Training camp intrigue as battle for blue-line jobs heats up

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This article was published 26/09/2024 (416 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

If the door was slightly ajar before, it’s been thrust wide open now.

The Winnipeg Jets entered training camp knowing there would be an interesting battle on the blue line, with some jockeying for position expected when it came to rounding out the third pairing and the depth spots beyond that.

An ankle issue for Ville Heinola early in camp created another initial vacancy, while an additional spot on the opening-day roster looks like it’s been created after Logan Stanley “tweaked something” and suffered an undisclosed injury that looks like it will extend the standard day-to-day classification.

Jets head coach Scott Arniel said he would provide a more thorough update on Friday after the results of the latest tests were available, but the early indications weren’t good.

As the Jets prepare to play their fourth of six preseason games on Friday against the Minnesota Wild at Xcel Energy Center, that puts the spotlight on players such as Haydn Fleury, Dylan Coghlan, Simon Lundmark and top defence prospect Elias Salomonsson.

“You don’t know where you’re at day to day or where we’re going to be next week,” said Arniel. “Like I said at the very beginning, there are opportunities, they come in different ways, and those guys are doing a great job of taking advantage of it.

As for Heinola, he underwent surgery earlier this week to remove the pin from the ankle that was operated on last fall after he sustained a fracture in the final preseason game against the Ottawa Senators.

The timeline for Heinola’s possible return remains up in the air.

“It’s a minimum of four weeks and we’ll see where it goes from there. I’m not 100 per cent on how long it will be,” said Arniel. “I’m not a doctor, so I’m not 100 per cent sure how long it will take. It will depend on there being no swelling or infection. Then we go from there.”

Dylan Samberg also missed Thursday’s workout, though Arniel said it was just a maintenance day for him.

The revamped defence corps was already under the microscope coming into training camp and now the battle for jobs just got even more interesting.

Time will tell if Jets general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff puts in a waiver claim at some point over the next week or so or decides to pursue a trade to bolster the blue line, but for the time being it’s up to those remaining in camp to show that they can handle the increased responsibility.

THE NEXT LOOK

One day after scoring a goal and adding an assist against an inexperienced Edmonton Oilers lineup, centre Brad Lambert found himself in the second group skating alongside Nikita Chibrikov and Colby Barlow — rather than getting an extended look between Nikolaj Ehlers and Vladislav Namestnikov.

Ehlers and Namestnikov were playing with Cole Perfetti and that trio figures to get into Friday’s tilt against the Wild as Perfetti gets his first game action of the preseason.

Arniel was quick to reiterate observers shouldn’t put too much stock into the groupings for Thursday’s on-ice sessions.

“Don’t make more than what it is,” said Arniel. “He’s learning as he goes here. From two years ago, to last year, to now, everyday in camp here has been a growth day and a learning day. We’ll just put the next obstacle in front of him and see how he handles it.”

Lambert’s speed and skill are undeniable and now it’s a matter of him showing he can handle the rigours of the daily grind and earning the trust of the coaching staff by his play without the puck.

“He’s way stronger than he was last year. You can see it. And that isn’t by going in and throwing a barbell around. That’s more by leverage, more by getting body position,” said Arniel. “He’s getting there. He really is getting there, and that’s all you want to see with young kids.”

BIDING HIS TIME

Jets forward Morgan Barron would love to see an increase in his workload and put in the work this offseason to put himself in the best position to be ready for whatever comes his way.

The early indications are that Barron is likely to start the campaign once again on the fourth line with Alex Iafallo and either Rasmus Kupari or David Gustafsson — unless Lambert wins the second-line centre duel and Namestnikov slides down.

“You need to be ready for it. You never know when it’s going to happen, but you need to prove that,” said Barron, who had 11 goals and 18 points in 80 games last season while averaging 10:30 of ice time. “You see kids coming straight out of college, kids coming straight out of junior and lifetime NHL guys working their way up. There’s always going to be competition for those minutes. That’s just something you lean into. I have a belief in myself. If I keep playing my game the way that I know I can, those things will come in time.”

The Jets missed Barron’s size, speed and tenacity in the opening round of the Stanley Cup playoffs as he was out with a knee injury he sustained while crashing awkwardly into the boards during the first period of a game against the Seattle Kraken on April 16.

Barron hoped to be ready to play in the second round, had the Jets advanced past the Colorado Avalanche and not been eliminated in five games.

ken.wiebe@freepress.mb.ca

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