The Winnipeg Jets Defense Tops the Blues

Here at Hockey at the Forks we are teaming up with fellow Fansided Editor of BleedinBlue, Kate Cimini, to compare our clubs defensive lines and forward lines. Today we begin part one of our two part comparison with the St. Louis Blues and Winnipeg Jets defensive lines. Will the Jets come out a top? Or do the Blues hold an advantage on defense?

Here were Kate Cimini’s lines (in her words),

Jay Bouwmeester – Kevin Shattenkirk

Chris Butler – Alex Pietrangelo

Jay Bouwmeester: Bouw is a great shut-down defenseman, who can outskate almost anyone. He’s got a strong sense of the way the wind is blowing and rarely, if ever, gets caught out of position. He has tremendous stamina and can eat up minutes like nobody’s business.

Kevin Shattenkirk: Shattenkirk’s your offensive defenseman, who led the Blues in points during the postseason. He was on his way to a Norris-caliber season when injury took him down in February, but when he came back it was almost as if he’d never left. He’s got a quick shot that can find its way through traffic and a fearlessness about him born from good hockey sense. He’s great at outlet passes and transitions the puck well, and while his size isn’t tremendous, he’s strong and fearless on the ice.

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Chris Butler: I’m going out on a limb here with Butler, I admit, but if he plays up to his potential, he could prove an interesting partner for Pietrangelo. He’s speedy and skates well, and his puck-movement is strong. He’s more than capable of taking long shifts and his size is a plus against opponents.

Alex Pietrangelo: Pietrangelo plays a great shut-down role on the Blues but his offensive talent and points production is right up there with Shattenkirk’s. He’s aggressive, plays a great two-way game and is very physical, laying hits that can knock an opponent off the puck. That, combined with his ability to quarterback the play makes him an impressive figure on the ice.

Here were mine (Andrei Lutz’s) defensive lines,

Tyler Myers – Dustin Byfuglien

Jacob Trouba – Toby Enstrom

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Tyler Myers: Our second Buffalo Sabre is Tyler Myers, once thought of to be one of the league’s next best defensemen. Myers is a tall and hard-hitting defensemen who can score more and amass more points then most of the Jets offense. Like Stafford, Myers saw a solid increase in his stats upon being traded to the Jets, showing that he still has the potential that was once thought of him. Look for Myers to lead what may be a brick wall on defense and a danger offensively in what may be his best season to date with one of the younger and more skilled teams he has played on.

Dustin Byfuglien: Arguably one of the Jets best players, Dustin adds Jets brick wall with his outstanding offensive and defensive abilities. Dustin is most likely the Jets most well rounded player (it is difficult to tell if he’s a forward or defender) scoring 18 goals last season and amongst the team leaders in shots on goal he showed that he could be dangerous at both ends and crafty in the middle (yes I quoted Sherlock Holmes). Dustin also has a little contractual motivation as Ladd does with his contract expiring at the end of the year, so look for a little bit more jump to his step this season.

Jacob Trouba: Trouba is yet another young star on the Jets (9^th overall pick in 2012. Trouba was considered to be one of the Jets best young prospects and he has delivered solid stats in his first two seasons in the NHL. It remains to be seen if Trouba has the offensive capabilities of Myers and Byfuglien, but he can for sure deliver (22 points last season and 29 the year before). Trouba is expected to be on the top defensive line one day leading the brick wall on defense and with Dustin’s contract coming to and end that may be rather soon.

Toby Enstrom: Toby is one of the more seasoned hard hitting vets on the Jets (yes rhymed) and has been with the club since the Thrashers of 2007. Enstrom is not a goal scorer, but he can dish out assists better then most of the offensive players and like Myers and Byfuglien he always holds high point totals. This last season he only captured 23 points (one of his weaker seasons of recent) and it seems that his best days may be behind with many young defensive prospects in the wings it would not be a shocker to see Enstrom traded later this season. Nevertheless, Enstrom is hard hitting defensemen and a strong veteran presence on the Jets.

So who comes out ahead?

I would place Byfuglien on Kevin Shattenkirk. Byfuglien is an intimindating and physical force who could shut down an offensive defenseman like Shattenkirk. Kevin is not very intimidating in size, so in the best interest of keeping him away from the puck you would put a force like Byfuglien on his tale no doubt.

Tyler Myers Vs. Jay Bouwmeester would definiently be an interesting battle. Both Jay and Tyler hold a solid amount of stamina. Tyler Myers could stand as a rather physical force to wear down Jay; however, Jay does not get worn down easy. With Tyler being a threat at both ends it will be interesting to see if Jay can keep up with the pace and presence of the young defenseman. It will be a very even battle for sure.

Placing Enstrom against Butler could be a good call. Enstrom is a seasoned Jet who can rack up assists almost faster then anyone on offense. Enstrom can outwit you with both his experience and his hard hitting defensive skills.. Butler has never displayed really impressive statistics during his course in the NHL, but holds a tremendous amount of potential with his size standing out. Butler has good puck handling abilities, so it will be interesting to see how he competes with Enstrom. I will have to give the upper hand in this battle to Enstrom, being his experience statistics speak for themselves when it comes to defense.

Alex Pietrangelo against Trouba could be bad for the Jets. Trouba is still a young player and while he has shown tremedous potential he has yet to have a real standout season with the Jets. Alex is very physical and can play to offensive and defensive strengths, a very intimidating force on the ice. I would have to give this battle to Alex, his experience and strength is simply too much for Trouba to handle.

In short I would say that it could be argued that the Jets defensive lines are superior to the Blues. Based on these facts about these players though one would say that the Jets have the upper hand if not a slight one.

It is debatable though as many of the pairings could go either way, so please comment below and tell us who you think stacks up better, and what you think the lines and pairings should stand us.

Next: Central Division Goaltenders

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