CALGARY — Now that the dress rehearsals have come to a close, it’s time to sort through what Rick Bowness and his staff have learned about this edition of the Winnipeg Jets and what the final roster decisions will be.
Friday’s 5-3 win over the Calgary Flames left the Jets with a 4-1-1 record after six pre-season games, but what history has taught us is that those results won’t play much of a role when the curtain actually raises next Friday at Canada Life Centre with a game against the New York Rangers.
That’s not to say nothing that transpired over the past two weeks and change didn’t matter, quite the contrary actually.
The work done between games is equally important, but those dress rehearsals revealed plenty of things when it comes to roster construction and how prepared this group is to execute the aggressive systems that are now being implemented.
“We’ve got a great team here. We do. We’re going to continue to get better,” said Bowness. “We believe in ourselves and it’s going to be a fun year.”
After all of the talk about the importance of ownership and the veterans needing to lead the way, there’s little question the Jets top guns played their best hockey when the opposing lineups improved during the final two games.
Whether it was Pierre-Luc Dubois scoring twice before exiting with a lower-body injury for precautionary reasons or Kyle Connor ripping home a one-timer, then setting up Mark Scheifele for a shorthanded goal (no, that is not a misprint) or Nikolaj Ehlers scoring a bank shot from below the goal line, the offence is being led by the folks who are expected to be driving the bus this season.
“Yeah probably wasn't our prettiest. A little sloppy, got away from us a little bit in second but we capitalized on our chances, which was great,” said Scheifele. “I think we're all happy to get training camp over with on a winning note.”
The Jets will spend the next four days in Banff as part of a team-building experience that will also include three practices.
Here are some thoughts on what stood out during training camp:
The defence is still crowded
The blue line has been under the microscope since training camp began and the truth of the matter is the competition may continue through four practices next week.
Ville Heinola got the final game-speed opportunity on Friday, skating alongside Nate Schmidt on the third pairing, as Dylan Samberg, Logan Stanley watched patiently from the sidelines.
It was a relatively quiet night for Heinola — and that’s not necessarily a bad thing since there were a few times during training camp when a mistake ended up in the back of the net with him on the ice.
While Heinola was on the ice for the Flames' third goal from Nazem Kadri, he finished with one shot and took 24 shifts for 15:30 of work, including 51 seconds on the power play.
Heinola was part of a three D-man second unit during a third-period power play, and for a team looking to activate their blue-liners with regularity, he’s got the skill set to contribute in that area.
Even after six pre-season games, it’s still too early to tell which blue-liner won the competition for the sixth spot, and Bowness wasn’t about to show his hand on Friday.
“We’re going to have to sort that out in the next couple of days,” said Bowness. “They’re mobile and…we’ve got some tough decisions to make. There’s no question.”
Jets defenceman Dylan DeMelo was asked for an assessment of what he’s seen from those on the blue line so far.
“Probably just how deep we are. We have a lot of guys that maybe won’t be in on opening night that can contribute,” said DeMelo, who had two assists and is set to open the campaign on the top pairing with Josh Morrissey. “Competition is good, internal competition is good. Even up front, a lot of guys are playing hard and doing a lot of good things. It’s exciting for our team that we have guys that are developing and can help the team immediately.
The number of D-men in camp was reduced by one to nine on Friday afternoon when Johnny Kovacevic was placed on waivers.
Kovacevic, 25, could draw some interest on the waiver wire, but one thing to remember is that the three-year deal he signed this off-season (that includes a substantial AHL salary in the first two seasons - $150,000 and $250,000 - and a one-way deal in the final campaign) could either serve as a deterrent or an incentive to a team putting in a claim.
That’s not said to sit on the fence, it just depends on the perspective of the team showing interest, as it could be viewed as cost certainty or a major commitment.
Speaking of the waiver wire
Although the Jets still have one decision to make when it comes to the 13th forward job, it will be interesting to see if the organization shows any interest in Mattias Janmark.
Bowness is familiar with Janmark from his time with the Stars and while he doesn’t produce much offensively, he is a conscientious and versatile forward with 420 NHL games of experience (including three seasons of double-digit goal production).
Janmark, 29, signed a one-year deal with the Oilers during the off-season worth $1.25 million but was placed on waivers Friday with the purpose of assigning him to the Bakersfield Condors of the AHL.
