Every season, there are battles in training camp to finalize the roster and each line’s opening-night setup. The upcoming campaign is no different for the Winnipeg Jets after adding and subtracting players in trades and the potential for some prospects and younger players to take on bigger roles. So, what battles could take place throughout training camp and their six-game preseason slate?
Second Line Centre — Perfetti, Namestnikov, or Vilardi?
The trade that sent Pierre-Luc Dubois to the Los Angeles Kings in June has opened up a top-six slot, and the Jets have three potential candidates to fill it.
Two are young players the organization holds in high regard: Cole Perfetti and Gabriel Vilardi. Perfetti is still the Jets’ top prospect two injury-filled years removed from being drafted 10th overall in 2021, while Vilardi is the key piece in the return for Dubois.
Both players appear on the cusp of breakouts. Perfetti is an exceptional playmaker with game-breaking skills, while Vilardi has a shoot-first mentality that allowed him to score a career-high 23 goals last season and possesses size similar to Dubois’ at 6-foot-3, 215 pounds.
There are complications, though, in appointing either with the role. First, neither have played a ton of centre. Perfetti recorded 30 points (eight goals and 22 assists) in 51 games in a top six role last season, but it was on the wing. Vilardi, too, played primarily right wing for the Kings last season, recording 41 points (23 goals, 18 assists) in a third-line role. It’s not uncommon for teams to deploy promising young offensive players on the wing, as it has less responsibility than centre and allows them to get used to the speed and demands of the pro game.
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That being said, Vilardi has much more experience in the dot. He has taken 970-career faceoffs in his four-season career, winning 46.0 per cent of them, while Perfetti has taken just 14-career draws over his two seasons, winning 21.4 of them. Vilardi may have the inside track for that reason alone.
There are questions about both players’ durability. Perfetti missed 31 games with two separate injuries last season and also the final three months of his rookie 2021-22 campaign; he has played just 69 games as a result. Vilardi missed 18 games due to injury last season and played just 25 games in 2021-22.
Perfetti recently said he knows there’s going to be more opportunity and understands he needs to work “extra hard.”
“I feel comfortable in the middle of the ice. I think there’s a lot of positives that come from playing in the middle,” he told the Winnipeg Free Press recently. “There’s a lot more responsibility and all that stuff, but I think your game can really take another step.
I’m happy to play either spot,” he continued. “I think any line combo, any mixing and matching is going to work out well.” (From “Perfetti ready to pounce,’Winnipeg Free Press, Aug. 17, 2023.)
Vilardi just signed a two-year bridge deal in July and Perfetti has one year left on his entry-level contract but will be a restricted free agent (RFA) next summer. While both will be pushing hard for the role and both should get looks there in preseason, there’s no need for head coach Rick Bowness and his coaching staff to shoehorn either into the role too quickly, despite their potential and obvious upsides.
That’s where Vladislav Namestnikov may come into the equation. The veteran was re-signed to a two-year deal on July 1 and may represent the safe option to start the season, if not the most exciting.
Originally acquired at the 2023 Trade Deadline from the San Jose Sharks for the modest price of a fourth-round pick, the 30 year old performed above expectations while proving his versatility.
The Russian product — usually a bottom-six player —took a larger role than expected down the stretch by centering the second line between Nikolaj Ehlers and Blake Wheeler and helped the Jets avoid being the first team in NHL history to lead a conference more than halfway through the season but miss the playoffs. Overall, he recorded 10 points (two goals, eight assists) in 20 regular season games and two assists in five playoff games.
Bowness could start with Namestnikov as his second-line centre, or give the role to Vilardi or Perfetti knowing he has Namestnikov as an insurance policy against struggles or injury.
Fourth-Line Centre — Gustafsson or Kupari?
Kevin Stenlund took hold of the Jets’ fourth-line centre position last season from December onward, but signed as an unrestricted free agent (UFA) with the Florida Panthers, leaving another space up open the middle.
One candidate is the player he took the role from: David Gustafsson. The “Gus Bus,” as he’s come to be known, is coming off his second-straight disappointing season and enters the 2023-24 campaign on the last year of a two-year deal.
This season could be the final chance for the Swedish forward to prove himself to the organization. He played 46 games last season — mostly in the first half — but recorded no goals and six assists before Stenlund took his job after a promotion from the Manitoba Moose. Gustafsson was regularly relegated to the press box in 2023, playing just two games in January, none in February, seven in March, and one in April.
