THW's Jets News

THW's Jets news for 03/22/2021

March 22, 2021

The latest Jets stories from The Hockey Writers.

 

 03/22/2021 edition:

By Isaiah Wagner on Mar 22, 2021 09:05 am

It’s no question that the Winnipeg Jets need help on the blue line in order to be considered a serious contender this season. Although this is true, they may only need to make a few in-house moves to allow this to happen. This all starts with the benching of Nathan Beaulieu.

Although Beaulieu provides a spark to the Jets team when he hits or when he fights, he is a defensive liability who also does not produce offensively. This article takes a look at why he should be scratched even when healthy and who could replace him presently in the Jets’ lineup.

A Defensive Liability

Beaulieu has played 25 games for the Jets so far this season but has not played particularly well. The former first-round pick has a plus-minus of minus-5 on a high-scoring Jets team. He makes mistakes with the puck in his own zone and constantly is missing his assignments.

Even with the Jets being an offensively great team, he has only put up one point in his 25 games this season. The 28-year-old has missed the past couple of games due to injury, but he could have seen his last game as a Jet this season with some other guys who can step up and play well.

Logan Stanley

Stanley is the first name that comes to mind when thinking about replacing Beaulieu. The young Jets defenseman has played in 19 games so far this season and has also only put up one point. But the difference between Stanley and Beaulieu is that Stanley is a plus-minus of plus-8, and he does not make as many costly mistakes. I believe that Stanley has played well enough to stick in the lineup. (from ‘BILLECK: Jets’ Stanley sticking out for all the right reasons,’ Winnipeg Sun, 03/14/2021)

The 6-foot-7 Stanley also uses his size to his advantage in the defensive zone. He is great at separating the man from the puck and has the ability to stand up for a team if necessary. With a little bit of experience, he could be the next Tyler Myers for the Jets.

I would love to see Stanley stay in the lineup for the Jets if it means that he gains more experience and is ready to be a regular for the team next season.

Sami Niku

Niku has had so much potential for the Jets ever since they drafted him, but he has never really panned out. I would not like the Jets to put him in the lineup, but I would prefer him over Beaulieu. It is very important to have some excitement, and that is exactly what Niku provides. He is great offensively, but if you pair him with a player like Dylan DeMelo, he may not be too much of a liability.

Niku has only played in six games for the Jets so far this season, but he has not looked too far out of place. It will be interesting to see what they do with him at the trade deadline. He may be a key piece in a deal that would send a defenseman back to the Jets if they choose that route instead.

Ville Heinola

The young Finnish player has the potential to be a top-two pairing defenseman for the Jets one day. And I believe that it would be beneficial to see him in the lineup to end the season. He is currently with the Manitoba Moose but can be called up at any moment and step in to make an impact.

Heinola is potentially one of two Jets’ prospects who are untouchable because what he can do on the ice is mesmerizing. He has a great offensive ability, and his vision is next level. Although Jets’ management probably won’t put him in the lineup until next season, it would be really cool for fans to see him finish the season with the squad.

Trade for a Defenseman

This could be exactly what the Jets need at this point in the season. Maybe a guy like Mattias Ekholm from the Nashville Predators or David Savard from the Columbus Blue Jackets, both of who would be great fits for the team.

Ekholm would provide the Jets with a solid top-four defenseman who has plenty of experience. He also has two more years left on his team-friendly contract. The price may be steep, but a player of his caliber would help the Jets out tremendously. A first-round draft pick and a player would probably be the price to pay.

Savard would be a cheaper option for the Jets but would also be able to do the job they need on the blue line. He is a great defensive player who could slot into the lineup right away and be impactful. A first-round pick may be the price to pay for a rental player like Savard.

What do you guys think that the Jets should do to replace Beaulieu? Do you think he deserves to stay in the lineup, or do you think they should replace him in-house? Or via trade?

By Declan Schroeder on Mar 21, 2021 09:17 am

The Winnipeg Jets lost back-to-back games in regulation for the first time this season, falling to the Edmonton Oilers on Thursday and Saturday by scores of 2-1 and 4-2, respectively. Here are three takeaways from the pair of losses in Oil Country.

1: Jets Lack Killer Instinct

For a team with, on paper, some of the best forward depth in the entire league, the Jets sure didn’t make the most of their chances in the two losses.

On Thursday, after the Oilers went up 2-1 in the second, they completely shut the Jets down.

The Jets were unable to work the puck into high-danger areas or sustain any type of meaningful zone time in the back half of the game. When they did get a glorious chance in the final minute — Mark Scheifele with a wide open side with Laurent Brossoit pulled — he fanned on the shot.