Other depth forwards that could generate interest on the wire include Jordan Martinook of the Carolina Hurricanes and Andreas Johnsson of the New Jersey Devils.
Johnsson has one more season left at $3.4 million, while Martinook has two years left on his deal that carries an average annual value of $1.8 million.
The pack mentality
For the second time in as many games, Jets forward Cole Perfetti was on the receiving end of a heavy hit from a Flames forward.
This time it was Dillon Dube who appeared to catch Perfetti on the numbers, prompting a melee.
“Of course, but I love our response. I talked to the players after the game. You take a run at one of us, you take a run at all of us. We’ll kill those penalties,” said Bowness. “We’re not going to hesitate to stick up for each other. Group mentality. We’re a team, and we’re going to stick up for each other. We’re a family. If they take a run at one of us, they take a run at all of us. It’s as simple as that.”
The Jets don’t have a designated tough guy, but they aren’t going to be backing down either.
“It’s going to have to be by committee. Obviously we have guys that can handle themselves better than others,” said DeMelo. “You don’t have to go in there and start brawling everybody. As long as you’re in there in numbers and getting in the mix. That goes a long way.”
The future is soon for Brad Lambert
The 30th overall pick in the 2022 NHL Draft made an impact during his first training camp with the big club, despite sitting out roughly a week with a minor injury.
In his three pre-season games, the Finnish winger provided glimpses of his enormous potential, flashing a skillset that definitely translates, thanks in part to his blazing speed and finishing ability. Of course, there’s an urge to try and push fast forward, to give Lambert a further taste and see if he might be able to chip in offensively immediately.
But here’s the thing, there was no need whatsoever to turn this into an Alex Burmistrov situation.
Friday’s decision to include Lambert in the cuts was the right call.
This is about providing Lambert with the best chance to succeed long-term, not finding out if he might be able to put up a few points in the first month of a long NHL season.
The best place for Lambert right now is the American Hockey League, where he will be afforded top-six minutes and ample ice time to continue to shine offensively and to work on his play away from the puck (something nearly every young player needs).
“He clearly is going to play in the league at some point. He just needs a little more experience,” said Bowness. “When you’re 18 years old, there’s a lot to learn. He’s just tremendous speed, tremendous skill. We’ve seen all that. Now, like any other young player, he’s got to learn to play without the puck and learn how to play at a higher pace against the professionals. We’re very, very happy with his camp. Very happy.”
As for the folks worried about the wording of his change of scenery, don’t be.
The reason Lambert was released to the Moose instead of being reassigned was because he has yet to sign his entry-level contract, but that should be taken care of at some point this week.
The backup position seems stable
As the goalie carousel spun quickly on the first day of free agency, the game of musical chairs left the Jets scrambling to fill the vacancy after Eric Comrie signed his multi-year deal with the Buffalo Sabres.
Ultimately, the Jets decided that David Rittich was the best option available to play behind workhorse Connor Hellebuyck.
While he’ll need to remain sharp, Rittich did a solid job in three outings during the pre-season, allowing just one goal over the past five periods - finishing with a 37-save shutout over the Flames on Wednesday night, where he was tracking the puck well, positionally sound and mixed in some athletic saves for good measure.
Rittich isn’t going to be asked to go into a job share, but when he’s called upon for his 20-to-22 starts (or whatever the number ends up being), he needs to give his team a chance to win, just like Comrie did last season.
With points at a premium, having a reliable backup is a must for the Jets.
Rittich is highly motivated to have a bounce-back season and the early indications suggest it’s more than just a remote possibility.
As for Hellebuyck, he was busy on Friday, making 35 saves - including 27 through the first two periods.
Gagner fitting in
He probably waited longer than he would have liked to sign his latest free-agent deal, but veteran forward Sam Gagner seems to be making a seamless transition.
Sure, he only appeared in two pre-season tilts as the coaching staff focused its attention on younger players fighting for jobs, but Gagner will begin the campaign on the fourth line with David Gustafsson and do more than just serve a role as a mentor.
During Wednesday’s game, Gagner played on the top power-play unit (filling in for Dubois) and produced a pair of assists - including his eye-popping cross-ice feed to Nikolaj Ehlers.
Gagner figures to get a shot with the second unit once the regular season begins and could end up moving up the lineup if necessary while providing a responsible two-way game that includes bolstering a bottom six that needs to chip in more offence than last season.
