Winnipeg Free Press https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/sports/hockey/jets/roslovic-feeling-more-comfortable-with- big-club-475611853.html

Roslovic proving he belongs Young gun feeling more comfortable with big club

By: Jeff Hamilton

Jack Roslovic knows he still has plenty to learn in his pursuit to be an everyday NHL player. But even though he understands the inevitable bumps that come with such a steep learning curve, he has proven to be a quick study in the two months he’s been up with the , playing key minutes on one of the team’s top lines and looking every bit like he belongs.

"I definitely felt he stood out to me in training camp," veteran Bryan Little, who centres a line with Roslovic and Mathieu Perreault on his wings, recalled after Thursday’s practice.

"He’s young and he’s only going to get better, but the speed is the first thing you notice. He’s got a lot of poise and just patience with the puck that not a lot of young guys have."

After tearing up the with the Manitoba Moose for the first half of the season, leading the team with 35 points (15 goals, 25 assists) in 32 games, Roslovic, 21, was recalled by the Jets on Dec. 30. He hit the ice a week later for his second NHL game — he made his debut this past season in a 5-4 win over his hometown Columbus Blue Jackets — and he has remained in the lineup ever since.

At first, the Jets were hoping he could add some scoring punch to the fourth line, while also taking advantage of playing against lesser competition by working on his defensive game. Hovering around 10 minutes a night, which was a stark contrast to the heavy minutes he was earning with the Moose, Roslovic took the transition in stride.

"It was a challenge to get your feet wet. They always say that this league isn’t much different, but it’s a lot different," said Roslovic, who was selected by the Jets in the first round — 25th overall — in the 2015 NHL Draft.

"The speed of the game and the way people play, it’s a lot more structurally sound in a lot of ways, which is hard to play against. You’ve got to do the right things every shift and every time you get the puck and every time you’re defending a rush or you’re in the defensive zone.

"As far as reads go, it’s a lot harder, but once you get your feet wet and once you get comfortable, it’s pretty easy."

With more experience came an increase in confidence and opportunity. By his eighth game, with Mark Scheifele down with a serious shoulder injury, Roslovic was promoted to the top line with captain Blake Wheeler and Patrik Laine. He’d make the most of his shot, tying the game midway through the third period with his first NHL . The Jets would go on to defeat the Anaheim Ducks 4-3 in a shootout.

Roslovic remained there for the next four games, scoring two more goals and averaging more than 16 minutes of ice time. When Scheifele returned from injury on Feb. 9, Roslovic dropped back to the fourth line and his minutes were trimmed. What didn’t dip, though, was his production. He chipped in two assists over the next three games and was moved back up the lineup to where he is now, alongside Little and Perreault on the second line.

"If you stick to what you’re good at and what your line is best at, then you’ll be successful," said Roslovic, who won a gold medal with the U.S. at the 2017 World Junior Championships.

"There is a reason why we’re together: we can all skate, we can all make plays and when we’re flying around and chipping in and going north, we’re really dangerous."

Since the move, Roslovic has a goal and two assists in six games. His line had a particularly tough outing in a 6-5 loss to the , where they were on the hook for two goals against and contributed none.

Roslovic doesn’t view his development in terms of goals and assists, but what he can glean from each time he’s out on the ice. Against the Predators, it was the taste of a playoff-like atmosphere, something he, like most of his teammates, will be completely new to this season. The Jets and Predators are considered among the legitimate Stanley Cup contenders this year, and could meet one another in the playoffs.

"It’s a really different style of hockey and that was just a taste of it," Roslovic said.

"It’s good that I get to come in here and kind of tune up for it and do a couple of regular-season games. I’m excited and a lot of the young guys are excited and eager to get ready."

Of course, there will be much to learn between now and April, and in the years to come. What’s clear, though, is Roslovic will no doubt play a key role in the Jets’ future.

"Right where he’s at now is the place he’s trying to hang onto. I like him on the wing," Jets head coach Paul Maurice said.

"If the centre ice is available for him maybe a couple of years from now, you get an injury and we’ll slide him in and if he flourishes there, we might consider leaving him there.

"He’s not a grinder, but for a guy with good hands and quickness he can win enough battles on the wall, get in and get on the puck. His real challenge — and Nashville wasn’t his A-game — is to be able to drive every single night." https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/sports/hockey/jets/hellebuyck-focussing-on-next-game- after-nashville-stinker-475612203.html

Hellebuyck won't discuss tough Nashville loss

By: Jeff Hamilton

Facing reporters for the first time since Tuesday’s 6-5 loss to the Nashville Predators, Winnipeg Jets goalie Connor Hellebuyck didn’t feel like reliving his unpleasant night.

"I do mind going back to it. I don’t want to bring it up," Hellebuyck said when asked to go over what he and goaltending coach Wade Flaherty discussed from the game.

"There’s no need — it’s in the past. There are 82 games and I’m focusing on the next one. We’ve had a good run, so far, and we want to continue it."

Not that you could blame him. It was a rare off night in an otherwise solid season for the third- year tender.

