The END Of Preseason Is In Sight For The Winnipeg Jets…So What’s Next?
The Winnipeg Jets are preparing to close out their preseason with just two more games, including tonight’s matchup against the Minnesota Wild. What should we prepare for on tonight’s show of locked on Winnipeg Jets? You’re Locked On Jets, your daily podcast on the Winnipeg Jets, part of the Locked On Network, your team every day. Hey friends and welcome to tonight’s episode of Locked On Winnipeg Jets part of the Locked On podcast network your team every day. I’m your host Harrison Lee an aid Winnipeg Jets fan and an online blogger. You can follow me on Twitter at Living Loco and at L Winnipeg Jets. Thanks for making Lockdown Jets your first listen of the day every day. If you like what you’re hearing, be sure to like, follow, and subscribe on all of your favorite podcast and platforms and YouTube. Doing so, of course, is always free of charge and ensures you never miss another episode. Most of all though, we just love and appreciate your support. Tonight’s show, we have a lot to talk about. Uh we’re going to talk about you, you know, the upcoming preseason game this evening against Minnesota. Uh kind of how that’s all going to shape up. You know, maybe some changes. We’ll also talk through some of the preseason stocks for players. You know, who’s really risen up, who’s kind of stayed the same, and who might be trending a little bit more downwards. Finally, I also want to talk about Billy Hanoa. I I mentioned him on the previous episode or so. I want to chat about why this is probably his last real chance to make the NHL at this point and how that could potentially look if he actually does make the cut. First though, Minnesota Winnipeg, this is uh one of the last two preseason games and then the Jets will open their actual real season on October 9th at home against the team that unfortunately unseated them out of last year’s playoffs. But uh for tonight’s game, I I think the main thing that I’m going to be looking for is uh two things, right? The first is how will this Jets top nine be arranged? I have a pretty strong feeling that the the couple of lines that we’ve seen with Nestnikov, Taves, and Shley, those previous combinations will probably be what the Jets do. Uh you’ll have CSV likely as your first line. your second line, uh, Perfetti, Nyquist, and Taves, and then on the third, something like Neita, Ryder, uh, Vlad, and then probably follow. This top nine is okay, right? Like I I think it’ll get the job done. I think it’s going to be very forch heavy and probably one of those that maybe struggles to create a lot of 5v5 offense, but overall, I mean, I think it’ll be decent. Uh, you know me, I I often look more at the playoffs than I do the regular season because I think the regular season is where the Jets already have the formula pretty much perfected. Uh, you sit there, you grind out 82 games, although next year it’ll be what, 84. Uh, you you’ll be one of those teams that’s kind of will over elite skill. And I think the Jets have generally done a great job of that the past couple of years where they’re tight defensively. They can do enough to to squeeze out and grind out goals. and they just have a desire to, you know, out outlast their opponents, which I think they’ve done, especially uh this past year under Arneal. We even had a crazy crazy win streak and really one of the best records to start the season that we’ve ever seen in league history. Now though, things are about to change and the Jets are going to have to sort of adapt to that. You’ve got a lot of new veterans here. You’ve got a very different top nine than than you did last year. And yes, I know uh Eers and Appleton may have been used in various ways. We’re not going to see the same kinds of players taking their place, though. And so, it’s going to be an interesting adjustment to see how the Jets react to that. Will Taves be able to keep up for 60 minutes? How will his deployments work as we start getting into the regular season? I think in the last game or so, we sort of saw uh maybe where his lack of foot speed is potentially going to be something that pops up throughout the season. uh you know he’s got really good supports in a guy like Perfetti and Nyquist is looking to kind of reestablish himself. He didn’t have the last year or so work out pretty well but he did have a recently good season with Nashville. So can he kind of go back to those pres days of being a really good poacher? We’re going to just have to wait and see. I think the other area that I’m also kind of keeping an eye on is the fourth line. Right. The fourth line has uh a fair bit of competition. I do think that the line that we saw earlier of um Baron, Kepka, and Pearson is likely to be the line. Uh this game and probably the game against