Winnipeg Jets: Top 3 reasons to have hope in 2021
The Winnipeg Jets hit the ice for their first game of 2021 in the coming weeks. Here are three reasons to have hope in the Jets for the upcoming season.
While the Winnipeg Jets are competing in training camp with the season less than two weeks away there is a lot to look forward to in the upcoming campaign.
The Winnipeg Jets made some key additions this offseason, while also having some off-ice drama including players asking for trades. Regardless of all this, there are many reasons to look forward to watching the Jets in 2021.
As we count down the days to the start of the season and look at the Jets schedule and matchups, here are the top reasons Winnipeg Jets supporters should have hope in their team this year:
3. Depth
Now more than ever, roster depth is extremely important. With the ongoing pandemic and the 56-game season on the horizon for the Jets, the Jets will need every player on the roster to contribute for the team to be successful.
The Jets look to have a solid group of veteran players with some young players who can give the Jets a new-look lineup every night.
This gives the Jets coaching staff the option to give some of their players rest while still giving them good matchups all over the ice. This in turn will give the Jets a great shot to win every game.
It will be interesting to see how Paul Maurice and the coaching staff manage the lineup game in and game out but it is great to see the depth the Jets have for the new season, which should make them successful.
2. Top-Six Forwards
One thing is for certain, with the offseason acquisition of Paul Stastny, the Winnipeg Jets’ top-two lines are stacked and not many franchises are fortunate enough to have the caliber of players that the Jets have with their top-six forwards.
The Jets’ top lines of the depth chart look to be Nikolaj Ehlers on the left, with Mark Scheifele in the middle and Blake Wheeler on the right; and Kyle Connor with Stastny and Patrik Laine on the other line.
There is a good chance we could see Ehlers and Connor switch places, but regardless of that, these lines will carry the Jets in 2021.
Look for these six players to score a majority of the Jets goals and these players could separate the Jets from the rest of the pack in their new North Division.
These names are a great reason to have hope that the Jets will have an extremely successful season.
1. Goaltending
As we’ve seen in the NHL over the most recent years, goaltending wins championships. The one great thing for the Jets is they have a great amount of depth in that department.
With the way that the schedule is set up, it is going to be difficult for Connor Hellebuyck to play the brunt of the games. With many games in few days, the Jets will need to have their backups come in to give the reigning Vezina Trophy winner some rest.
It looks now that the Jets have three options to fill-in for Hellebuyck. Those backup netminders are Laurent Brossoit, Eric Comrie, and Mikhail Berdin.
Brossoit has posted good numbers as a backup in the past two seasons for Hellebuyck, while the twenty-two-year-old Berdin has had some great performances with the Manitoba Moose.
Expect the added competition for the backup spot to only improve the Jets in the goaltending category.
Goaltending is the number one reason to have hope in 2021 and it will be the main reason that the Jets will have success this season.
Winnipeg Jets Fans: What place will the Jets finish in at the end of the season? Leave your comments below!
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