Winnipeg Jets: 5 Reasons a Stanley Cup is Coming – #2
Every Stanley Cup Champ has one thing in common – defence they can rely on
Whether it be the Chicago Blackhawks, Los Angeles Kings, or Pittsburgh Penguins, they all have three defenseman they really rely on. Chicago has Duncan Keith, Niklas Hjalmarsson, and Brent Seabrook. All three of them almost play half the game. Los Angeles relied on Drew Doughty, Jake Muzzin, and Alec Martinez during their parade seasons. The weak on defence Penguins still had players they could rely on, mostly named Kris Letang, but also with help from Brian Dumoulin, and Trevor Daley.
Who leads the Winnipeg Jets defence?
Dustin Byfuglien
The Jets own the best trio of 1-2-3 right-handed defenseman. Dustin Byfuglien leads off. He’s big and mean defending, throwing out humongous hits that are looked at on YouTube millions of times. He’s also the quarterback on the power play, and since he has experience as a winger, can score with the elite as well. No matter who he plays with, he makes them better, and can fill holes in their game. Dustin is a true number one, and can match Brent Seabrook’s playing time at about 25 minutes a game.
Tyler Myers
Keep in mind Tyler Myers won the Calder Trophy in 2009. That season got overshadowed by a bad team in Buffalo, and eventually Myers got traded from the Sabres on a deal that Buffalo will regret for decades. Having won a major award before, shows his potential as one of the games premier defenders. Lot of this is due to his size. Tyler Myers is the second tallest player in the NHL, and in a season or two when Zdeno Chara retires, Myers’ 6′ 8″ frame will be the tallest. Tyler is lanky though, and because of his low weight, can skate the puck out of the zone on the breakout. His long reach gets noticed in every game he plays in, knocking the puck right off the stick of a player who comes 1-on-1 against him. Myers also has scoring abilities, as he led the Jets second power play unit all season. He’s also a work horse, playing an average of 23 minutes a game last season, which included over two minutes penalty killing.
Jacob Trouba
The third of this three-headed monster is Jacob Trouba. Trouba is a former top 10 draft pick, and although his contract situation with the Jets right now is still a concern early in September, remember they won’t give up Trouba for nothing. He had an incredible rookie season where he got all the freedom on the ice he wanted, but since Paul Maurice has cracked down on mistakes made by Trouba, his game hasn’t been quite as exciting. Jacob still has 2-3 years to develop into a top pairing monster, and once the Jets are ready to contend, he will be there.
Just those three defenseman alone combine to weigh just a smidge under 700 pounds. This prowess was examined without even mentioning Tobias Enstrom, and his defensive end work, or top prospect Joshua Morrissey who the Jets hope can be just as good as Jacob Trouba was in his rookie season. A strong defense core is the second reason the Jets will win a Stanley Cup before 2020.