Hellebuyck, 24, allowed six goals on 32 shots, boasting a putrid .813 save percentage — one of the worst percentages over his career.

Hellebuyck, despite the rough outing, possesses a stellar 2.39 goals against average and a .922 save percentage.

In 50 starts, his record is 32-10-8 and many NHL pundits consider him a worthy Vezina Trophy candidate, awarded to the league’s best goaltender.

The concern that Hellebuyck might be overused — with 19 games left in the regular season, he needs just three more starts to match his career-high — popped up again. And once more, Hellebuyck got in front of it, suggesting there was nothing to be worried about.

"I’m not tired at all," he said.

"I know my body really well and I have a lot of good tools around me. I’m feeling good and I’m excited."

Head coach Paul Maurice downplayed overusing Hellebuyck.

He said it was all about rhythm and routine, noting the Jets have 15 games this month and a bunch on the road — a stretch he doesn’t plan to keep Hellebuyck out for any block of.

"You’ve got to be careful where you think the balance is," Maurice said.

"There’s a bunch of things going on concurrently with this team. There are young guys going through some things for the first time. And this is going to be his first numbers at the end of the year looking like a No. 1 guy — it’s in that mid-60 (games played) range.

"We had an unusual run at home, which happened at the same time as a couple of goalies down. So, he’s probably a little ahead of his number, but not much. So, he’s dealing with it. Some of it is the normal fatigue that all these guys feel. He hasn’t dealt with that in the NHL yet. It’s going to be something that’s going to become part of his life. That’s just the normal deal."

Hellebuyck will get the start tonight, with Michael Hutchinson assigned the role of backup.

Maurice said Steve Mason, who has been out since Jan. 12 with a concussion, will join the Manitoba Moose this weekend and will get into a game as part of a conditioning stint.

WHAT A YEAR CAN DO: At this time this past season, the Winnipeg Jets had 62 points — a 21-point difference from the 83 points they have through 63 games this year. Captain Blake Wheeler was asked to what he attributed such an incredible turnaround.

"We’ve been better defensively — goaltending has been better," he said.

"Those two areas give you a chance to win every night."

TOBY ON THE SHELF: Maurice said defenceman Toby Enstrom remains day-to-day with a lower-body injury he suffered at practice on Monday and will be out of the lineup against the Red Wings.

"But this isn’t long-term," Maurice said, explaining what had changed from his original diagnosis that Enstrom was fine.

"He came back more swollen. He left walking, feeling good. Came back and still thought he was all right, just a little more swollen. We’ve got healthy bodies. We’ll be careful with it." https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/sports/hockey/jets/stastny-trade-puts-jets-in-position-to- make-some-noise-475600563.html

Jets in position to make some noise

By: Scott Campbell

The acquisition of Paul Stastny on Monday from the St. Louis Blues has kept Winnipeg Jets fans buzzing all week.

By bringing him in, general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff sent a clear message to fans, players and coaches — he believes this team has what it takes to make a long run in the playoffs. He obviously wouldn’t give up a prized first-round pick if he didn’t.

Two weeks ago, I stated my preference for a skilled centre to be added, mentioning Ottawa Senator Derick Brassard and Montreal Canadien Tomas Plekanec as possibilities. While Cheveldayoff reportedly tried hard to land them, his failure there led to the Stastny acquisition.

Like almost everybody, I was shocked he was available.

A longtime fan of his play, I was an enthusiastic supporter of the Jets’ attempt to sign him when he hit the unrestricted free agent market in 2014. He was too expensive then ($7 million/year for four years), but he’s getting to Winnipeg better late than never.

An excellent all-around player, his smarts allow him to be a very effective -killer and power-play option. His five-on-five possession numbers have been consistently good over the years.

The fact he can thrive with skilled players makes him a perfect fit for the Jets.

With everyone healthy, the Stastny deal leaves the Jets with a terrific top-nine and arguably the best fourth line in the league.

This group will cause nightmares for opposing coaches when they’re looking at matchups. There’s a big difference when your fourth centre is Adam Lowry instead of Matt Hendricks.

However, what really matters is how much this improves the Jets compared to other contending teams.

Here’s a quick look at the top contenders as they sit today, and how the Jets’ acquisition of Stastny compares to their deadline deals (This isn’t about what price was paid in assets, I’m just identifying how much effect the major deals had on improving each team’s roster.):

● The Tampa Bay Lightning added defenceman Ryan McDonagh and winger J.T. Miller from the , sending centre Vladislav Namestnikov north.

My thoughts: the forwards being swapped goes slightly the Rangers way. Adding McDonagh will anchor a shutdown pairing in a very good way. This deal’s effect on the Lightning will be similar to Winnipeg’s with Stastny. Call it a draw.

● The acquired winger Rick Nash from the New York Rangers but it cost the Bruins centre Ryan Spooner, who has more points than Nash over the past few seasons.

My thoughts: the Bruins already had a decent group of forwards, including arguably the best line in the league led by centre Patrice Bergeron. I give a big edge to the Jets here, their trade has a much more significant impact on their lineup.

● The swooped in and grabbed Brassard when it looked like the Jets were about to land him.

