Fleury always ready for the big stage

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 12/03/2025 (196 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

You start with equal parts scar tissue and perspective that isn’t available until you travel a long and often meandering road.

For Haydn Fleury, getting comfortable with his lot in life has sometimes been an arduous journey, but it remains a fulfilling one.

Fleury is enjoying something of a renaissance season with the Winnipeg Jets that has included its own set of highs and lows, ranging from a regular spot in the lineup for a good chunk of the first half of the season and even a bump onto the second defence pairing when an injury sidelined Dylan Samberg for an extended period of time.

In December, Fleury had Neal Pionk as a partner and even found himself on the ice in overtime for some three-on-three action in multiple games.

Since suffering a lower-body injury on what appeared to be an innocent play against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Dec. 23 his fortunes have changed

Fleury missed a month with the lower-body injury and suited up in only three games during the past month before getting back in the lineup on Tuesday against the New York Rangers.

“Self confidence, taking care of what I have to take care of,” Fleury said Wednesday. “I can’t control if I play or not. I can control what I do when I’m at the rink to stay ready. That’s what I try to focus on. Obviously, you want to play every game but for a lot of guys in this league, that’s not the case. So what can you do to stay ready for when you do get that call?”

That’s a whole lot of conditioning skates and not a lot of game action to try and stay up to speed at a time of the season when both the intensity and level of play is on the rise.

As important as work ethic is in this case, having the proper attitude is critical to handle the emotional toll of being in and out of the lineup.

“I’ve dealt with some injuries and that’s something I’ve learned to deal with — and how to come back and what I have to do to come back off of long stretches,” said Fleury, who has six assists in 36 games with the Jets this season. “What’s given me success is the preparation before the game. There’s always going to be things coming back from injury where there’s a little bit of rust on the ice but I do my best to avoid that as best I can.”

After the arrival of Luke Schenn in a deadline-day deal, Jets head coach Scott Arniel tapped Fleury on the shoulder to play with him on the third pairing.

The duo had a solid outing in Tuesday’s 2-1 victory, with Fleury showing off his skating ability on multiple occasions getting involved in the rush.

Schenn’s impact was felt in the form of five hits and five blocked shots, while Fleury’s stat line included one shot on goal, one hit and one blocked shot.

There was calmness to Fleury’s game, whether that was handling his responsibilities in the defensive zone, looking for an outlet pass or seeing time on the penalty kill.

“I get a little antsy when I haven’t played in a while. I get a little jumpy,” said Fleury. “So it’s just about finding ways to settle in and that comes from being in the game.

“Settling my brain down, my body down and just playing the way that I can play.”

Although it was only one game and Arniel went out of his way to say he needed to keep everyone fresh during the final stretch of the regular season, the early returns on Schenn and Fleury provided enough positives to think they could be used together again Friday in the Central Division battle between the Jets and Dallas Stars.

Schenn’s ability to use his size to kill plays and Fleury’s skating ability look like they could complement each other very well.

“You don’t want to force it. My skating is an asset, but I don’t want to skate into trouble,” said Fleury. “It was one of those games where it just flowed. I don’t know how else to describe it. There were a lot of good things to build on and take into the next game.”

The Jets currently have nine healthy blue-liners on the roster, so Fleury is essentially competing for playing time with Logan Stanley (who was a healthy scratch for the first time this season on Tuesday), Colin Miller (if the Jets choose to shift him over to the left side) and Ville Heinola (limited to 17 games this season and just one since Jan. 17).

Fleury recognizes his spot in the lineup isn’t secure after one strong showing, that’s why he’s going to continue to do the things that keep his game as sharp as possible.

“Every game you’re competing when you’re one of those guys that come in and out,” said Fleury. “You don’t want to get comfortable but you take care of your business and keep going.”

Jets assistant coach Marty Johnston is heavily involved in working with the healthy scratches who put in extra time on game days, so he has a great handle on Fleury’s skillset and personality.

“What jumps out is his skating ability. Right from training camp that was something that was very evident,” said Johnston. “He’s an unbelievable team guy, in terms of how he is in the dressing room, how he prepares, how he deals with not being in the lineup or whatever the case may be.

“He has also put in a lot of work maybe when he hasn’t gotten into the lineup. That’s a tough thing to do. When you’re not playing, it’s really hard to push yourself to the point to make sure you’re ready to play.”

ken.wiebe@freepress.mb.ca

X and Bluesky: @WiebesWorld