Calgary will be our big tell of who, you know, Arnneal really is impressed with. But the fact that Chennowith was talking about Pearson on the PK a couple of days ago to me already says that they’ve made up their mind. I really don’t agree with this though. I I don’t think Pearson for me should be uh the the guy to put on your fourth line. I would like to see someone like Gustoson or Ford or one of these other options. I I I think the Jets actually have better improvements that they can make internally, but I I know that how they view this whole veteran thing. I know the experience is always very important to them. Uh but like with Pearson, if his skating was like league average, I really wouldn’t be concerned about it. His skating is not league average. It’s well below that now. And it was very noticeable in the first couple of preseason games that he just can’t keep up the way he used to. As somebody who was actually a very big Pearson fan, like this hurts to say. Um I used to love watching him do his work for the Kings. I think, you know, maybe five or six years ago, we’d be having a very different conversation, but where Pearson is at this stage of his career, uh I just don’t know if it’s going to work with what you really need Winnipeg to do. That fourth line has to be one that you can rely on to to get the puck up the ice to defend well. And I’m just not sure that Pearson contributes to that in the way that you need. But maybe he’s got a surprise in store. He can still shoot and pass very well. Like it’s clear everything up here and with his hands are still really good. Uh it’s just the foot speed that’s kind of an issue right now. So hopefully he can find a way to compensate. Um you know, he’s he’s got a ton of winning experience. He’s one of the few guys on the Jets roster that’s got a ring or two. So, uh, if he can parlay that into more success, more power to him. The final thing that I’m going to be keeping a close eye on though, uh, and really the more unexpected thing is what happens with the Samberg pairing. I know how Arnneal has done this before, and we’ve seen it, uh, but like the Jets were not good when Samberg was out. like he is one of the lynchpins of this defense and I really don’t know how you compensate for that. Flurry Pian is not it. Uh I I I appreciate what Flurry does and I know he fights for the badge but he cannot play on that second pairing with Pian. I just don’t think that that pairing really works that well and I don’t really know who else can really do it. Um my only feeling is maybe you try a Miller on his off hand. Miller Pian might be the closest that you can get and there will still be warts with that pairing, but at least Miller is a guy that I would feel a little more comfortable with, right? He’s a trusted NHLer. He’s done this job for many, many years. He’s a solid second or third pairing guy. Uh again, it’s it’s not really how I would want to do it. And Miller himself does have this habit of shooting the puck a little too much sometimes right into coverage that gets uh a rebound turned into a counter against. But given the options, I just don’t really know what else you do. The only other thing that I could see potentially happening is like a Han Pian pairing, but like that’s really fantasy stuff, right? Hanola doesn’t really play a lot. You already know that I’m going to talk about this really being his last chance to make the Jets. So, you know, the other options are just not really that savory. You’ve got Stanley and Pian, which I would not do. You could do Shen and Pian. Again, I wouldn’t do it. Uh, you just don’t really have many choices unless Salammonson somehow gets onto this team in light of the injury situation, which I I can’t even imagine how that would even happen without somebody getting waved. Uh, I just don’t think the Jets really have a replacement for Samberg. And so what they do in these final couple of preseason games uh both tonight and on Friday will be very telling. Will they do Flurry Pian again? Will they try something else? Uh the something else doesn’t really fill me with a lot of confidence, but you know, you got to you got to find some sort of solution. I I don’t know what it is. They’ve also got Kale Kle and maybe he has done enough to get some looks from the Jets coaching staff. My own opinion is that he didn’t really impress so far. And I can kind of see why he sort of bounced around between the NHL and AHL. But, you know, I guess barring any other solution, I just don’t know what you do, man. You don’t have a replacement for Samberg. He is uh kind of oneonone on this team, and without him, it’s going to be a bit of a diceier situation. So, a lot to keep a close eye on. We’ll just have to wait and see. But speaking of preseason and stuff, I also want to talk about whose