My thoughts: this is a significant upgrade for the Penguins as he now sits third in line behind two guys named Crosby and Malkin. Adding a skilled centre to a team that’s been successful by dropping Phil Kessel down to its third line was a major score for the Penguins. Call the Jets deal even with this one.

● The Nashville Predators added winger Ryan Hartman (Chicago Blackhawks), someone who gives them more good forward depth. He scored the game-winner against the Jets Tuesday.

My thoughts: he’s a decent third-line winger on a deep team, but he’s not close to having the overall effect that Stastny has on his club, despite that goal. The Jets win easily here.

● The Vegas Golden Knights acquired winger Tomas Tatar (Detroit Red Wings) and winger Ryan Reaves (Pittsburgh Penguins).

My thoughts: I don’t like the Reaves acquisition, but Tatar will fit well in their top nine so he’ll definitely help. But their balance was already there, so the significant bump Winnipeg gets to its lineup decides it easily in Winnipeg’s favour.

To sum up this section, the Jets improved their roster in a better way than three of their biggest Cup rivals, and were even with the other two.

More importantly, they one-upped the two Western teams.

If Cheveldayoff had abstained here, players and fans would’ve had reason to be concerned whether they remained good enough to seriously challenge.

As we sit today, the Jets are in a terrific spot, assuming everyone comes back from the injured list. Of course, a lot of good or bad can still happen before the playoffs, but every team is in the same boat.

Because of the luck involved in hockey, you can basically throw a blanket over all the contenders mentioned, except for Vegas, as I’m still unsure about their top end.

After all, if you add Jacob Trouba, Adam Lowry and Toby Enstrom to the lineup against Nashville on Tuesday, it could easily have been a different result. I feel good about their chances in a playoff series against the Predators if both teams are healthy.

One never knows when a team’s best opportunity will come — the Jets players earned the right to take a legitimate run at the big prize this year. If it doesn’t work out, they’re still positioned well for the future.

I was bullish on this team in the pre-season and they’ve given me many reasons to stay the course.

Cheveldayoff parachuting Stastny into the lineup has amplified that in a big way.

Winnipeg Sun http://winnipegsun.com/sports/hockey/nhl/winnipeg-jets/fragile-or-focused-still-things-to-learn- about-hellebuyck

Fragile or focused — still things to learn about Hellebuyck

By Paul Friesen

Until you’ve been there and done it, nobody is sure you can.

This is the reality for Winnipeg Jets starting goalie Connor Hellebuyck.

Still green, when he slips up the whole town goes on red alert.

Hellebuyck is coming off his first six-goal game of the season, Tuesday’s 6-5 loss to Nashville, in which he let a couple by him that he probably shouldn’t have.

Never mind that veteran Pekka Rinne had a similar night at the other end.

Confidence is fragile in these parts. This town isn’t used to things going as well as they have this season.

An insecure Jets fan can’t help but wonder what’s going to derail it all.

I suggested to Hellebuyck on Thursday that from here on, every time he gives up more than three goals, or even loses a game, people will wonder if he’s running out of gas.

Because with 50 starts in the team’s 63 games, Hellebuyck is in new territory, just three starts shy of matching his total from all of last season.

He’s in Henrik Lundqvist and Sergei Bobrovsky territory (52 starts), and tied for fifth in the NHL with Cam Talbot.

“I’m not tired at all,” Hellebuyck said. “I’m feeling good. I had a great goalie day yesterday… and came and applied it today. I know my body really well and I have a lot of good tools around me.

“No, I’m not tired. I’m feeling good. And I’m excited.”

A “goalie day”?

Sounds like Hellebuyck got together with his fellow netminders for an afternoon at the spa.

Turns out he went alone, before the rest of the team practised.

It wasn’t the spa, but the rink.

And his technician, Jets goalie coach Wade Flaherty, wasn’t doing his nails so much as trying to nail down what went wrong against the Predators.

“Mainly going back to the basics,” is how Hellebuyck put it. “Making sure your details are right. Pull out the I-Pad. Anything that looks bad is going to show up on camera, right? Not only that, it has to feel good. When I’m in there and I’m feeling good, that’s when you start building some confidence.

“I’m not saying my confidence fell or anything. But that’s always the start of it. You’re building to a more complete game.”

After the electronic work, it was onto the ice to work on those details, one-on-one. Cleaning up what Hellebuyck calls “loose ends.”

This goalie day was a continuation of the analysis Hellebuyck and Flaherty did immediately after the game, looking at things he could have done better.

“Getting my mind right and mentally set for the next day,” the 24-year-old said. “So I’m able to go home, process it, learn from it and then move on to the next day.

“Mainly it’s for your mind.”

Hellebuyck’s mental makeup will also be tested down the stretch and into the playoffs.

Again, it’s brand new territory, with pressure he’s never felt before.

Head coach Paul Maurice’s job is to manage the physical toll, and he’s already said his No. 1 stopper will get some breaks this month.