On Saturday, the Jets missed a number of glorious opportunities to go up 3-1. Kyle Connor couldn’t score on an empty net after Mike Smith made a puck-handling gaffe behind the net. Dylan DeMelo shot the puck directly into Smith’s pad in the dying seconds of the second when Smith was down-and-out after a Blake Wheeler shot hit the post.

The Jets had another chance to build on their lead with an early-third-period power play, but it was ineffective. Soon after it expired, the one-goal lead evaporated as the Oilers blew the Jets’ doors off with three straight goals.

On social media postgame, the Jets’ Twitter account chalked up the loss to “no puck luck tonight.” It wasn’t a lack of puck luck. It was a lack of killer instinct once again.

The Jets have been an awful third period team this month and have frequently allowed late goals to tie or have blown leads. The blown third-period lead Saturday was the fourth time they’ve relinquished one in March.

Andrew Copp said postgame Saturday that “part of winning games, especially in the playoffs and down the stretch here is going to be learning how to put teams away.” Copp went on to say they’ve one a good job of that this season, but they haven’t.

If they keep letting their opponents hang around as they did Saturday, it will continue to come back and bite them.

2: Jets’ Top Line Needs a Wakeup or a Shakeup

Paul Stastny, Mark Scheifele, and Blake Wheeler have been together for a long time now, but they need to be broken up, at least temporarily.

The trio has looked lazy in recent games: they’ve been ineffective at even strength — with just one even-strength goal in their last four games — and have been awful defensively.

The line was completely outclassed by the Connor McDavid line Saturday and was on the ice for both McDavid’s first-period marker and Leon Draisaitl’s game-winner at 9:36 of the third.

Wheeler said pre-game Saturday his line has given up on the plus/minus stat this season, and he said it with a smile. It’s alarming when the so-called leader of the team finds poor play funny.

With Wheeler a team worst minus 14, Scheifele second-worst at minus seven, and Stastny a minus seven through his last six, the line as composed simply cannot prevent goals against. It needs to change.

It’s clear Stastny and second-line centre Pierre-Luc Dubois need to swap places, or Wheeler needs to be dropped to the second or third line to give Nikolaj Ehlers or Mason Appleton a shot in that spot.

But don’t expect any of those things to happen. Head coach Paul Maurice never used to hesitate to bring out his line blender to come up with better combinations, but these days he is reticent to make any changes at all, trotting out the same lines night after night regardless of results.

3: Jets Can’t Always Win “Their Way”

Winning the so-called “Jets way” is also known less charitably as winning unsustainably. They’ve often found ways to gut out points with pure skill while getting greatly outplayed and out-chanced from a high-danger perspective.

You can only go to that well for so long, and it looks like the well dried up after they went to it twice in their recent three-game series against the Maple Leafs: winning 4-3 on March 9 and losing 4-3 in overtime, getting three points despite being outplayed at 5-on-5 in both contests.

If the Saturday game showed anything, it’s that you can’t give up more chances than you get and expect to win. The Oilers were the better team, generating 11 high-danger chances to the Jets’ six and an XGF of 2.81 to 1.4.

The Athletic’s Murat Ates’ commented Saturday that he didn’t believe in the “magical idea that they could always ‘decide’ to win. If they had that power, they’d win two, three, four, all of the games in a row.”

One of hockey media’s best analytical minds doesn’t believe it, and no one else should either. Let alone the team itself.

“Fancy stats” don’t mean everything, but they don’t mean nothing either. They’re definitely not “horse-s**t” like Maurice thinks.

Don’t Look Now, but Here Come the Canucks

A playoff picture that was looking quite secure just a week ago is now looking a lot more tenuous for the Jets.

Losers of three of their last four, the Jets suddenly find themselves only four points up on the fifth-place Canucks, who they face on Monday and Wednesday as their seven-game road trip continues.

The Jets have four games in hand on the Canucks but if they cannot overcome their flaws and end up dropping both at Rogers’ Arena, their postseason prospects will be downright precarious.

By Josh Kim on Mar 20, 2021 04:46 pm

When you think of the NHL’s best centres, who comes to mind? Connor McDavid, undoubtedly. Auston Matthews, for sure. Nathan MacKinnon, 100 percent. However, despite having similar statistical success, Mark Scheifele continues to fly under the radar when fans often gauge who the league’s best centres currently are.

Similar to how many viewed Aleksander Barkov a few years back, Scheifele finds himself in the same boat. Statistical success? Check. Play driver? Check. Top line staple? Check. The main difference here is that that following some early season success, Barkov and the Florida Panthers have been thrust into the spotlight, a luxury that Scheifele and his Winnipeg Jets have yet to experience.

Currently leading the Jets in points while also sitting fifth in the league, Scheifele has continued the consistent production that earned him the No. 12 spot on NHL.com’s top 20 centre rankings prior to this season. But, as this season has shown, the value that Scheifele brings to the Jets extends far beyond what appears on the scoresheet.

