Winnipeg’s own all-star players

Opinion

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This article was published 25/01/2018 (2786 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Connor Hellebuyck and Blake Wheeler are heading to the NHL all-star weekend, while their Winnipeg Jets teammates enjoy a few days off.

Some players aren’t talked about much, but deserve recognition for their contributions to the team’s successful season. I’ll get to those individuals in a bit.

Prior to Thursday’s game against the Anaheim Ducks, Hellebuyck was cruising along with a .924 save percentage and has been a brick wall on most nights.

His excellent positioning has the opposition shooting wide or high often. When they do hit the target, he makes great saves look ordinary.

Meanwhile, Wheeler has done everything asked of him, jumping into injured Mark Scheifele’s spot at centre on the top line and enabling the Jets to continue to compete with any team.

Sitting ninth in NHL scoring, he’s even received support from some national media when the topic of the Hart Trophy comes up. The Hart is handed out to the player deemed to be most valuable to his team, but that’s a story for another day.

While a case could be made for either of Winnipeg’s all-stars, I’d lean Hellebuyck’s way if I was asked for my take on the club’s MVP thus far, but we’re just 49 games in. How the Jets finish will strongly influence their chances as there’s tough competition around the league.

There are other Winnipeg players who seem destined to join the all-star festivities some day, but I’ll focus on a few who haven’t received the attention the flashier players get. Those underappreciated ones deserve a little more juice.

Defenceman Dmitry Kulikov, who missed Thursday’s game after getting hit from behind in San Jose on Tuesday, is one of those lesser lights making a major impact.

A 2009 first-round pick, he jumped immediately into the Florida Panthers’ lineup that fall and, with his skill set, the youngster garnered 16 points in 68 games. His best points-per-game NHL season was his third, when he had 28 points in 58 games, a 40-point pace had he played a full 82-game campaign.

However, his stint in Florida definitely had some hills and valleys, and his advanced stats had been dropping before his trade to the Buffalo Sabres in June 2016.

There were concerns from some when he signed with Winnipeg last summer, accepting a three-year contract with a yearly cap hit of US$4.33 million. He was coming off a back injury with the Sabres that limited him to 46 games last season, with some poor numbers and bad play.

Playing NHL hockey with a bad back is tough.

Despite that, I felt it was a good signing by the Jets, as he was a serious upgrade in skill from the third-pairing blue-liners we were used to seeing in the past.

Kulikov began the 2017-18 season poorly, running out of position to make hits and guilty of some scrambled play. However, the entire team was suffering growing pains early on, so he wasn’t alone.

His play significantly improved as his game got quieter and he became more comfortable with defensive partner Tyler Myers’ style of play. The lanky Myers can certainly skate with the puck, but he sometimes puts his partner in difficult spots. However, Kulikov’s adjustments to Myers’ weaving ways have improved immensely — his defensive-zone work has been much better. This has turned into a third pairing that would draw the envy of many clubs.

Forward Andrew Copp has had a shorter journey, starting with his ­rookie season in 2015-16, notching seven goals and six assists in 77 games and then playing 64 games (9G, 8A) last season. While I felt there was progress in his game, it was tough to pinpoint where he’d eventually fit after playing all over the lineup without solidifying a position.

He’s only amassed 15 points in 49 games, modest numbers, yet he’s defined his worth as a player who provides good value anywhere you ask him to play. He performed well on Adam Lowry’s wing and has been competent after being moved to centre while Lowry’s been injured. His penalty killing augments his versatility, which still defines him as much as anything, but he’s now cemented himself in the lineup with his overall improvement.

Winger Joel Armia gets applause from time to time, but leaves some fans wanting more. That he can dominate a short-handed shift or an even-strength situation with excellent stickwork and strength certainly qualifies him to be mentioned here. His 20 points in 46 games are decent numbers. Having a player capable of stepping up like that in your bottom-six forward group is a luxury many opponents do not possess.

Lowry was in the news a lot last year, as head coach Paul Maurice used him on the first power-play unit, and he was facing some tough opponents as king of Maurice’s checking line. Held to 33 games this season due to injuries, he’s fired eight goals and chipped in six assists while sticking mostly to even strength and penalty-killing duties.

His five-on-five play has been excellent against other teams’ best — he thrives in a defensive role that’s often helped by spending a lot of time in the offensive zone.

Third-line winger Brandon Tanev has had a solid season, impairing the opposition with his speed and willingness to throw his body in front of everything, including pucks while killing penalties.

A good NHL team needs top-level talent — which the Jets have in abundance — to drive their success, but it would be folly to forget what the players with lesser abilities are contributing.

Someone from this group might score an overtime goal in the playoffs, carving out a place in Jets’ lore forever — and each of his teammates will have helped him get there.

 

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