The Winnipeg Jets had a rollercoaster of a preseason from the beginning. Even with the highly-anticipated Mark Scheifele and Connor Hellebuyck media availabilities behind them, plenty of storylines emerged.
Roster spots were fought for and won, and they will finalize their roster before they hit the ice for their first regular-season game on Oct. 11 against the Calgary Flames. From the six preseason games and the practices in between, here are five things to take away.
Forward Depth is Likely to be Tested with Injuries
It is yet to be seen what the Jets opening night roster will look like, as a handful of players have missed time due to injury. As of right now, the major question mark is Nikolaj Ehlers. There has been plenty of back-and-forth on the severity of his neck spasms, and the legitimacy of the issue seems to be a secret. Nate Schmidt was also battling a lower-body injury and did not dress for the final preseason game.
With the trade that saw Gabriel Vilardi, Alex Iafallo, and Rasmus Kupari join the organization, the Jets have been explained as having plenty of depth up front heading into the 2023-24 season. With injuries potentially being an issue for opening night, this depth may be tested sooner rather than later.
This would mean a bigger role for Iafallo, Vladislav Namestnikov, or potentially even Kupari, who could break out in an elevated role. Assuming the Jets are 100% healthy going into opening night, the forward depth is going to have to remain a major strength if they are to improve off of their 2022-23 season.
Ville Heinola Injured After Impressive Training Camp
Ville Heinola was having the best training camp of his career before exiting the final preseason game with a lower-body injury. Rick Bowness said before that game: “We’re very very happy with him, he’s done everything he can to make this hockey club,” which would indicate he had a legitimate shot to make the opening night roster before the unfortunate injury.
When asked about the injury after the game, Bowness stated that: “It’s not good. We’ll have more information on it tomorrow, so there’ll be another analysis and they’ll look at it, but it’s not a short-term injury.”
Without knowing the specifics of the injury, it’s hard to predict what his 2023-24 season will look like. He will undoubtedly spend time with the Manitoba Moose of the American Hockey League (AHL), to get back up to speed if he can return this season.
Related: Jets’ Lineup Battles Gaining Intrigue in Preseason Games
Not only had he potentially worked his way onto the roster, but he may have been on the path to earning an every-night role on the back end. This injury not only derails his momentum in the short term, but another year of NHL development missed could be career-altering.
The Manitoba Moose Will be a Polarizing Group
With plenty of players fighting for NHL roster spots, the players that miss out are going to be major contributors to the AHL affiliate Moose. Their talent up-front took a hit with Jansen Harkins being claimed off of waivers by the Pittsburgh Penguins, but they still project to be a loaded unit upfront with a steady back end.
The polarizing prospects include Chaz Lucius and Brad Lambert, who struggled in AHL action a year ago, but with another year of development under their belt, they should be able to hit the ground running this year and be impact offensive players.
Other young forward prospects looking to make an impact are Danny Zhilkin and Nikita Chibrikov, who both impressed during development camp in the summer and the early days of training camp.
On the back end, Simon Lundmark and Tyrel Bauer are looking to establish themselves as impact players, while Dimitry Kuzmin looks to bring his dynamic offensive ability to North American ice. This team is accompanied by established veterans such as Dominic Toninato, Jeff Malott, and Kristian Reichel, and they will be an incredibly interesting team to watch as the year rolls on.
Laurent Brossoit Should Play 27+ Games in 2023-24
Last season, the Jets’ backup goaltender, David Rittich, played only 21 games while Hellebuyck played 64. Now that the organization has prioritized the backup goaltender position, Laurent Brossoit should play at least 25+ games this season.
Brossoit appeared in two preseason games and stopped 26/26 shots in the first game, and 30/32 in the next. He was incredibly impressive, and he should have a bigger role than any of the organization’s past backup goaltenders have had.
With Hellebuyck being 30 years old and being among the league leaders for games played year after year, this should be the year his workload lightens and Brossoit sees more starts than expected. If the Jets are truly attempting to sign Hellebuyck long-term, playing him 65+ games would be too large of a workload at this stage of his career.
While he will likely be among the league’s best when it comes to Vezina Trophy voting, it would be wise for the organization to give him a few extra nights off. Brossoit is coming off of a season where he posted a .927 save percentage (SV%) and 2.17 goals against average (GAA), and he is more than capable of handling roughly 27 or more starts this season.
Chemistry Could be an Early-Season Issue for Forward Group
Not only will depth be a potential issue as mentioned earlier, but a lack of chemistry could be a factor early on, as certain players have yet to skate with one another despite a full month of practices having already gone by. Cole Perfetti is transitioning to centre, and has yet to skate for an extended period of time with Ehlers.
Vilardi, Mark Scheifele, & Kyle Connor only had two full games together and could take a few games early in the season to get up to speed. While Iafallo will be in a shutdown role with Adam Lowry, their offensive potential may not shine through until they get a handful of live reps throughout the season.
While the potential of this may not be a visible one, it could shine through in small moments when the Jets are in close games. It’s more something to monitor than it is a takeaway, but the injuries could cause a slow start from the forward group.
The games begin to count in under a week, and the number one storyline to monitor will be the health of Ehlers. The illness that sidelined a handful of players has seemingly subsided, and all of the focus will turn to the opening night of the season.