As we approach the midway mark of this unprecedented season, here are some things you should keep in mind the next time you see Scheifele hit the ice. And in honour of someone who doesn’t have time for “hogwash analytics,” I will avoid them as much as possible.

A Complete, 200-Foot Game

As cliche as it sounds, Scheifele has moulded himself into a more complete player, shouldering a much bigger responsibility defensively. Averaging just over a point-per-game over the past five seasons doesn’t necessarily scream defensive awareness; however, this season, Scheifele has taken noticeable strides in order to make an impact at both ends of the ice.

Despite the Jets’ blue line being average at best, Scheifele’s defensive awareness has been a pleasant surprise and an effective compliment to his offensive production. Whether it’s providing pressure on the backcheck or staying tight to his man in his coverage below the goal line, the Jets’ top centre seems to be doing everything right in his own zone.

Scheifele can perhaps attribute his newly found defensive understanding to his linemates, as he spent a large portion of the season playing alongside Andrew Copp, a notable two-way player within the Jets’ lineup. Having the reliability of a defensive forward on your flank can certainly rub off on the line as a whole, and Scheifele certainly appears more determined away from the puck.

Now joined by Paul Stastny, who’s been a two-way presence for the entirety of his career, and the Jets’ top line seems set up for success in all facets of the game.

“One of the things Mark has tried to do is battle harder defensively. And I think when he does that, everything else kind of comes together for him”

Being better defensively isn’t entirely uncommon within today’s NHL, with many star players attempting to morph their style of play in order to better serve their team. With that being said, the way that Scheifele has committed himself to being better on the other side of the puck is simply impressive, and the impact he continues to make speaks for itself.

A Shift in Special Teams Strategy

When power-play staple Patrik Laine departed the Jets via trade, it was evident that Winnipeg would need a change in their special teams strategy. Enter Scheifele. Because of his elite vision and passing ability, Scheifele has now taken a new spot with the man advantage, the spot previously held by Laine on the left wing wall, often viewed as the fourth forward on team’s power-play setups.

While this change is quite different from the shooting threat that Jets fans were used to seeing, the change has also been quite positive, making the power play more unpredictable and allowing each player on the ice to develop into an offensive threat.

Stationed on the left wing wall has allowed the play to run through Scheifele, opening up passing lanes and creating time and space for teammates. From there, he has options, as we’ve often seen him dishing the puck to Blake Wheeler down low, or threading the seam and teeing up Kyle Connor for a one-timer.

Possessing a deceptive release of his own has forced teams to stay close to Scheifele, allowing his teammates to navigate to open ice, generating more shots and higher possession metrics. Puck movement and sustained pressure have become the new norm on the Jets’ power play, and his ability to distribute the puck to all quadrants of the offensive zone is a big reason why the new strategy has gone according to plan.

While only six of Scheifele’s 37 total points have come with the man advantage, the role that he plays in initiating offense and facilitating chances is invaluable to the Jets’ offensive structure and it’s the primary reason why the team currently possess the league’s ninth-best power play.

So, while it may not always appear on the scoresheet, Scheifele’s newly assigned role has changed Winnipeg’s power-play dynamic for the better, and it simply isn’t a coincidence that the puck always seems to be on his stick before the Jets find the back of the net.

Scheifele Holding His Own Against the North Division’s Best

A big headline heading into this unprecedented season was how the Jets depth down the middle would stack up against the North Division’s best. With 10 games against the one-two punch of Matthews and John Tavares and nine more against the dynamic duo of McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, there was certainly cause for concern heading into this season.

Nonetheless, Scheifele has done more than enough to contribute to his team’s success, and that includes matching up against the opposition’s top lines on an almost nightly basis.

As we saw against Toronto last week, Scheifele went head to head with Matthews for the majority of that three-game series. And while the Jets’ second line, consisting of Connor, Pierre-Luc Dubois, and Nikolaj Ehlers found more offensive success, a large part of that was because Scheifele and company handled the responsibility of neutralizing the Maple Leafs’ top line. And, of course, Connor Hellebuyck’s heroics as well.

Likewise, Scheifele has experienced a similar role against the McDavid-Draisaitl combo. While not keeping them off the scoresheet entirely, he’s proven that he can skate with the division’s best, and has fortified the Jets down the middle.

Scheifele Is Among the League’s Best

Despite the player that Scheifele has become, he still doesn’t seem to command the same amount of respect compared to the other big names throughout the league. He’s been a standout on an already dominant Jets team, he’s developed into a more complete player, and is the primary reason why the Jets re-designed power play currently sits in the top 10 league-wide.