“There’s young guys going through some things for the first time,” Maurice said. “And this is going to be his first numbers at the end of the year looking like a No. 1 guy. Some of it is the normal fatigue that all these guys feel. He hasn’t dealt with that in the NHL, yet. It’s going to be something that’s going to become part of his life.

“It’s one game. He had a rougher night. He pitched a shutout the game before. Didn’t look too fatigued in St. Louis. So he’s fine.”

Hellebuyck wasn’t in the dressing room to field questions after Tuesday’s loss to Nashville, or during Wednesday’s goalie day.

So Thursday provided the first opportunity to ask how he felt about the game. His game.

Asked to revisit it, he delivered a figurative blocker to the chops.

“You know what — I do mind going back to it,” he said. “I don’t want to bring it up. There’s no need. It’s in the past. There’s 82 games, and I’m focusing on the next one.”

The response might show resolve and focus.

Or it might suggest fragility.

Like I said, we’re still learning about Hellebuyck, just as he is.

He has to know the scrutiny and questions, just like the shots, will only get tougher. http://winnipegsun.com/sports/hockey/nhl/winnipeg-jets/enstrom-out-back-to-school-for-morrow

Enstrom out, back to school for Morrow

By Paul Friesen

Winnipeg Jets defenceman Toby Enstrom will miss a second straight game with an injury that initially wasn’t supposed to cost him any playing time.

Enstrom missed Tuesday’s loss to Nashville and will sit out Friday’s home game against Detroit.

It was Monday that Enstrom blocked a shot in practice and had to be helped off the ice, head coach Paul Maurice saying then he wouldn’t miss a game.

“But this isn’t long-term,” the head coach said, Thursday. “He came back more swollen. We’ve got healthy bodies. We’ll be careful with it.”

Jacob Trouba remains out, so newly-acquired Joe Morrow will play his second game since a trade-deadline move from Montreal, Monday.

Morrow says everything is so new, he’s still screwing up drills in practice.

“Getting thrown into a game right away was hard,” he said of unexpectedly playing against the Predators. “It was like going to a different high school, learning to take a whole new curriculum and having to take the test right away.”

Then again, the sooner the better.

“It was such a crazy atmosphere,” Morrow said. “To get that taste of what it’s going to be like around here the next while, it was awesome. Really looking forward to the rest of it.”

Morrow played 12 minutes, was on the ice for one Nashville goal and went plus-one.

CONDITIONING STINT Goalie Steve Mason will take one step closer to returning from a concussion by playing a game with the AHL Manitoba Moose this weekend.

If all goes well, Mason will resume backup duties to Connor Hellebuyck, relegating Michael Hutchinson to the farm.

Mason has missed the last 19 games with his second concussion of the season, and has played just three games in the last three months.

WHO NEEDS PRACTICE? That’s not what Blake Wheeler said, but it’s a pretty good description of newly-acquired Paul Stastny’s instant success on the Jets already-potent power play.

“We didn’t work on it at all prior to last game, and the power play was pretty good,” Wheeler said. “You add a smart player to an offensive situation… it didn’t miss a beat.”

Stastny set up Mark Scheifele for a power-play goal in a 6-5 loss to Nashville.

QUOTABLE “I don’t have enough time in a day to really take in everything that’s gone on in the year or look too far ahead. We’ll dwell on the season afterwards, hopefully pat ourselves on the back and feel good about it.” — Wheeler on staying in the moment. http://winnipegsun.com/sports/hockey/nhl/winnipeg-jets/gameday-winnipeg-jets-vs-detroit-red- wings

Gameday: Winnipeg Jets vs Detroit Red Wings

By Paul Friesen

Winnipeg Jets vs Detroit Red Wings

7 pm CT, Bell MTS Place, TV: TSN3. Radio: TSN 1290

THE BIG MATCHUP

Connor Hellebuyck vs Jimmy Howard Hellebuyck gave up six goals for the first time this season and just the second time in his career, Tuesday against Nashville. How he bounces back will go a long way to determining this one. The Wings scored five on him when the teams last met, in December.

FIVE KEYS TO THE GAME

Staying patient Adding Paul Stastny gives the Jets three legit scoring lines, but they’d do well to resist the temptation to show off all that firepower, as they may have been doing in the 6-5 loss to Nashville. Clamping down defensively and letting the offence happen has always been this team’s best approach.

The power play The one time when the Jets can throw caution to the wind is with the man advantage, a unit which seems to have got even better with the addition of Stastny. The Jets have a huge edge in special teams and could win the game in this area, alone.

Score three The Red Wings have one of the more anemic attacks in the game, ranking 27th with just under three goals per game. Unloading perennial 20-goal scorer Tomas Tatar at the trade deadline doesn’t help them. The No. 3-ranked Jets average well over three (3.35) per game, so the recipe for success seems simple enough.

Pretend it’s the Preds The Jets were particularly amped up for the Nashville game, and it’d be easy to have a letdown for one against a non-playoff opponent from the East. The solution: convincing themselves they’re playing the Preds again. It’s mind over matter.

The opening 20 Winnipeg’s first-period dominance has been well-documented, and it’ll be part of the game plan again. Consider Detroit’s best period is the first, and jumping out to that early lead would be just the ticket to two points.

