Maenalanen turning heads in return to NHL

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This article was published 18/10/2022 (1055 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

DENVER — It might be one of the most intriguing, and versatile, fourth lines in Winnipeg Jets 2.0 history.

At centre you have 22-year-old David Gustafsson, a prized organizational prospect still getting his feet wet at the NHL level. The Swedish skater will suit up for his 31st career big-league game Wednesday night in Denver.

On right-wing is 33-year-old Sam Gagner, the sixth-overall pick in 2007 turned journeyman from Ontario who will lace ‘em up for the 970th time.

On the left side is 28-year-old Saku Maenalanen, perhaps the surprise of training camp who is back in North America for the first time in four years after heading home to his native Finland.

The international trio with vastly different backgrounds made quite the splash in their debut, combining for the game-winning goal last Friday against the New York Rangers. They bring plenty of tools to the table, with Maenalanen and Gustafsson being used on the penalty kill, and Gagner slotted in on the second power play unit.

“When you can eat up minutes with some of your bottom-end guys, it can go a long way to keeping everybody healthy for five-on-five hockey,” Jets associate coach Scott Arniel said earlier this week.

“We want to play fast and if you end up shortening the bench and you start pacing yourself and you can’t play at the level we want to play at. So having those guys feel a part of it, whether they take pride in the power play, take pride in the penalty kill, that just builds confidence.”

Gustafsson was a known commodity around here, having been selected in the second round of the 2018 draft and then honing his craft with the Manitoba Moose. Gagner was a late summer signing by general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff, a proven player who still has some fuel left in the tank.

It’s safe to say few were talking about Maenalanen when training camp began. They are now.

“I saw Saku in Carolina, we saw lots of him there in his first year (2018-19). We’ve kind of seen this story before, some players leave and they maybe don’t fully fit in on a certain team or they expect to play in different roles,” said Arniel.

“He went back home and he came back and wanted to take another shot at it. He’s come here with a great attitude, talking to him from the beginning, whether it’s on the fourth line, third line or wherever he may spot in, the good thing is that he can play both wings.”

Maenalanen, at 6-4 and 207 pounds, also brings some some sandpaper to a forward group that doesn’t have a ton of it outside of Pierre-Luc Dubois, Adam Lowry and Morgan Barron.

“You see his size and he uses his body really well,” said Arniel.

“He protects the puck along the walls and takes pucks to the net, he’s been a real nice surprise for us. This is a complete player and he plays at both ends of the rink. He’s a nice bonus to have for us. We’re using him on the penalty kill. He can skate. He’s big and he moves. He’s adapted real well to the opportunity we’ve thrown at him.”

Maenalanen is a man of few words but told the Free Press he wasn’t surprised to crack the lineup, given the experience he accumulated overseas after that brief debut with the Carolina Hurricanes in which he had four goals and four assists in 34 games.

“Now I’m a better player,” he said. “I have played hard games in Finland. Now I just have to play my own game here. I think that’s a good line. Gagner can pass so well. Gus is a two-way player, a really good player. Play fast. That’s our strength. Forecheck hard and finish.”

Coming up big in the clutch so early in the season was a major confidence boost.

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“I think we got lots of energy with five minutes left. Just hard forechecking. That was a nice, and a big goal for us,” said Maenalanen.

He got to know all his new teammates well during last week’s bonding session in Banff, which included being paired with Lowry during a team fishing outing and taking on a unique role during their golfing event.

“I’m just a cart guy. That’s my strength. I tried golf when I was in Carolina but I was so bad,” he said with a laugh. “But it helped a lot because I didn’t know anyone. Now, it’s easy to be here.”

mike.mcintyre@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @mikemcintyrewpg

Mike McIntyre
Reporter

Mike McIntyre is a sports reporter whose primary role is covering the Winnipeg Jets. After graduating from the Creative Communications program at Red River College in 1995, he spent two years gaining experience at the Winnipeg Sun before joining the Free Press in 1997, where he served on the crime and justice beat until 2016. Read more about Mike.

Every piece of reporting Mike produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press‘s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press’s history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates.