So far, so good

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This article was published 29/01/2024 (617 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Just where exactly are these Winnipeg Jets headed?

The answer, at least in the short term, is simple. Players have scattered for various warm-weather locales around the world this week as they take advantage of a nine-day hiatus between hockey games.

Don’t forget the sunscreen, gentlemen.

With a temporary pause in the NHL action, this is the perfect time to take stock of what’s been accomplished so far — and what is needed to get this group to its ultimate destination.

The Jets have put themselves in a terrific position with a 30-12-5 record that has them first in the Central Division by win percentage, second in the Western Conference and third overall in the NHL. This, despite a 0-2-1 stumble into the player and All-Star breaks.

Winnipeg has 35 games left in the regular season and has built enough of a cushion through the first 47 that a playoff spot looks like a safe bet, barring a collapse of epic proportions.

The Jets will play 19 of those on the road, including games next Tuesday and Thursday in Pennsylvania against the Pittsburgh Penguins and Philadelphia Flyers, and the other 16 at home. For what it’s worth, only 13 are against teams currently in a playoff spot, which gives the Jets one of the softest schedules in the league down the stretch.

Winnipeg has proven itself to be a legitimate Stanley Cup contender and should be conducting itself accordingly. However, as recent games have demonstrated, there is still much work to be done in that department.

Here are six storylines to focus on:

1) GROIN PAIN: The Jets went 28-9-4 in the first 41 games with Mark Scheifele in the lineup to sit on top of the league standings. They went 2-3-1 in the six since he suffered a lower-body injury (believed to be a groin pull), and scored just nine goals in that span (four of which came in a victory against the New York Islanders).

In other words, the Jets desperately need their No. 1 centre back in the lineup, given how much they’ve struggled to generate offence in his absence.

It hasn’t helped that big stars such as Kyle Connor (one empty-net goal in five games since returning from injury), Nikolaj Ehlers (one goal in the last six) and Cole Perfetti (no goals in seven games) haven’t picked up the slack. That trio was pretty much invisible in last Saturday’s 4-2 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs.

The good news is all signs point to Scheifele’s return next week. We’ll find out his exact status Sunday when the team hits the ice for practice. Hopefully there are no setbacks or further issues.

2) POWER OUTAGE: The power play is now just two-for-32 over a nine-game span, and the loss of Scheifele has obviously played a role. So, too, has the fact that Scheifele, Connor and Gabe Vilardi have only played a handful of games together this season owing to their various injuries. It’s hard to imagine a team this good being that bad when it has an extra skater on the ice.

Getting this straightened out ASAP is a must. Whether it’s the personnel, the systems or both, something has to give. Winnipeg is ranked 24th in the NHL at just 15.7 per cent.

3) DISAPPEARING DEPTH: Nino Niederreiter hasn’t scored in 2024, a span of 13 games and counting. Alex Iafallo is mired in an 11-game drought. Morgan Barron (10) and Adam Lowry (8) haven’t lit the lamp in a while, either. Rasmus Kupari has been blanked in the six games since his injury return, and is now at 21 games this year and counting without a goal.

Winnipeg’s forward depth has been a big reason for its success this year, however, its a recent secondary-scoring dearth combined with the other issues described above isn’t optimal.

4) TRADE TARGETS: The NHL’s trade deadline is March 8, and the Jets have 14 games between now and then (they’ll play a 15th that night in Seattle against the Kraken).

Losing Scheifele for a stretch should only increase the urgency to get another centreman in the fold. In last Saturday’s loss, the Jets had Lowry, Kupari, Vlad Namestnikov and Manitoba Moose call-up Dominic Toninato up the middle. That’s not strong enough for a team with championship aspirations. An offensive forward who can win some faceoffs and help the power play should be a priority.

On the blue line, although they have Ville Heinola and Kyle Capobianco on the Moose right now, another depth defender (preferably a right-shot) is likely to be on the shopping list after Declan Chisholm was claimed on waivers Monday by the Minnesota Wild.

5) STATUS QUO: There are plenty of things the Jets should hope don’t change.

At the very top of the list is the stellar goaltending of Connor Hellebuyck and Laurent Brossoit, whose combined 2.30 team goals-against-average is No. 1 in the NHL by a mile (the Vancouver Canucks, at 2.55, are second). Hellebuyck is not only a Vezina Trophy favourite, but a legitimate Hart Trophy candidate, too.

How about the emergence of Dylan Samberg as a true shutdown defenceman? The work of the entire blue-line corps, in fact, has been stellar; from Josh Morrissey and Neal Pionk to Dylan DeMelo, Brenden Dillon (who tweaked his back last Saturday but is believed to be OK) and even Nate Schmidt, whose strong play made Chisholm expendable.

Other hightlights include a much-improved penalty kill after a rough start, and the fact the Jets have been one of the league’s most successful road teams (14-5-3). That’s a trend the team would like to continue, starting with its first two games out of the break.

6) FUN TIMES: Head coach Rick Bowness, Hellebuyck and Connor will all be on full display this weekend at the All-Star festivities in Toronto.

Winnipeg has yet to face the NHL’s second-best team (by win percentage), but they’ll meet Canucks three times before the end of the year: Feb. 17 and March 9 in Vancouver, and the final game of the regular-season, Apr. 18, in downtown Winnipeg.

Might the Presidents Trophy be at stake in that one?

The annual visit from Sidney Crosby (Feb. 10) is always special and could be the fourth sellout of the season for the Jets. There should be plenty of bad blood when the Wild come to town on Feb. 20. Home games against Connor McDavid (March 26), the reigning Stanley Cup champion Vegas Golden Knights (March 28) and Pierre-Luc Dubois and his Los Angeles Kings (April 1) will provide plenty of late-season buzz, as will key divisional games in Dallas (Apr. 11) and Colorado (Apr. 13) where Central seeding could be at stake.

Last, but certainly not least, is the potential that forward Rutger McGroarty and defenceman Elias Salomonsson could be added to the roster once their respective college and European seasons are complete. These two young prospects, along with the likes of forwards Brad Lambert and Nikita Chibrikov who are currently having stellar rookie seasons with the Moose, indicate both the present and the future are pretty bright around here.

mike.mcintyre@freepress.mb.ca

X: @mikemcintyrewpg