Detroit Free Press http://www.thehockeynews.com/news/article/top-five-stanley-cup-contenders-for-the-2017-18- stretch-run

Red Wings to get boost in lineup with return of Mike Green

By Helene St. James, Detroit Free Press

WINNIPEG, Manitoba — Mike Green declared himself ready to return, a boost for the Detroit Red Wings even as it comes too late for the managerial side.

Green said after Thursday’s practice at MTS Place he will play Friday when the Wings face the Winnipeg Jets. It’ll be Green’s first game since a hit Feb. 15 at Tampa Bay that aggravated a neck injury dating to last season. His 29 points in 56 games leads team defensemen.

“He brings offense in a variety of ways,” coach Jeff Blashill said. “One is on the power play — he’s a weapon up top. One is just him jumping in the play — he really pushes up the ice, but also just his ability to break out and make outlet passes. He’s one of our best passers. Mike has really become a real top-four defenseman in the NHL on any team. He’s really built his defensive game up as well, so he’s a big piece for us.”

Green, 32, might have been a big piece for a Stanley Cup contender had he not been injured leading up to Monday’s trade deadline. The Lightning and the Capitals both had interest, but were wary as the missed games grew. Furthermore, once the New York Rangers became sellers, the Lightning ended up successfully pursuing a trade for defenseman Ryan McDonagh.

Green had consented to waiving his no-trade clause, but no good offer materialized.

“Obviously it was bad timing,” Green said. He’d had “a few discussions, maybe a handful,” with general manager Ken Holland about trade scenarios. Green learned 30 minutes before the 3 p.m. closing bell that he wasn’t going anywhere.

“At the end of the day, I’m here, I’m focused and I’m happy,” Green said. “You never know what’s going to happen and the day off, it can weigh on you. After it’s all said and done, yeah, there’s a little bit of relief.”

While management eyes the future, Blashill and players are determined to keep trying to make the playoffs. To that end, retaining their top source of offense from the back end was a victory.

“I certainly understand management’s perspective, but from the coach perspective, you hope to keep everybody and you want to make as good a push as you can to the playoffs,” Blashill said. “Especially on the back end, you saw when we lost Johnny Ericsson last year, traded Brendan Smith, it got harder on the back end. So keeping a guy like that on the back end is a real plus for us.”

Power play perusing Green’s availability provides an opportunity to go back to the power play units that had the Wings seventh in the NHL, at 22.6 percent, through the first 34 games of the season. The power play struggled through January and into February before Green was hurt (overall in the past 29 games, the Wings have scored 10 goals on 78 opportunities, good for a 12.8 percent that ranks 30th in the league since Christmas) but maybe he can help reboot one of the units.

“He has the element of the big shot,” Blashill said. “He can shoot it on net. The more weapons you have on your power play, the better chance you are going to score on a consistent basis.”

Green had been on a unit with Dylan Larkin, Andreas Athanasiou, Martin Frk and Anthony Mantha, while the other unit had Henrik Zetterberg with Gustav Nyquist, Tomas Tatar, Justin Abdelkader and Niklas Kronwall. With Tatar traded and Tyler Bertuzzi a recent power-play addition, Mantha may slide into Tatar’s spot and Bertuzzi serve as net-front on the Larkin unit.

An unimpressive two power-play opportunities in St. Louis renewed focus on trying to get the units functional again.

“I can’t put my finger on why,” Blashill said. “I can say one thing for sure — the first part of the year, our entries were really good. Zetterberg’s unit used a particular entry that had great success for a long time and then all of a sudden it just went totally dry. To their credit they got back going on a different type of entry and they have been able to get in. The other unit, it seems like it lost confidence at some point. It just hasn’t been nearly the same. Then we’ve kind of played with different guys in different spots and sometimes in trying to help, you actually hurt by moving guys around. So I may put some of the young guys back together again and see if that chemistry is better.”

The Athletic Winnipeg https://theathletic.com/259070/2018/03/02/what-does-winnipeg-really-have-in-deadline- acquisition-joe-morrow/

What does Winnipeg really have in deadline acquisition Joe Morrow?

By Murat Ates

At the Winnipeg Jets’ press conferences and media availabilities since Monday's trade deadline, their message about Joe Morrow has been remarkably consistent.

“Joe's a guy that can really skate,” GM Kevin Cheveldayoff said Monday. “The thing I think impressed us the most is he played five of six games last year for Boston in the playoffs and I believe he had over 20 minutes played in those games.”

After Tuesday’s morning skate, Paul Maurice maintained the Morrow message.

“He’s a depth defenceman that can skate,” Maurice said. “He's been able to come in and out of lineups. (He) moved into the playoff lineup last year and he played close to 20 minutes a night, I believe. He’s got experience going from out (of the roster) to in and he skates… He can go back and get the puck and that will fit the game we play.”

