Resolution #1: Develop a rookie to be…anything, really.
Yes, the Winnipeg Jets have Jack Roslovic in the lineup on a nightly basis, having played 38 of 39 games. But he’s yet to impress, and I think it would be great if they could develop, at the least, a steady role player moving forward.
The Jets have built their core around this youth movement, inspired by the front office’s stellar record with first round picks.
Kyle Connor fully broke out last year, becoming a 30 goal scorer who looks about on pace to do it again this year, with mostly different linemates.
The year prior, it was Patrik Laine, scoring 36 goals in his rookie, age 18 season. Before that? It was Nikolaj Ehlers scoring 36 points as a rookie, and Mark Scheifele was steadily ascending during that whole period.
Point is, the youngsters came in waves and have carved out really big roles on the Jets. Added to veterans Dustin Byfuglien and Blake Wheeler (and aided by other youngsters coming up like Josh Morrissey and Jacob Trouba), this team built a really incredible core.
It was team full of role players that grew stars. Now, I want the team full of stars to grow role players. The Winnipeg Jets are going to be fighting the salary cap as long as they’re competitive.
It’s how the NHL attempts to keep things fair. You can only pay so many people before the roster construction has to suffer. The Jets already traded Joel Armia, an adequate role player, for salary relief. They knew they had Jack Roslovic to plug in his spot.
Problem is, Roslovic has been invisible with the Jets. In those 38 games, he has just two goals and six assists. His Corsi% is fine at 50.3%, but he’s getting almost 80% of his starts in the offensive zone, more than any regular on the team.
Oh, and he’s averaging under eight minutes a game. Eight minutes! That’s comparable to the small samples of guys like Mason Appleton, Brendan Lemieux and Nic Petan.
Paul Maurice is short about one guy he can trust, and it isn’t any of the youngsters, yet. That could change. And I hope it does. It doesn’t just apply to the offense.
With Byfuglien missing more time and the defensive issues the team has had, the opportunity was there for someone like Sami Niku or, uh…Nelson Nogier? Okay, sure, one of them to show he can be a capable bottom pair defenseman.
I’m less confident that happens (playing defense in the NHL is so, so difficult) than I am that one of the offensive guys can figure something out. If Brendan Lemieux becomes more Steve Downie and less Tanner Glass, or if Roslovic shows he can make a play here and there and pitch in on defense.
Heck, even Appleton doing more than two points in 14 games. Lemieux scored two goals, including the game winner, in the last game of 2018. He also committed the penalty that helped the Oilers to a PPG. I wouldn’t count on him scoring a bunch, but he can be that Downie type.
Maybe even Kristian Vesalainen comes back and shows us what we’ve been missing. I don’t care which one it is. I just want the Jets to feel good about one of them at the end of the year. Develop someone, just to show that the team will keep adding these dudes through the system.
That’s the only way they can achieve sustained success.