It was far from what was envisioned of the 2018 second-rounder who was coming off a challenging 2021-22. That season, he was given multiple chances to cement a role on the bottom six, but was derailed by injuries and only played two NHL games. (He was injured both in the first period of his season debut on Dec. 17, 2021 and in the first period of his return to the lineup on Jan. 2, 2022.)
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Also in the mix is Rasmus Kupari, also part of the return for Dubois. Kupari, a 23-year-old Finn who can play centre or wing, signed a two-year bridge deal earlier this month and is a bit of a wild card — he was selected by the Kings 20th overall in 2018 and has had some flashes of brilliance, but has not established himself as a dominant NHLer.
General manager Kevin Cheveldayoff hinted at “greater opportunities” for Kupari in 2023-24. “Big guy, got lots of speed,” the GM said after acquiring him. “I think he can play wing, he can play centre, he’s someone that again is just a young player finding his way right now… Rasmus is someone who given some greater opportunities, is going to blossom. That’s what we’re hoping and what we’re banking on.”
Last season, Kupari played a career-high 66 NHL games and his point production (15, three goals and 12 assists) and faceoff percentage (54.6 per cent) were both better than Gustafsson’s. Kupari has more experience in the faceoff circle, having taken 771 draws to Gustafsson’s 297, but each have the exact same winning percentage: 49.8 per cent.
Defensive Pairings — Who Plays Where, With Whom, and Who’s the First Call Up?
The blue line is still log-jammed as neither Neal Pionk or Nate Schmidt — owners of two of the Jets’ worst contracts — have been traded to clear space, but there will still be some battles to determine who plays where and who will be first in line for a call up.
Josh Morrissey — who put the NHL on notice last season with all All-Star 76 campaign — and Dylan DeMelo — the analytics darling underrated for his defence-first sensibilities that allow Morrissey to wheel and deal — are a lock for the first pairing. From there, it’s less clear.
Dylan Samberg was exceptional in his first full season. Although was sheltered on the third pairing, the 24-year-old provided the Jets with a surplus value of $5.9 million and posted strong possession metrics.
Unfortunately for Samberg, the left side of the Jets’ defence is stronger than the right, so he might be stuck on the third pairing for another season. There’s an argument to be made he should be playing on the second pairing instead of Brenden Dillon: although Dillon had a good 2022-23, he is likely in his last season with the club unless he is willing to take a pay cut from the $3.9 million AAV he’s currently making when he becomes an UFA next summer.
Samberg, on the other hand, signed a two-year bridge deal in July and seems set be a staple of the top-four for years to come. He will be motivated to prove his worth over the short term so he can cash in on a longer-term deal in 2025.
Pionk and Schmidt will likely start the season as the second-and-third pairing right-side defensemen, but either could be traded during the season. Also, injuries will inevitably arise. Therefore, another battle that will play out is to be first in line for a recall.
Declan Chisholm and Ville Heinola are the two most promising prospects (Chisholm is an RFA still in need of a new contract,) although Kyle Capobianco and Logan Stanley are also in the mix.
Heinola is the player who most immediately deserves a shot. He has not been given a chance to be a full-time NHLer four years removed from being drafted 20th overall in 2019, but nonetheless has incredible potential upside, even when playing on his off side.
The Finnish 22-year old has played 35 NHL games, recording 11 points (one goal, 10 assists) but has spent the majority of his professional career with the Moose. He is cerebral and intelligent defender whose anticipation, reads, passing ability, and skating are all outstanding and he has put all that on display in 111 AHL games: he has recorded 75 points (13 goals, 62 assists) and a plus-29 rating while playing big minutes in all situations and quarterbacking the Moose power play.
It’s clear Heinola is too good for the AHL and needs meaningful NHL minutes to develop further. The Jets are at risk of alienating him if he doesn’t get a bigger opportunity.
Last November, The Hockey News reported Heinola was growing frustrated and jaded. After playing just 10 NHL games last season, he expressed in his year-end presser that his mental strength was tested.
“I’m going to give everything I have this summer,” He said early into the offseason. “When I come out here I’ve got to perform, I’ve got to play my best. I just want to show those guys they can’t take me out of the lineup anymore.”
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Chisholm, meanwhile, had five goals and 43 points in 59 games with the Moose last season. He added four assists in five playoff games and was also named an AHL All-Star for the first time in his career. The left-shooting 23-year-old made his NHL debut in 2021-22, playing two games in January, but didn’t get a call-up last season.
