FROM THE PRESS BOX
MIKE SAYS: First off, welcome back, folks. This is the start of my 11th season on the Jets beat, and I’m as excited as ever to get going. We’re going to have a lot of fun along the way.
It’s safe to say Winnipeg fans have quickly fallen in love with Skinner, who was serenaded by “Stuuuuu” chants in his pre-season debut a couple of weeks ago. I know that meant the world to him, as he recognizes he’s got extremely large skates to fill around here.
I’m really curious to see what Skinner can accomplish working with goalie coach guru Wade Flaherty, who managed to bring out the best in Hellebuyck, along with the likes of Eric Comrie and Laurent Brossoit.
Stuart Skinner (Gene J. Puskar / The Associated Press files)
As we’ve already seen early this year with his former team, the Edmonton Oilers — 13 goals against in two games with both Tristan Jarry (six) and Devon Levi (seven) lit up like Christmas trees — he may not have been the problem in that organization, where team defence appears to be optional.
Speaking of goals, there’s been no shortage of them already in the league. No doubt fans are loving it, but coaches probably not so much.
I asked Arniel earlier today if that’s a product of shortened training camps, with just four pre-season games (and veterans only allowed to play two).
“Without a doubt,” he said.
“It looks like the third exhibition game for all of the veterans. It really does. You can see hesitation, where guys are thinking, ‘Oh, I’m supposed to be here, I’m supposed to be there.’ You can tell there’s a lot of trying to figure out the coverage on different areas. The guys are still getting away from some of the summer habits. The bad habits that you get into.
It’s the rust that you just have to keep hammering (away at) and staying on and trying to stay with. We’ve been kind of stressing it. Hopefully through the practices, the video, the exhibition games. We’re going against a team that’s already played a game. So, they’ve already got some of the rust off as well. So, we’ve got to make sure that we get up to speed quick.”
Here’s another thing to keep an eye on tonight: Can Kyle Connor extend his NHL record by scoring in a ninth consecutive season-opening game? I wouldn’t bet against it.
KEN SAYS: In what fits under the category of “time flies when you’re having fun,” it’s hard to believe this is already my 16th season on the Jets beat and 26th season of covering hockey in our province.
Thanks for being part of the journey and being along for the ride. And there’s no shortage of storylines heading into a new season.
The arrival of Bjorck has brought the type of enthusiasm and optimism not seen surrounding a rookie since 2016, when Patrik Laine made his debut after the Jets chose him second overall.
Now, the fun really begins for the eighth overall pick in the 2026 NHL Draft. Projections for rookies can be tough, but the thing about Bjorck’s overall game is that his reliability on the defensive side will allow him to impact games beyond the scoresheet.
As a point of comparison, Ben Kindel (chosen 11th overall in 2025) had 17 goals and 35 points for the Pittsburgh Penguins after making the roster as an 18-year-old rookie. It’s not a stretch to think Bjorck can meet or even slightly exceed those numbers, but it’s important to temper the offensive expectations somewhat.
Tyrel Bauer (77) defends as Minnesota Wild’s Jakub Lauko (94) attempts to tip the puck past Jets goaltender Kaapo Kahkonen (34) during a pre-season game in 2024. (John Woods / Canadian Press files)
Gratitude was the theme of the morning for Bauer, who received the news about making his NHL debut from Arniel on Wednesday. That’s given him a few days to process what was about to transpire and reflect on the journey to date.
Since being chosen in the sixth round by the Jets back in 2020, Bauer has worked his way to a shutdown role in the American Hockey League, and now, he’s about to achieve his goal of playing in the NHL.
Bauer knows he needs to do more than drop the gloves to stick around in the NHL, but he’s not shying away from the fact that the Bruins have guys such as Tanner Jeannot, Mark Kastelic and Nikita Zadarov who enjoy engaging in fisticuffs if the situation arises.
“Any time I play a hockey game, I know who’s coming to town,” said Bauer.
“I know who’s on the other team. It’s just part of the job. I’ve done that, obviously. I’ve been watching hockey for a long time, so it’s not like any of these guys is really a stranger. At the end of the day, my job is the same.”
For the Bruins, Strathclair product Morgan Geekie is coming off a career year that included 39 goals and 68 points in 81 games, and he’s looking to build on those impressive numbers.
PROJECTED LINES
WINNIPEG JETS
FORWARDS:
- Connor-Scheifele-Perfetti
- Rosen-Bjorck-Vilardi
- Barron-Lowry-Lambert
- Niederreiter-Namestnikov-Iafallo
DEFENCE:
- Morrissey-DeMelo
- Samberg-Pionk
- Ferraro-Bauer
GOAL:
HEALTHY SCRATCHES: Koepke, St. Ivany, Fleury
INJURED/SUSPENDED: Hellebuyck (suspended), Salomonsson (shoulder), Brown (lower body), Duehr (lower body)
BOSTON BRUINS
FORWARDS:
- Peterka-Lindholm-Pastrnak
- Mittelstadt-Zacha-Geekie
- Hagens-Minten- Khusnutdinov
- Jeannot-Kuraly-Kastelic
DEFENCE:
- Lindholm-Borgen
- Zadorov-Clifton
- Aspirot-Lohrei
GOAL:
HEALTHY SCRATCHES: D Brunet, F Eyssimont
INJURED/SUSPENDED: D McAvoy (suspended), Poitras (lower body)
NOTABLE QUOTABLE
Jets coach Scott Arniel on being able to tell Viggo Bjorck and Tyrel Bauer earlier this week that they’d both be in the opening-night lineup:
“Both of them recognize the start of something special, something they’ve been working for their whole hockey lives. And just to see that kind of look on their face, the excitement that’s there, it actually is great for everybody. It’s great for the older guys in our room that remember back to when they first stepped on for their first game. So it’s a nice moment.”
WHAT WE’RE WORKING ON
Ken and Mike focus on the big-league debuts of Bjorck and Bauer in the latest edition of Dump & Chase, their weekly NHL column. Mike will have the game recap of Jets versus Bruins, including analysis and quotes, news and notes. The stories will be available at winnipegfreepress.com and in Saturday’s print edition.
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