is kind of concerned about, but at the end of the day we’re here to play the game and we’re here to win. That’s what this group, I think, is really going to be focused on.”

Translation: They’re kicking the potential problem down the road.

“How we approach the future of this team, again, that will be looked at as we continue to move forward,” he said. “The main focus that everyone should be concerned about here is we’re here to try and win.”

Bowness believes the foggy futures of Hellebuyck, Schiefele and a handful of other pending UFAs — including Nino Niederreiter, Brenden Dillon and Dylan DeMelo — won’t be a distraction.

“Listen, they’re pros. They’re 30 years old. They’re not kids. They understand the business side of this game,” he said.

“(You) don’t ever take the business side out of this fantastic sport that we play out of the equation. But they’re pros and they’ve been around. They’ve seen other guys in these situations and we’re counting on them handling it like a pro. They’re Winnipeg Jets and we’re just going to leave it at that.”

The Jets underwent medicals and fitness training Wednesday and will hit the ice Thursday, split into two groups, with skates at the Hockey For All Centre set for 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. They’ll play six exhibition games over the next two weeks, starting this Sunday in Edmonton.

Winnipeg has 56 players in camp and must get down to a maximum of 23 prior to the start of the regular season on Oct. 11 in Calgary.

“It’s going to be a tough training camp. There’s going to be a lot of skating,” said Bowness.

“Take all the Xs and Os out of the game. You can’t do those things unless you’re in great shape. We’re going to be hard working, our team’s going to be in great shape. And the way we want to play, with the pressure game as much as we can, you need to be in great shape. So, we’re going to have battles, we’re going to have skating. The players got an email the first of September: Prepare for a tough training camp. That’s our goal going into it,” he said.

Bowness suggested Winnipeg’s four forward lines are mostly set, at least to start: Scheifele will centre Kyle Connor and newcomer Gabe Vilardi; Cole Perfetti will skate between Nikolaj Ehlers and Nino Niederreiter; new captain Adam Lowry will anchor the third line between Mason Appleton and Alex Iafallo; and Rasmus Kupari will be on the fourth line with Vladislav Namestnikov and Morgan Barron.

There will be an intense battle for depth spots between the likes of David Gustafsson, Axel Jonsson-Fjallby, Jansen Harkins, Dominic Toninato, Jeffrey Viel and several others.

“When we made the trade (Pierre-Luc Dubois to the Los Angeles Kings for Vilardi, Iafallo and Kupari), we were looking to add some depth to the organization. Certainly up front, and we’ve done that,” said Cheveldayoff.

“With that, there’s lots of competition, which is good. You don’t know when injuries are going to happen, you don’t know how it’s all going to play out. You can’t look into your crystal ball and even think beyond today as far as how things might play out. I’m excited for that, I’m excited to see things play out in training camp.”

On the blue line, all six regulars from last year — Josh Morrissey, Neal Pionk, Brenden Dillon, Dylan DeMelo, Dylan Samberg and Nate Schmidt — are back, with Logan Stanley, Ville Heinola, Declan Chisholm and Kyle Capobianco pushing for work.

“It always goes back to (the fact) players will eventually cut themselves, based on how they play,” said Bowness.

“So, we’re going to give (Heinola) and we’re going to give (Chisholm)… every opportunity to show what they can and then, if they play great like we’re hoping they will, then we’re going to have to make some tough decisions at the end of camp. But I’d rather have the tough decisions, than these guys playing themselves right out of here.”

mike.mcintyre@freepress.mb.ca

X: @mikemcintyrewpg

ken.wiebe@freepress.mb.ca

X: @WiebesWorld