The Winnipeg Jets are proving many naysayers wrong early in the season. Many experts picked the Jets to finish out of the playoffs this season, and rightfully so because of the moves or lack thereof made by general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff.
However, no moves are sometimes the best, and the Jets’ strategy is paying off early in the season. They are 6-0-0 and sitting at the top of the Central Division.
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We must remember that head coach Scott Arniel coached these players during stretches of last season when then-head coach Rick Bowness stepped away for personal reasons. So, they are familiar with this group, and they trust his decision-making skills behind the bench.
He is getting the Winnipeg Jets to play a rough and rugged style of hockey based on defense. That is what made them so successful last season. While it unraveled in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs against the Colorado Avalanche, the Jets deviated from their style of play. Winnipeg tried to play run-and-gun hockey instead of the physical hockey style they were known for.
You saw that style in the season’s opening game when they routed the Western Conference Champion Edmonton Oilers 6-0. Winnipeg was all over Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, and the rest of the Edmonton Oilers group. Every chance to play physical, they did.
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Not only that, but the players who were brought in as part of the Pierre-Luc Dubois trade have finally acclimated to their new surroundings. Gabriel Vilardi plays on the top line with Kyle Connor and Mark Scheifele. The Jets top line is one of the best in the NHL.
Vilardi was always a good player with the Los Angeles Kings, but there were inconsistency issues. Those issues do not exist with the Jets this season. He is making Scheifele a better player.
Scheifele is looking like the player he did for the Jets before he had the hit on Jake Evans during the 2021 Stanley Cup Playoffs. He is more assertive with the puck. Scheifele has always had a good shot. The same can be said about Connor, but adding a player like Vilardi has given the Jets top line a different element.
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But if you look up and down the lineup, this Winnipeg Jets team has more depth and is well-rounded. Cole Perfetti is coming into his own on the second line with Vladislav Namestnikov and Nikolaj Ehlers. Ehlers is finding his game this season, helping drive the offense.
Winnipeg’s third line, with Nino Niederreiter, Adam Lowry, and Mason Appleton, might be the best in the NHL. These guys have great chemistry, and this line will not be outworked. Lowry sets the town leading by example. He was the perfect captain for this team. Meanwhile, Morgan Barron, Alex Iaffalo, and Rasmus Kupari are also chipping in.
Maybe the Winnipeg Jets would not be as bad as many thought. Sometimes, you can’t judge a team by its moves or lack of moves; perhaps you must judge a team on talent, skill, and play on the ice.
The Winnipeg Jets were a talented team before the season started. They are just showing the world that sometimes it is best to fly under the radar.