Winnipeg Jets: Heritage Classic Lineup Questions
Winnipeg Jets head coach Paul Maurice came out at the start of the season to announce he’s gonna need all 23 players to be successful this year. He hinted that potentially keeping some healthy scratches out of the lineup for too long was an issue for the Winnipeg Jets last season. Although it was tough to see veterans Mark Stuart, Alex Burmistrov, and Chris Thorburn start the season introduction’s on the bench, Paul Maurice continued his statement and played the three in their following game against Minnesota. Bryan Little going down with a long term injury helped their cause though. He went back to Ben Chiarot and Joel Armia against Boston, a team that would be better suited for Stuart and Thorburn to play against, because of their hard-hitting nature. Against the skilled up front Leafs, it’s not question a more skilled lineup of Armia, and Chiarot made a lot of sense. It was no surprise a track meet would be developed by the mid-way section of the game, and definitely the more defensive option wouldn’t have helped contract a four goal deficit.
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It’ll be interesting to see which lineup they go with in the Heritage Classic game on Sunday. Both options have some reasoning to them. Joel Armia, and Ben Chiarot is the offensive minded duo. Edmonton is another team like the Maple Leafs. They aren’t gonna beat you with their defence, they’re going to outscore you to win. If the Jets fall behind early in the game again, Armia will help create a comeback. If those two are in the lineup again, fans, and media may start to question if Maurice is really serious about having everyone in the lineup often, if they’ve already sat for almost a week. Having Chris Thorburn and Mark Stuart in the lineup could intimidate the Oilers stars like Connor McDavid, and Jesse Puljujarvi. The outdoor ice may be a little sloppy, which could make offense hard to come by. For Stuart, and Thorburn, this is most likely the final outdoor game they will be apart of, and having to watch from the stands could be a tough pill to swallow. The Jets and Oilers had a huge rivalry back in the 1980’s, and early 90’s, since they met seamlessly every postseason, and every time the Oilers won. If pushing and shoving is expected, Thorburn is the man.
Political reasons could put Chris Thorburn, and Mark Stuart in the Jets lineup during the Heritage Classic, but if we’re playing matchup, or looking for fanlove, Joel Armia, and Ben Chiarot is a much better choice to battle the Oilers.