The Winnipeg Jets Regular Season Roster is Coming Into Focus
The Winnipeg Jets sent a large group of players down, and some had to clear waivers to get through, but that’s okay. We’re seeing now what the opening night roster might bring.
The Winnipeg Jets cut down 10 players and placed five on waivers. Sami Niku was an actual surprise to me, I thought he might make it.
CJ Suess, Mason Appleton and Skyler McKenzie played well in the exhibition games, but it was pretty clear they would not be carried on opening night. That’s okay. They helped put themselves on the map for future call ups. Never a bad idea.
Either way, the Jets still have some cuts to make. Some of those are obvious, due to injuries or absences.
But Mitchell Clinton Tweeted out the lines at today’s practice, and it makes things pretty clear. The first thing that caught my eye was the fourth line. Now, I don’t expect Ehlers to play on the fourth line come reality.
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But I also don’t expect Brendan Lemieux or Marko Dano to be in the lineup on a regular basis. Which means that Jack Roslovic (duh) and Kristian Vesalainen will be.
I was wondering about Vesalainen. I believed he could make it, and then I saw how many bottom-nine depth dudes the Jets have. It’s an uphill battle, but he looks to have climbed it. I guess he could still get sent down, but I wouldn’t count on it at this point.
I think Roslovic will center the fourth line with Vesalainen on one end and Mathieu Perreault on the other. Maybe Nik Ehlers really will get bumped.
If that happened, I’d rather see that be the third line. The fourth can still be Andrew Copp, Brandon Tanev and Adam Lowry. A very unassuming, but useful, checking line.
Vesalainen gives the Jets yet another high-end young forward. Pairing him with Kyle Connor, Laine, Ehlers, Scheifele and Wheeler is a hell of a core, especially if he develops as expected.
As for the defense, it’s a shame the Tyler Myers experiment failed. Don’t get me wrong, he’s great, just not on his off-side. Keep him as the third pair guy. Which opens up room on the second for someone next to Dustin Byfuglien.
From the looks of it, it’ll be Joseph Morrow. He’s played well, and he’s earned a look. If not, you still have Ben Chiarot (pass), Dmitry Kulikov (Eh, okay) and Tucker Poolman (who knows what he can do).
Next. Winnipeg Jets Meet NFL Stars. dark
There will be some more paring of the roster in the coming days, as the Jets have to be at 23 players max by Monday. But few surprises, if any, remain.