preseason stocks are high, who’s kind of declined a bit, and who really hasn’t changed much at all. We’ll dive into some of the biggest and most notable performances coming right up. Before we do though, I wanted to let you know about our friends and partners at FanDuel. The NFL season is here and FanDuel is making sure you’re ready for kickoff with a can’t miss offer. Right now, new customers can bet just $5. And if your bet wins, you’ll get $300 in bonus bets to use across the app. Whether you’re somebody who thinks the Ravens might finally turn their season around, or perhaps you believe Carson Wentz is on the uh the comeback tour of the century where he’s ready to resurrect his career with Minnesota. The only way that you can get in on the action is by going to uh FanDuel.com and downloading the FanDuel app right now to get started. It makes every game more exciting whether you’re doing same game parlays or jumping in live as the action is unfolding on your TV. And again, if your first $5 bet wins, that’s $300 in modus bets to keep your winning going. That’s fandal.com to place your first $5 bet. See you on the app. Hey friends, welcome back to this episode of Locked On Winnipeg Jets, part of the Locked On Network, your team every day. every day. Thank you so much for rejoining us on tonight’s episode as we’re chatting about uh sort of preseason takeaways, uh rising stocks, perhaps falling stocks, uh maybe some folks who haven’t really changed either way. Um let’s talk about the biggest risers. Uh so the first one for me is going to be Kobe Barlo. I think Barlo has really boosted his stock significantly. Now, he won’t play in the NHL this season, barring like a crazy surprise. uh maybe like an end of the year sort of reward for a a big season with the Moose, but I think he has done enough to prove that he looks pro ready. That was not really my expectation coming into this camp, but I think given what we’ve seen already with him, uh I came away happy. I thought he looked really good. Uh this is the most improved I’ve seen him uh play from any of the prospect games from last year um up until now. This is like a totally more uh uh engaged, more proactive, and more creative player all around. And I really feel like that is a testament to all the work that Barlo has done this off season. He looks refreshed, renewed, and ready to go. Speaking of which, you know, a guy he might play with this year, Danny Zilkin. Uh if there was a guy who deserved like the most improved award, Zilken has to be it. even compared to his previous preseason and camp uh performances in other years, he came out and uh was just shot out of the cannon this preseason. I have never seen him play like this before and he was just a man possessed. You know, he was forchecking aggressively, creating tons of good shooting and passing lanes, scoring goals left and right, stealing hearts and minds. Uh he was just unbelievable and like this was really his preseason to lose. Now, look, it’s not going to mean that he’s going to score two to three points every single night with Manitoba, but bear in mind this guy had like two years ago, I think, a very injuryriddled season. Then last year, he was on a Moose team that was awful and he really struggled. You know, he had like what 10 points in 30 odd games, maybe even less than that. That’s very uncharacteristic for the kind of player that he was when he was with G. Now, he finally looks like the Zhoken that I was expecting. fast, efficient, skilled. He’s got that layer of creativity. Um the relentless motor, you know, the Jets have recently drafted a lot of these types with Kevin He um Owen Martin a little bit. You’ve you’ve got some of that. Uh you’ve got this with Zhilen. I just think that there’s this sort of archetype that Zhoken fits that easily projects to be an an NHLer in your middle or bottom six, but you know, the past couple of years it was sort of trending to Zhoken not really making uh the NHL at all. And so this preseason really was kind of a coming out party for him. And oh boy, if this is what we see from him with the Moose this year, uh he might be on the fast track to the NHL sooner than later. So really impressed with him, really rooting for him to do well. He uh is is very much one of my rapid risers uh in in player stocks. So happy that he has hit the ground running and very excited for him. Also going to give uh rising stocks to Kevin He especially in his last game or two looked a lot more refined, a lot more pro ready and obviously this is his last year with Niagara. But once he’s done, should the Moose still be around and in the playoffs, I wouldn’t be shocked if he, you know, starts making the team. He’s energetic. He skates well. Uh he had a couple of really nifty passes and plays. Thought he had a couple of dangerous