The repeated items – that Morrow is a good skater and that he played close to 20 minutes per night in five playoff games for Boston – strike me as one of two things:

**Talking points. Morrow’s NHL resume is short and he is not a high profile acquisition. Even if he’s just a warm body – injury coverage on a team that sorely needs it – the Jets had to say something about him. There aren’t that many bullet points to choose from in describing Morrow’s NHL career so it’s not a shock that coach and GM chose two of the same ones. **Genuine reasoning behind Morrow’s acquisition.

If it’s the former (as I believe it is), there isn’t much to read into. Winnipeg needed a defenceman. Morrow is a defenceman. The math works and, in context, the words work, too.

If it’s the latter, I’m a little more concerned. Five games is a tiny sample to use for player evaluation. Whether he lit up the Senators or got caved in by them, whether he scored in all five games or was outscored by a significant margin, there is plenty of room for chance to skew the results.

And, even if there were a reasonable way to evaluate those games – with an understanding of Morrow’s role in the context of his minutes – the Jets aren’t sharing that information. They’re simply saying that he played and that he played a lot.

So how good is Joe Morrow, really?

The purpose of this piece is to evaluate how well Morrow played in the five games Cheveldayoff and Maurice told us about and to compare them to the other 104 games of Morrow’s NHL career. After all, Winnipeg did need another defenceman – even before Toby Enstrom got banged up – so we might as well develop a sense of what Morrow might bring.

Let’s get some basic facts out of the way.

Morrow is a 25 year old left-handed defenceman who has played 109 games in the NHL – 104 of them in the regular season for Boston, Montreal, and now Winnipeg – and five quite heavily referenced playoff games for the Bruins in 2017.

Morrow stepped out of the press box and into heavy usage in last season’s playoffs. After sitting out Game 1, Morrow played in games two through six of Boston’s first round loss to Ottawa, playing just over 22 minutes per game.

On Thursday, I asked Morrow what that experience was like. To my surprise, he laughed.

“I mean, it’s kind of just been my whole career,” he told me. “If I’m not playing, I’m not playing and then as soon as I do play, (I’m) kind of heavily utilized – I’m a one-two pairing kind of guy.

“It’s been extremely interesting but… honestly, I have no idea how long it was before I even played a game. I think it was maybe two months without actually seeing a live game. And then I got thrown into the Stanley Cup playoffs which was kind of bizarre. And I was playing over 20 minutes a night and playing well.”

Morrow’s 22:12 per game ranked fourth among Bruins defensemen so, at least for the 2016-17 playoffs, his assertion of playing top four minutes is correct. He went on to talk about the mindset he took with him into those games, crediting his quiet self-confidence for his mental strength.

“Just keep that to yourself, don’t let anybody else tell you any differently, and that’s kind of how you’ve got to live your life – positivity first,” Morrow said. “And being thrown into a role like that, I knew it was a do or die situation and I was grateful for the opportunity… When the time came, I was there to play and I was there to play hard. That’s all I did. I feel like I was really successful and that’s what kind of sticks with other teams too, when they see that.”

One thing that stands out about Morrow’s usage in those playoff games is his brutal 25.5 per cent offensive zone start.

For context, I looked at the 761 seasons by NHL defencemen who have played at least 100 5- on-5 minutes between 2015-16 and now. Not a single defenceman had a more punishing zone start than what Morrow faced in those five games against Ottawa.

Match-up wise, Morrow was partnered with Kevan Miller and saw a little bit of every Senator when the Bruins had last change at home. In Ottawa, however, he was on a steady diet of Derick Brassard, Mike Hoffman, and Mark Stone.

“It was definitely a match-up type of game that I got into,” Morrow said. “Just the style that I was playing – I was just playing really good defensively, winning all of the battles… That’s all you can really ask for in playoff hockey out of a defenceman. There was really no risk to my game at that time.

“I just knew I had a job to do – just get out on the ice and get the puck out of your zone. And be successful that way, grind the team down. That’s kind of what I was put out to do when their top lines were out there – it was, ‘Get out there and be better than them.’”

In those five games, Morrow played a total of 95 minutes at 5-on-5, earning 45.4 per cent of the on-ice shot attempts, 37 per cent of the high danger scoring chances, and 46.3 per cent of the expected goals. Despite this decidedly unequal game flow, Boston and Ottawa each scored twice during Morrow’s 5-on-5 time.

In many situations, a depth defenceman going +2, -2 against the likes of Brassard, Hoffman, and Stone would be considered a clear win. Of course, we also know that a 93-77 disadvantage in shot attempts doesn’t typically bode well for term results.

But we’ve already established that Morrow was on the ice for a historically unfavourable 25.5 per cent offensive zone start. Any player who is on the ice for 41 face-offs in his own zone and just 14 in his opponent’s is going to get beaten by shot metrics.

From Cheveldayoff and Maurice, we know these five games are supposed to be quite important. Neither of them gave us context, though, so we are left to ask, “Given the brutal context of Morrow’s minutes, are his bad possession metrics within an acceptable range?”

Once upon a time, a smart human being named Matt Cane took perhaps the biggest dive into the value of zone starts that I have ever seen.