On top of all that, Scheifele is still a point-per-game player at the NHL level and has been for the majority of his career. And while I’m not saying that he should be nominated for the Selke Trophy or suddenly be considered as a serious Hart Trophy candidate, his contributions and improvements in all facets of the game is definitely worth paying attention to.

Has Scheifele impressed you this season? How does he factor in to the Jets overall success? Let me know in the comments.

By Ryan Goethals on Mar 20, 2021 12:05 pm

The 2.0 Winnipeg Jets have been solid at finding talent in the first round of the NHL Entry Draft since their relocation to Winnipeg and, it’s fair to say, that success has carried into their selections beyond the first round as you will see highlighted in this article.

The Jets have found impact players from rounds one to seven since their first draft in 2011.

Here are my picks for the Jets’ five best draft selections beyond the first round. Let’s get started with number five:

5 – Mason Appleton (2015, Round 6, 168th Overall)

Forward Mason Appleton emerged on the NHL scene last season when he appeared in 36 games, registering 10 points and a plus-nine rating. Things were looking great for the young forward as the 2018-19 season came to a close and expectations were high heading into 2019-20.

Unfortunately, he started slow this season and broke his foot near the end of October resulting in a two-month absence. Since his return, the 24-year-old has played well and he was rewarded with some looks within the top-six forward group.

Appleton is ranked fifth because he has come a long way for a sixth-round draft pick and he has the potential to be a solid middle-six contributor for a long time. His scoring ability in the AHL has not followed him to the NHL yet, but in time we will see an increase in point production.

4 – Dylan Samberg (2017, Round 2, 43rd Overall)

Dylan Samberg has yet to play a game in the NHL, so you might be wondering why he’s ranked fourth on my list. You may also believe he doesn’t want to sign with the Jets, which would make him an unrestricted free agent in 2021.

He’s ranked fourth based on what I believe he will become and that is a top-four, shutdown defenceman. I have huge expectations for Samberg and he lives up to them. We have good reason to be excited about this prospect.

We will see him in a Jets uniform at some point. The rumours that he doesn’t want to sign with the Jets are unproven and he cleared the air in a recent interview with Winnipeg Sun’s Scott Billeck:

“They took a chance on me, they wanted me for a reason and I respect that,” Samberg said. “I respect the organization, they have a lot of great people, and it’s not that far from home, which is nice. I want to eventually get to the Jets,”

 (From Scott Billeck’s ‘Jets prospect Samberg chasing history first, Jets dream next,’ Winnipeg Sun, 02/21/2020).

3 – Andrew Copp (2013, Round 4, 104th Overall)

Andrew Copp has been a steady, reliable, depth forward since starting full-time with the Jets in the 2015-16 season. Primarily a bottom-six player, the 25-year-old has earned some looks in the top-six, including as second-line centre and briefly playing on the wing on the first line.

Copp – who signed a two-year contract extension with the Jets last summer – has emerged as an integral part of the lineup and he will likely try to sign long-term after his deal expires at the end of the 2020-21 season.

Copp has played the most games of any fourth-round draft pick from the 2013 NHL Entry Draft, ahead of Miles Wood who is nearly 100 games behind him.

2 – Adam Lowry (2011, Round 3, 67th Overall)

Adam Lowry, much like Copp, has also emerged as an integral part of the Jets’ bottom-six forward group. In his sixth season with Jets, the 26-year-old has 123 points in 408 games.

Lowry’s recent absence from the lineup was felt heavily, as the 6-foot-5, power forward missed nearly two months due to an upper-body injury. He returned to action and gave the Jets a huge boost on Mar. 9. However, he only got in two games before the NHL “paused” their season due to COVID-19 concerns.

Lowry is one of only two players drafted from the thirdround in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft to play more than 400 games in the NHL –Vincent Trocheck is the other.

1 – Connor Hellebuyck (2012, Round 5, 130th Overall)

The easiest selection on this top-five list was goaltender Connor Hellebuyck who will hold down this spot for a very long time, possibly forever. He continues to break records and carry the Jets to places they have no business being, like a possible berth in the 2020 Playoffs which we may not see at all.

Hellebuyck is one of three goalies from the 2012 NHL Entry Draft to play more than 200 games in the NHL, and he is in good company with Frederik Andersen and Andrei Vasilevskiy.

One thing is for sure, the Jets’ starting goaltender job is on lockdown for many more seasons. Hellebuyck – who is signed through the 2023-24 season – will hopefully continue his strong play in the future and at just 26 years old may have yet to hit his prime.

That concludes my list of the Jets’ top-five draft picks beyond the first round. Honourable mentions include David Gustafsson, Sami Niku, and Jansen Harkins who were in contention for the fourth and fifth spots but after careful consideration did not make the cut.

Comment below on who your top five would be and what changes you would or would not make to this list. Thanks for reading.

Recent Articles:

Latest News