shots and scoring opportunities, one of which he just barely missed in front of goal. All that stuff I feel like is is trending in the right direction. You know, some of the goals that he scored in juniors don’t always project to be uh the kinds that you score with, you know, prolevel uh players, whether it’s defenders or goalies. But I think what he’s been showing and and developing looks a lot more projectable to the NHL and AHL. So, I expect him to be a really fun player. I think he’s going to be well, he already is a fan favorite. Uh, everyone obviously kind of has nicknames for him around his last name, but I I just think he’s got the leadership and quality that I think is going to make for a really fun player at some point for the Jets. uh stocks that haven’t really changed. Um Lambert, I think is probably in this category. I think Brad needed to come out and and demonstrate that he is still a quality prospect. And I think he did. You know, I don’t think he really set the world on fire, but I think he played really really well. And I think it was more on the understated details that I noticed him the most. Uh you know, some of his defensive work I think was very solid. Uh I think his transition game showed well. he made some really smart decisions in inside the offensive zone. Where I think he’s still trying to catch up a little bit is, you know, when he’s maybe the first guy in the OZ, how do you prevent yourself from getting isolated and, you know, turning the puck over? That is something that he still does. Uh, also like in the D zone, he is still a bit passive. Um, sometimes he’ll not necessarily shut down or manmark as aggressively, which I think, you know, isn’t the worst if you uh can channel that into some smart reads, but he doesn’t always do that. So, there’s stuff for him to work on. But overall, I came away with a fairly positive impression. I just don’t think that it’s necessarily raised or lowered to stock either way. I think he still tracks to be a pretty solid middle six contributor. I think he’ll be a good winger for the Jets. Uh, I think his days as a center are probably numbered. Um, I just don’t see him making the NHL down the middle. Unless he has like a slam banging big year for Manitoba this year as a center, which doesn’t seem super likely, but could happen. Uh, I think he’ll probably be an NHL caliber winger. Um, maybe he doesn’t do what Eers did back then, but he probably has the closest skill set to anyone of of of this Jets pool that can do that. Uh and again they are very different players so it doesn’t quite feel that fair to come to compare them but you know when you have somebody who has the edge work that Lambert does the comparisons just sort of invite themselves. So um really hoping for a big year from him. I’ve always been a big fan and believer of his. I just need to see that extra layer and extra level from him to really take his game from uh just being very good to to sort of not necessarily next level, but maybe really getting himself back in the good graces of the Jets brass. I I believe in him still. I think he’s a fun player and I hope that he uh can really do something special. also on stocks that didn’t necessarily move. Uh Elias Salammanson, like his stocks are already so high that he would have to just blow the roof off to to actually be any better than he already is. And uh I don’t know that he necessarily did that. Like he wasn’t putting up Eric Carlson results, but for what he did in preseason, man, he was a beast. Uh I’ve always been very high on him. I I think he’s just continued to uh showcase what I sort of expected out of him and I really don’t see any reason not to think he’s uh a top four player in the very near future. I think next year he’ll probably make the team. Uh he is one of the most exciting prospects in this pool and I cannot wait to see what he does in a full-time uh Jets deployment. if we have guys whose stocks are maybe falling. Um, this feels weird to say because it’s not like either of their stocks are really uh changing all that much, but like Stanley and Flurry uh I don’t think really showed super super well in camp so far. Um, a lot of the decision-m and stuff that’s kind of hurt them the past couple of years kind of showed up again. I mean, it’s not really shocking. as much as uh you’d want them to really be shutdown types, they they do struggle with that and I don’t think it’s a surprise that some of the worst shifts kind of happened when they were trying to uh you know, manmark and stuff. It it’s just not really in their game. Um, and so like in terms of the third pairing, you know, ideally I think you’d have somebody with more mobility and and puck moving ability there rather than, you know, having a couple of really big tall guys who struggle with the defensive