It’s lengthy, it’s math-y, and it gave us this terrific chart which summarizes seven years’ worth of data:

As Matt points out in his piece, conventional zone start percentage compares the amount of shifts which a player starts in the offensive zone with those that he starts in the defensive zone. This leaves out shifts which begin on neutral zone faceoffs and shifts which begin on the fly.

It turns out that approximately 60 per cent of shifts start without a faceoff and, as a result, the impact of zone starts on a player’s shot attempt percentages is often overstated unless a player’s zone start percentage is extreme.

Morrow, as we know, was an extreme case in terms of conventional zone start (just comparing offensive zone draws to defensive zone draws) for the Bruins in last year’s playoffs. So let’s dig deeper.

At 5-on-5, Morrow started:

41 shifts in the defensive zone 22 shifts in the neutral zone 14 shifts in the offensive zone 59 shifts on the fly

Using Cane’s numbers, we can calculate an “expected CF% percentage” for Morrow’s playoff performance of 47.0 per cent. Should we be worried that Morrow’s was 45.3 per cent? That difference equates to roughly one extra shot attempt per hour – no, the difference is not enough to be concerned about.

If you, like me, heard the Jets go on about Morrow’s playoff games and then took a quick look at his possession metrics, you may have been appalled at first. When accounting for where Morrow’s shifts took place, we’re given cause to relax a little.

What about the other 95 per cent of Morrow’s career?

This is Morrow’s with-or-without-you from his time in Montreal before Monday’s trade:

Most of Morrow’s teammates in Montreal generated fewer shots with him on the ice and gave up more shots against. If you look where Morrow’s blue boxes converge, they’re below 50 per cent in a region that suggests the Canadiens got more shots for and allowed more shots against whenever he was on the ice.

Is that awful for a 7-8 defenseman? No. But it’s worse than I would expect from both of Ben Chiarot and Tucker Poolman. And, for 10 games when Dustin Byfuglien and Toby Enstrom were both injured earlier this season, Chiarot and Poolman played very well as a sheltered third pairing.

So why would Winnipeg choose to play Morrow over Poolman?

If you recall Maurice’s words, the answer would appear to be experience.

I believe that consistency means a lot to the coach – especially at the fringe of his roster.

I believe that he expects Winnipeg to go into the playoffs with a healthy defence and that none of Chiarot, Morrow, and Poolman will dress for a long stretch of time.

Finally, I believe that Maurice is betting that – if someone gets hurt – the most experienced player, Morrow, is the one most likely to play well after missing a long stretch of games.

Morrow said he was dropped into last season’s playoffs after going “maybe two months without actually seeing a live game.” And, given his contextualized results in that tiny sample size, I’m impressed that he held his own. It couldn't have been easy.

Still, I don’t think there’s much evidence that says Morrow is clearly superior to Chiarot or Poolman.

In a best case scenario, Winnipeg begins the playoffs with its defence at full health and never looks back. Jacob Trouba and Josh Morrissey return to their role as the Jets de facto number one pair, Byfuglien and Enstrom continue their strong seasons, and Tyler Myers and Dmitry Kulikov return to the 5-6 slots where they’ve seen the most success.

In a more realistic world, at least one of Morrow, Chiarot, and Poolman will get in some games.

If you interpret Maurice’s words the same way that I do, Morrow is probably first on the list. I don't think this decision is a major concern for Winnipeg but, given that it seems to be mostly about intangibles, it's one to keep an eye on.

Sportsnet.ca https://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/31-thoughts-karlsson-pacioretty-deadline-deals-fell-flat/

31 Thoughts: Why Karlsson, Pacioretty deadline deals fell flat

By Elliotte Friedman

11. Buffalo GM Jason Botterill took heat for not getting a guaranteed first-rounder in exchange for Evander Kane. Word is one other team raised the possibility of a first-round pick for the winger three or four days prior to the deadline, but pulled the offer when something else came up. That left Botterill with San Jose’s Doug Wilson, who can grind with the best of them.

Botterill had a choice: take what he could or lose Kane for nothing. Look at the deals where opening-round selections were included. Tampa gave up two (potentially) for McDonagh and J.T. Miller. Both have term or team control. Vegas gave up one for Tomas Tatar, still with term. Chicago got one for Ryan Hartman, a restricted free agent. (There was a lot of interest in him.)

Pittsburgh gave up one for Brassard, with another year on his contract. Only two UFAs featured such a return — Rick Nash and Paul Stastny. Botterill tried to build a market, but Kane simply wasn’t as highly valued as Nash. As for Stastny, teams generally don’t ask players to waive full no-trade clauses without reason. Winnipeg gave St. Louis one.

14. One scout on Stastny and Winnipeg: “That’s a good fit. He needs speed around him… and they’ve got plenty of it.”

15. I think the Blues tried to turn that Jets pick into a centre, but couldn’t get there.

TSN.ca https://www.tsn.ca/nhl/video/who-is-the-hart-trophy-favourite~1338290 (VIDEO LINK)

Who is the Hart Trophy favourite?

