Jets roster takes shape, sort of

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This article was published 01/10/2019 (2168 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The topsy-turvy days of training camp and pre-season games have come to an end for the Winnipeg Jets, only to be replaced by more uncertainty right before the regular season starts.

Winnipeg submitted its 23-man playing roster to the NHL on Tuesday afternoon, a list in stark contrast to one likely being formalized just days ago.

Reaching agreements with forwards Patrik Laine and Kyle Connor on new contracts bolstered head coach Paul Maurice’s lineup considerably. However, serious injuries to centre Bryan Little (concussion) and defenceman Nathan Beaulieu (upper body), blue-liner Sami Niku’s slow recovery from a groin injury and the waiver-wire claim of 6-4, 230-pound defenceman Carl Dahlstrom have altered the makeup of the roster considerably.

A glaring omission is that of veteran Dustin Byfuglien — the oft-considered Mr. Everything on the back end for the Jets — who remains on a personal leave of absence. After three injury-plagued seasons (2014-17), Little played all 82 regular-season games plus post-season action the past two NHL campaigns. But it’s believed he’ll miss the team’s four-game road trip to begin the season, and that absence could be extended if he isn’t demonstrating signs of improvement during concussion protocol.

Little took a shoulder to the head on Sunday from Minnesota’s Luke Kunin in the teams’ final test of the exhibition slate. The Wild forward escaped punishment from the NHL’s department of player safety.

Andrew Copp slid into the second-line centre spot during line drills Tuesday, flanked by Connor and Laine.

“With Andrew in the middle, the minutes will be right. Strong defensively, good faceoff man. When you look at his point production, in the back half of last year five-on-five, it equalled Mark (Scheifele),” Maurice said. “It can be a powerful line. He’s got some comfort at centre ice and he’s the right guy to go there.” 

Beaulieu hurt a wrist late in the same game and will be lost to the club for at least a month, necessitating the acquisition of another D-man.

Dahlstrom is expected to practise with the club this morning before the contingent heads to Manhattan. He’s not the second coming of Nicklas Lidstrom, to be sure. But Maurice said the organization is confident he’s got the tools to fill a hole.

“Big man that skates well for a big man. He’s a defender, and gap closure and a lot of things we’ve wanted to get better at during training camp we think he can excel at. There’s lots of room for growth in his game, but we view him as a safe plug-in right now,” he said.

“When we went in there (Chicago) with four games left, he played against (Scheifele), so they matched him against that line. Go back three or four games against Colorado and he plays against (Nathan) MacKinnon, and when they play in Pittsburgh, he played against (Evgeni) Malkin. So when a coach keeps matching him against the other team’s best, we like that.” 

The Jets lost goalie Eric Comrie — pegged as the Manitoba Moose starter for a fourth straight season — on waivers to the Arizona Coyotes but picked up Dahlstrom, a 24-year-old from Sweden who played 50 NHL games for the Chicago Blackhawks and more than 160 AHL games with the Rockford Icehogs the past three seasons.

It’s trial by fire for Winnipeg, which opens with back-to-back games against the Rangers in New York on Thursday and the New Jersey Devils on Friday. The Jets then meet the New York Islanders on Sunday before travelling to Pittsburgh to face the Penguins on Tuesday.

Blake Wheeler figures the schedule-maker has done them a favour by forcing them to play a smart, simple game.

“It’s nice because you’re not trying impress anyone. Sometimes, you play your first few at home and you want to get all the fans on their feet and give them something to cheer about,” the Winnipeg captain said. “You’re trying to do the opposite on the road, put everyone to sleep and try to grind out a few points, get to know your guys a little bit better away from the rink. It’s typically a good recipe to start a season.”

Maurice is sticking with the dynamic, but at times inconsistent, Nikolaj Ehlers on the left side of the top line with Scheifele and Wheeler. Ehlers plays an unpredictable style, not always following the north-south routes his linemates take. That’s all part of the beauty of his game, but can be a curse.

“As long as the jazz doesn’t affect the melody. That’s as close as I come to an analogy on music. Does it mess up the tempo? You have to play together,” Maurice said.

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“Predictability is almost what Mark and Blake ask for from that player: ‘Whatever it is that you’re selling, we can adjust to it. Just keep selling it every night so we can understand what your game is gonna be.’ And that is the next step for Nik Ehlers.”

A pair of rookies from Europe — defenceman Ville Heinola and centre David Gustafsson — along with a trio of veterans signed as free agents during the off-season — defenceman Anthony Bitetto and forwards Mark Letestu and Gabriel Bourque — all cracked the roster.

Connor Hellebuyck, a 44-game win-ner and Vezina Trophy finalist two years ago before coming back with an up-and-down 2018-19 season, is expected to start in net against the Rangers.

jason.bell@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @WFPJasonBell