part of the game. Uh, I’m not going to sit here and say Handela is going to be the shutdown dude because he’s not. That’s never been his game. But I think if you have, say, Shen or Miller on the right side, get them a partner who can actually move the puck well. Find somebody who can make really good stretch passes consistently and who has the vision and IQ to make really good choices when you’re trying to exit exit the Dzone. I think Shen can work very well if you have the right partner, but so far the Jets haven’t necessarily given him the partner that makes a lot of sense. So, it is what it is. Uh I’m I’m not really shocked by it. It just is part of the game and I know how the Jets kind of are. So, uh, going to be an interesting one over the next couple of weeks. Obviously, the Jets are going to continue to winnow down this camp, uh, this week and and really in the final preseason game or so. We’ll we’ll know what their hand is probably by the end of tonight and on Friday. We’ll know what their their I guess projected lines are. Probably going to be pretty similar to what we had coming into camp, barring the new Samberg injury. So, man, I really hope the injury is shortterm because that is a guy they do not want to live without for very long. Now, I mentioned Hanola just a little bit ago. I want to talk about why this is probably his last real shot to make the NHL, especially as a member of the Winnipeg Jets. Hey friends, and welcome back to this episode of Locked On Winnipeg Jets, part of the Locked on Podcast Network, your team every day. everyday. Thank you so much for rejoining us in tonight’s closing thoughts as we’re just wrapping up really quickly with some final thoughts on uh well this is going to be I would argue uh Billy Hanela’s last real chance to make the NHL. Uh there is an opportunity that maybe if he gets waved that some other team out there uh actually gives him a real shot, but I’m going to be real with you. I I doubt that that actually happens. I think if Hanela does not make the Jets out of camp this year, uh which which is going to change now because you have the Samberg injury, you don’t have to wave uh as many as you originally needed to. Uh but assuming you know he he gets waved when Samberg’s back. I just don’t know where he goes from this point. you know, the Athletic under Maradesh just put out an article uh where Hanelo was sort of talking about, you know, the grind and and trying to make the league at this stage of his career. And he’s spent a lot of time uh having press box popcorn, you know, trying his best in in some games where he’d maybe do too much or other games where he was very conservative and made small smart plays but nothing that really stood out. And with him, you know, I often feel like the expectations for him just don’t really align with how they viewed other Jets prospects. You know, Stanley in particular, I think, is one of the most interesting examples because Logan really does struggle with a lot of the basic things. Uh when you look at his lateral passing, for instance, he often times sends the puck right to an opposing skater and gets himself into trouble. or when he’s on the PK, he pinches and pulls himself out of a passing or shooting lane in a a a marking situation that you don’t want to do because then it just opens that shooter that you were supposed to be handling for an easy shot. He did that earlier in preseason. It led to a goal against. Uh and you know, I just don’t know why Hanela is held to a different standard then. When Han makes a mistake, he’s often gotten benched. Uh, and like I I I struggle to understand why, you know, the Jets don’t want more puck moving ability because I think with this team and how the Jets are built, you know, size is great if it’s actually good enough to move the puck, but size cannot be your only defining trait. If all you are is big, it’s not really helpful when you need to get the puck out of the DOE. Yeah, you’ll take up some more space and you might block a few extra shots, but the Jets need more ability to actually advance the puck and get up the ice. And that’s where I think the Jets have unfortunately the past few years uh really struggled to recognize that they don’t have deep pairings outside of the top and maybe the second pairing that necessarily do that. Um and so, you know, Hano, this is really his last chance to impress and make some sort of a a mark on this team. And I don’t think it’s going to happen. I think he’s, you know, viewed as unders sized, I don’t think that Arnneal is overly fond of him. Uh, unless there’s a really big surprise and, you know, the Jets have this transformative revelation about how they want their third pairing to be, I think is probably going to be your press box guy. I think Flurry is ahead of him in the