As the NHL regular season winds down, there's a long list of MVP candidates. So who is the Hart Trophy favourite? The TH panel shares its thoughts. https://www.tsn.ca/nhl/video/jets-point-to-depth-and-experience-for-turnaround- season~1337449 (VIDEO LINK)

Jets point to depth and experience for turnaround season

Battling for top spot in the Central Division, the Jets are a vastly improved club from last season and attribute the turnaround to more experience and overall team depth. Sara Orlesky has more.

TSN 1290 (AUDIO LINKS) https://www.tsn.ca/radio/winnipeg-1290/tomlinson-laine-creating-more-chances-for-himself- 1.1014984

Tomlinson: Laine creating more chances for himself

TSN Jets analyst Dave Tomlinson joined host Kevin Olszewski from Jets practice on Thursday with his thoughts on Tuesday's loss to Nashville and what is to come Friday against Detroit. https://www.tsn.ca/radio/winnipeg-1290/button-vesalainen-progressing-nicely-for-jets-1.1014776

Button: Vesalainen progressing nicely for Jets

TSN's Craig Button joined the Big Show to take a look at the Jets including the Paul Stastny trade, what St. Louis can expect from Erik Foley and when Winnipeg can expect Kristian Vesalainen to join the NHL. https://www.tsn.ca/radio/winnipeg-1290/morrissey-jets-not-worried-about-lack-of-playoff- experience-1.1014767

Morrissey: Jets not worried about lack of playoff experience

Winnipeg Jets defenceman Josh Morrissey joined the Big Show to break down what went wrong in Tuesday's loss to Nashville, the trade of Paul Stastny to Winnipeg and why the team isn't worried about heading into the post-season with little experience at the NHL level.

NHL Network https://www.nhl.com/video/nhl-tonight-stastny-talks-trade/t-277350912/c-58327503

NHL Tonight: Stastny talks trade

Newly-minted Winnipeg forward Paul Stastny joins the show to talk about his whirlwind few days and first experiences as a Jet www.winnipegjets.com https://www.nhl.com/jets/video/ask-a-jet--paul-stastny/t-277437442/c-58324903

ASK A JET | Paul Stastny

The newest Jet, Paul Stastny, answers YOUR questions in the season's third episode of Ask a Jet presented by FASTSIGNS https://www.nhl.com/jets/news/morrow-appreciates-extra-practice-session-ahead-of-tilt-vs- detroit/c-296504800

Morrow appreciates extra practice session ahead of tilt vs Detroit Little, Hellebuyck return to practice after missing Wednesday by Jamie Thomas @JamieThomasTV / WinnipegJets.com

WINNIPEG - Thursday marked the second consecutive day of practice for the Winnipeg Jets, which may not be as big of a deal for players that have been with the team all season, but to the newest defenceman Joe Morrow, it was much appreciated.

"Getting thrown into a game right away was hard. It was like going to a different high school, learning a whole new curriculum and having to take the test right away," said Morrow, who played his first game as Jet a day after being traded to Winnipeg.

"You've got such a great group of guys here that pick you up when you fall down. It's really nice to see such quality individuals helping you out every step along the way, and these two practices were super helpful for sure."

Blake Wheeler was quizzed about what the last two days have meant for his friend and new teammate Paul Stastny. The Jets captain feels the 806 games Stastny has played in his NHL career makes for an easier transition.

"It helps him get more familiarity with the two guys he's playing with (Laine and Ehlers)," said Wheeler. "But they looked pretty good the other night (Tuesday vs. Nashville), (and) obviously they can build off of that."

Head coach Paul Maurice also stressed that Stastny's experience is beneficial, especially during what could be a stressful time for any player traded around the league's deadline.

"He's played with a lot of different players," said Maurice. "(He) picks up their tendencies, what holes they get into quickly, and where to put the puck. They look like they've got chemistry going."

Both Bryan Little (illness) and Connor Hellebuyck (maintenance) returned to the ice after missing Wednesday's practice, and here are the line rushes they went with:

Connor - Scheifele - Wheeler

Perreault - Little - Roslovic

Ehlers - Stastny - Laine

Hendricks - Copp - Armia

Tanev

Morrissey - Byfuglien

Kulikov - Myers

Morrow - Chiarot

Dano

Hellebuyck

Hutchinson

Mason

ICE CHIPS Toby Enstrom did not take part of practice and will miss Friday's game against the Detroit Red Wing. Enstrom was hit by a shot in practice on Monday and remains day-to-day with a lower body injury, though Maurice believes it won't keep Enstrom out long-term.

"He left (Monday's practice) walking and feeling good," explained Maurice. "Came back, still thought he was alright, (and it) just got a little more swollen. We've got healthy bodies, (so we'll) be careful with it."

As for Jets goaltender Steve Mason, he will be returning to the net soon - but it won't be in the NHL, at least for this weekend.

"(He's) going to play a game with the Moose to get into a game on the weekend and then we'll go from there." said Maurice.

SCOREBOARD WATCHING While the Jets are off tonight, there are a few games on the NHL schedule that directly affect them.

The Predators will use up their game in hand on Winnipeg as they visit the Oilers. A Nashville win means there would be six points separating the two rivals for first in the division. Minnesota and Dallas could pull within two and five points of the Jets respectively if they win their games this evening.