FROM THE PRESS BOX
MIKE SAYS: Notable Team Canada snubs for me include Scheifele and Seth Jarvis up front, Jakob Chychrun on the blue-line and Mackenzie Blackwood in net. Who would I have left at home? Anthony Cirelli and Brayden Point up front (Point, however, was locked in as one of the six players initially named to the team last summer, so I’ll sub in Bo Horvat here), Drew Doughty on the blue-line and Jordan Binnington in net. Of course, we could still see injury-related movement over the next five weeks, so we’ll see how it all shakes out.
Colour me surprised that the Jets boarded their charter on Tuesday with the same 23 players in tow, with nary a change to be made despite six straight losses and 19 of 25 overall. No, I wasn’t expecting a trade, but a call-up or two from the Manitoba Moose would have been a welcome development. Sure, it would have meant putting a player or two on waivers, but that shouldn’t be a difficult decision at this point.
I had a great chat on Tuesday with long-time NHL coach Bruce Boudreau about all that is ailing the Jets, and he was perplexed as well that the status quo continues to be the play here. He spoke about the notorious patience exhibited by general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff but figured that would be severely tested at this stage of the season.
The Red Wings are basically a Jets alumni team at this point, with Ben Chiarot, Andrew Copp and now Mason Appleton all wearing the winged wheel. It sure feels like this year’s team could use the services of all three of them, given the sad state of affairs.
Here’s wishing you a happy New Year and continued success in the year ahead.
KEN SAYS: The inclusion of Morrissey is the focus of today’s news, but it’s impossible to wonder what being left off Team Canada means for Scheifele, who goes into Wednesday’s game tied for 10th in NHL scoring.
Not 10th among Canadians, tied for 10th overall, with 18 goals and 45 points in 37 games. He’s tied for fourth among Canadians in points with Brad Marchand and Wyatt Johnston (who was another notable omission). Scheifele is on pace for 90-plus points this season after putting up a career-high 87 last season, while making improvements to his 200-foot game.
After not being named to the 4 Nations Face-Off roster, Scheifele went on a tear and appeared to take his frustrations out on opponents. Now, there has to be some level of concern within the organization that there could be an emotional letdown for Scheifele after not getting the news he would have hoped for. But Scheifele is expected to be on the list of players Hockey Canada has as potential injury replacements, so don’t be surprised if the Jets’ top centre continues to produce at a high rate during the sprint to the Olympic break.
Jets captain Adam Lowry was the latest member of the team to end a lengthy goal-scoring drought, snapping a 17-game slump in the 800th NHL game of his career. That was an important development, but it’s the play of the reconfigured checking line with Morgan Barron and Tanner Pearson that has Arniel and the coaching staff encouraged. The trio did a solid job in the first two games coming out of the break and they’ll try to get out and minimize the damage caused by the Red Wings’ top line in this one.
Barron continues to take his game to a higher level and while some folks wonder if a promotion to more of a scoring role might be intriguing, it says here that leaving him with Lowry for the time being is a more important role at this stage of the proceedings.
Jets forward Vladislav Namestnikov grew up in Detroit and you can be sure he’d love to snap out of his offensive funk (0 goals, 1 assist in his last 25 games) in what is essentially his hometown.
The Red Wings are an interesting team and after being in the playoff discussion the past several years, they’re now battling for top spot in the Atlantic Division and appear to be coming of age — with a lineup that features a nice blend of youth and experience.
Lucas Raymond, the fourth overall pick in the 2020 NHL Draft, leads the Red Wings in scoring with 42 points, with fellow winger Alex DeBrincat right there with him (40 points but tied for the team lead in goals with captain Dylan Larkin with 20.
Thanks for following along. Wishing you and yours a Happy New Year. All the best in 2026.
PROJECTED LINES
WINNIPEG JETS
FORWARDS
- Connor-Scheifele-Vilardi
- Barron-Lowry-Pearson
- Perfetti-Namestnikov-Iafallo
- Niederreiter-Toews-Nyquist
DEFENCE
- Morrissey-DeMelo
- Samberg-Pionk
- Stanley-Schenn
GOAL
HEALTHY SCRATCHES: D Miller, D Fleury, F Koepke
INJURED: None
DETROIT RED WINGS
FORWARDS
- Finnie-Larkin-Raymond
- DeBrincat-Copp-Kane
- Rasmussen-Compher-Appleton
- Kasper-Danielson-van Riemsdyk
DEFENCE
- Edvinsson-Seider
- Chiarot-Sandin Pelikka
- Johansson-Bernard Docker
GOAL
HEALTHY SCRATCHES: D Hamonic, F Soderblom, F Leonard
INJURED: D Buium (lower body)
NOTABLE QUOTABLE
Jets coach Scott Arniel on struggling forward Gustav Nyquist (0 goals, 7 assists in 28 games) returning to Detroit to face the team he started his NHL career with:
“For him, Gus has been around a little longer and he’s played here quite a bit. I hope he has a fantastic game and I hope it’s something that brings out the best in him. At the end of the day, there’s another guy on that team in Apple (Mason Appleton), the first time we see him. He was a great Jet and represented us extremely well. I might just put Nino (Niederreiter) on him all night and let the two of them run into each other. When guys play their old teams — you see it on both sides, it brings out a lot in the guys.”
WHAT WE’RE WORKING ON
Ken will have a pregame story on the Jets and Manitobans that were named to Canada’s men’s Olympic hockey team and will provide analysis from the game before meeting the Jets in Toronto for the second stop on this three-game road trip. You can find both pieces online at www.winnipegfreepress.com
|