pecking order. I think Stanley is too for some reason. Uh, the Jets really love Logan to a point where, you know, they don’t even want to wave him or trade him. And it’s not like this is like a Winnipeg specific thing. You know, I think of Eric Brandstrom and how his career sort of went all over the place. Never really found a home. Despite the fact that when he was on the ice, their team usually controlled scoring chances, he still, I think is overseas in Finland or Sweden or something. Uh guys like him increasingly just don’t seem to have a home in the NHL. you know, if you’re under 6’2 and your primary game is puck moving and offense, it just doesn’t seem like NHL teams are as interested in this, which is kind of weird to me because like Elias Salammonson is very much a very similar player to Hanala with a few extra tweaks and they seem to love Solommonson. So, I don’t really know why Hanala isn’t viewed the same way. Villy in his teenage years was one of the most exciting D prospects uh I think you could pick up. and yet he’s just never really been given a chance to actually shine. So, um, now that we’re sort of kind of winding down preeason and it doesn’t really feel like Hanala has an inside track on anything, I just don’t really see a future for him in North America. I wouldn’t be shocked if he gets waved at some point and decides to either, you know, finish out this final year with the Moose or or maybe he just makes the move overseas. Um, I think we’ve kind of reached the point where, you know, either it’s this year or it’s never. And I think it’s probably never. Uh, I feel bad because like Villia has had to sit through a lot of stuff over the past couple of years. Had he not broken his ankle uh last season, you know, before he was really supposed to or like the year before last before he was really supposed to make it, uh, maybe we’d have a different conversation. But, you know, he finally had a healthier year last year and he only played a handful of like what 20 games, something like that. So, uh, I just don’t think the Jets really view him all that highly anymore. Um, and maybe it’s time for both parties to to head their separate ways. Uh, I think Hanola needs a fresh start somewhere. I don’t think it’s going to be in the NHL, unfortunately. Uh, I think he’ll have to go back overseas in order to have some sort of, uh, a routine pro deployment. Maybe that’s what it’ll take for some team to recognize the skill and ability that he has. I think if a team is smart and has maybe not the best blue line, Hanela is a really cheap pickup that is worth giving a real chance to. Uh Minnesota’s done that the past couple of years with the Jets. Uh they took Declan Chisel. You know, you also saw uh Kovich go to uh New Jersey and Kovi has ended up becoming one of the best shutdown defenders in the NHL. So I don’t think that Hanoa will ever quite do that. But if he has a sort of chisel second pairing or third pairing career for some team that maybe lacks a lot of elite blue line, I don’t think I would be surprised by that. I do think that there’s still a good player in there. Uh I just don’t think it’s going to happen with Winnipeg. I think, you know, come Samberg’s health uh eventually being, you know, clear to play and they have to wave somebody, I think Han probably gets sent down. Um, and you know, it’d be great if a team claims him and gives him a real shot, but you know, how many NHL teams out there do you really think look at Hanola as their missing link? Probably none of them. And I think that’s going to be the trend as teams want more and more size, uh, more and more physical strength and just sort of these big tall defenders who they don’t seem to care if they skate well or not. They just want them. So, uh, it’ll be interesting. We’ll have to wait and see, but hoping that Hanola could do something to show somebody somewhere out there that he deserves a real chance. But curious to know your thoughts on this. Drop your thoughts and comments below or at my social medias at hliving Loco and at Winnipeg Jets. For tonight’s episode though, that’s going to be all the time that we have. I thank you for listening and making Lockdown Jets your first listen of the day. Every day we will have coverage of Winnipeg versus Minnesota on tomorrow night’s episode. So see you then. Have a great night and as always, go Jets go.
The start of the NHL season is tantalizing close for the Winnipeg Jets. With the final preseason games this week, what can we expect to see from the Jets? Who will make the final line-up? Are there any potential surprises in store? Which prospects might last the longest before being returned to the Moose? Is this Ville Heinola’s final chance to make the Winnipeg line-up, much less the NHL?
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