The Winnipeg Jets Keys for Defensive Success in 2018-2019

Defense wins championships, right? Or is that just football? Either way, preventing goals is a pretty good way to win hockey games. And you know what? The Winnipeg Jets were pretty good at it this past season.

The Winnipeg Jets were fifth in the NHL in goals against with 218. That is pretty good. Coupled with being second in goals, that’s a recipe for huge success.

Which is exactly what the Jets got last year. Huge enough? No, but there’s still time for all of that. The record for fewest goals allowed in a season? Toronto and Montreal set it in 53-54 and 55-56, with 131. Wow. No team allowed fewer than 200 last year.

Not as wild as the record for goals for, but hey, Wayne Gretzky can only do so much. The Jets offense doesn’t worry me at all. Their defense? Also doesn’t really worry me.

But we’re going to need some people to keep it going for the Jets to do the same. Who are they? Well, pretty much everyone. Defense is a team effort in hockey, but let’s break some things down.

The New Backup Goaltender

Bet this surprised you, huh? Whether it’s Eric Comrie or Laurent Brossoit (I’m betting the latter), they will need to be at their best. I’m assuming they’ll both end up seeing time at the position, provided one of them doesn’t turn into a Cam Talbot level backup.

And you know what? That wouldn’t be so farfetched. Yes, Henrik Lundqvist > Connor Hellebuyck, but having a high-end starter helps your backups ease in. The pressure isn’t as high. Also, a really good group of defenseman can’t hurt.

Brossoit or Comrie will be given all the tools they need to succeed. They’re not being thrown into the fire. And yes, whatever they do has a trickle effect on the team. Is Hellebuyck more important to the defense and the team as a whole than these two? Of course he is.

But Hellebuyck needs the backups more than they need him. If they aren’t up  to snuff, Connor needs to play more. That will wear him down for the obvious playoff run the Jets will want to gear up for.

The worse they are, the worse teams they’ll let them face. If the Jets lose games to Buffalo and Arizona because the backups are trash, they’re letting winnable games slip by that might matter in the race for home ice, or the playoffs in its entirety. Backups, kids. You need em. Furthermore, if they fail, Cheveldayoff will have to go out and trade assets for another one. Not great.

The Team’s Top Penalty Killer

I was surprised to find out Brandon Tanev got heavy PK minutes among the Jets. I assumed Matt Henricks, Bryan Little and Mark Scheifele would factor heavily in the forwards, and they did.

Tanev escaped me. And yes, he’s not going to win the Selke Trophy (though Scheifele did get a vote). He’s not a premium offensive player, and that’s okay. The Winnipeg Jets seem to think he’s a premium defensive player, and I’ve no reason to doubt them.

The Jets were tied for the seventh best penalty kill percentage last season, so they’re doing something right. Special teams is so important, especially in the playoffs. With Patrik Laine and co, I’m not worried about the powerplay. It’ll be good and super fun.

The penalty kill did lose Matt Hendricks, and he was a key cog. Will he be easily replaced? The tough part about going young with your roster is the PK from the bottom six guys. I wouldn’t trust Jack Roslovic the way I would trust Hendricks.

And while Scheifele is fantastic, I’d prefer the Jets have to use him as little as possible on the PK. In comes Tanev. He got big minutes last year, and he’ll get them again this season, especially with Hendricks gone. Will he be able to step up the way he did last year?

Sure hope so. No reason to doubt him, defense doesn’t slump the way offense does. Tanev knows what to do, so it’s all about effort and IQ. He’s high in both, so he’ll be a big piece to the puzzle that doesn’t get credit.

I Never Meant to Cause You Trouba

With another shot to find out if he’s worth a long term deal, the Winnipeg Jets have RFA Jacob Trouba on a $5.5MM contract. Feels about right. When healthy, he’s a legit impact defenseman. No question.

He’s only 24, but in his five seasons,  only once has he surpassed 65 games. That stings. And it’s a big reason why he doesn’t have a long term deal from the team. Let’s not harp on the contract. If he earns it, I bet he gets it.

He played in 55 contests last year. It’s rough to see him get hurt again. Will he stay healthy this season? I doubt it. The emergence of Josh Morrissey has let the Jets play Trouba’s role down a bit.

I’m assuming this isn’t to punish him, but to keep him healthy. Trouba is very good defensively, so they just want him to play to that strength. Trouba can play offense well, too, and Winnipeg doesn’t really ask him to.

Obviously they want him to pitch in, but they don’t ask him to be a force on the powerplay or the main offensive force from the blueline, but he has the ability. He’s just so damn good, but he needs to stay healthy. He’s basically a little worse than Ryan McDonagh.

And if he’s healthy and shutting down people on the second pairing, alongside Tyler Myers, this will be a formidable top 4 with real depth. They need him. And he needs health.