Jets players meeting expectations in mid-season report card

Opinion

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This article was published 18/01/2018 (2798 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

With the Winnipeg Jets currently enjoying their NHL-mandated break, I thought I’d revisit my pre-season expectations of each player and see whether they’ve met or exceeded those beliefs.

I originally did this after the Jets passed the quarter point of the season and I’ll put that grade next to their name and see whether it needs to be changed at this point.

I’m moving some from their “expectations” group as well.

My comments contain their new grade, and take into consideration their special teams and even strength play. Skaters had to play in half the games (23) to make this list.

Met expectations

Blake Wheeler (A): I’ve bumped him to A+. He moved to centre into Mark Scheifele’s spot and has done a terrific job considering how hard that is for most players. He sits among the league leaders in points and assists.

Mark Scheifele (A): He repeats his A as he has excelled when in the lineup, although his torrid early point pace had tailed off somewhat before his injury.

Mathieu Perreault (no initial grade, not enough games): He’s at a 62-point pace after carrying the fourth line into uncharted territory and then rejoining the top six group. He gets an A.

Patrik Laine (B+): He’s only 19 and has a team-leading 20 goals. The other areas of his game fluctuate as he continues to learn how to embarrass his opponents in new ways. His grade stays B+.

Nikolaj Ehlers (B-): He was in the “not met expectations” group in the last report card but moves here. He’s second in team goals (19) and has been absolutely electric when his feet are moving. He moves to B+.

Adam Lowry (B-): He’s getting very good at playing tough minutes: don’t underestimate how much losing Lowry to injury hurts the club, even though he’s not at Scheifele’s level. He gets a bump to B.

Andrew Copp (C+): The versatile forward has been very effective whether playing on Lowry’s wing or subbing in at centre in his absence. He moves up to B-.

Joel Armia (C-): He jumps to a C+ with a boost to the third line. Has the ability to make jaw-dropping plays but overall results keep him here.

Josh Morrissey (B-): He’s stepped into the number one pairing role and continues to grow his game despite facing the toughest tests. He gets bumped to a B.

Jacob Trouba (B-): I’m giving him a B, too. He and Morrissey are tied at the hip right now. They have some similar qualities as well as things they do better than the other, but Jets fans can feel great about what the future holds for this pairing.

Dustin Byfuglien (B-): Injuries have knocked him out for a dozen games this season. Watching old habits creep into his game once in a while doesn’t change his B-. He’s a big factor on many nights.

Tyler Myers (C+): He’s at a 40-point pace while on one of the power play units. He was fine when he moved up the lineup with Toby Enstrom and Byfuglien out but is still plagued by odd decisions when skating with the puck. He keeps his C+.

Dmitry Kulikov (C): He was OK when moved to the second pairing with Myers and has been a solid third pairing defenceman. Quietly moves up to C+.

Toby Enstrom (B-): I mentioned his previous season’s injuries as a concern in the first report and he went on to suffer one. I don’t downgrade for that — I’ll just move him from the exceeded-expectations list.

Ben Chiarot: (no grade, not enough games): He was certainly decent at times with a few bumps along the way while filling in on the third pair. He gets a C-.

Has not met expectations

Bryan Little (C): Since the latter part of last season we haven’t seen the all-around excellence this longtime favourite has shown in the past. His C repeats here.

Steve Mason: (C) A poor beginning to the season, infrequent starts and injuries have made this a tough season. He drops to C-.

Shawn Matthias (D): He’s only played eight games in the 25 since my last report — he stays a D.

Exceeded expectations

Connor Hellebuyck (A+): Starting as the backup goalie, he stole some wins early while the Jets were getting their game together and has been, for the most part, very good. His play has dropped a bit because he was Superman early — no penalty on his grade for that. A+

Kyle Connor (B+): The rookie sits third in Jets goals with 15 (tied with Scheifele) after starting the season with the Manitoba Moose. Much improved at winning puck battles, he still can struggle in the defensive zone, but he’s earned another B+.

Brandon Tanev (C): He grew from a player who didn’t understand the NHL game last year to using his speed to create havoc in a good way this season. Injury interrupted this but he gets a solid C.

Matt Hendricks (C-): He’s sitting at a good 52.2% Corsi and has contributed 11 points. Playing with Perreault helped bump his numbers up, but he’s been an on-ice contributor. I still have serious concerns with his speed as players raise their game for the playoff drive. He stays C-.

The rest of the players didn’t play the required games.

Only Mason dropped in the grades, and that’s indicative of the Jets much improved five-on-five play since my first report card.

Chosen ninth overall by the NHL’s St. Louis Blues and first overall by the WHA’s Houston Aeros in 1977, Scott Campbell has now been drafted by the Winnipeg Free Press to play a new style of game.

Twitter: @NHL_Campbell