Winnipeg Free Press https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/sports/hockey/jets/decisions-decisions-448983933.html Decisions, decisions With pre-season over, who will stay and who will go? By: Jeff Hamilton The Winnipeg Jets wrapped up the 2017 NHL pre-season with a 3-2 shootout loss on the road to the Calgary Flames on Saturday night. It was only fitting the game needed extra time to determine a winner, extending what had been a seemingly endless two weeks of evaluations and line juggling. Winnipeg finished the exhibition schedule with a record of 2-3-2; more importantly, however, was the assessment of a number of new and young pieces vying for roles. With the season opener set for Wednesday against the Toronto Maple Leafs at Bell MTS Place, the Jets will need to trim their roster significantly, which could happen as early as today. While pre-season hockey doesn’t count for points in the standings, there was plenty to gain from the last seven games. Here are five takeaways from the pre-season: Laine primed for big year When Patrik Laine reported to camp in early September, he told reporters he had skated "just six or seven times" over the summer while back home in Finland. Instead of on-ice workouts, the superstar winger spent his days in the gym. Needless to say, the 19-year-old looks bigger and stronger than he did a year ago, when he registered 36 goals and 28 assists for 64 points in 73 games as a rookie. It’s difficult to guess just how much muscle Laine has gained from the gym in recent months, but the last two weeks have certainly shown he hasn’t lost anything on the ice. Laine scored twice against the Flames on Saturday to cap off a stellar pre-season, giving him five goals and eight points in four games. His shot is among the best in the NHL, with his one-timer, particularly on the power play, sure to haunt goalies all season long. While it may not be fair to put such lofty expectations on such a young player, Laine looks primed to not only exceed last year’s totals, but if he can stay healthy, also blow them out of the water. Waiting for the bubble to burst One of the biggest storylines heading into training camp was where some of the Jets’ youngest players might fit into the lineup. While a few — such as Laine, Nikolaj Ehlers and Josh Morrissey — have risen to become strong contributors after just a short time with the team, a handful of others were expected to use the last two weeks to jump off the page and show they were deserving of a spot on the roster. Players that fell into that group were Nic Petan, Kyle Connor, Marko Dano, Brandon Tanev, JC Lipon and Brendan Lemieux. And while a few showed flashes — Tanev was a formidable penalty-killer and Petan and Dano were both able to score — none made a definitive case they belonged on the opening roster. But while not all will get that chance, a few will. An ankle injury to Andrew Copp, which forced the Jets forward to leave the game in the first period on Saturday, may help another make the team, depending on how long Copp is expected to be out. Connor might be the lucky one, given he started with the club last year before being assigned to the Manitoba Moose. But with zero points in six games, while posting a plus-minus of six, it can be hardly seen as deserving. Ironically, the player most deserving of a spot with the Jets is the most likely to begin the year with the Moose. Tucker Poolman, the 24-year-old defenceman out of the University of North Dakota, was easily the most impressive rookie at camp and, if it weren’t for a crowded blue line, there’s no doubt he’d be playing against the Maple Leafs later this week. While Poolman finished with just one assist in six games, he directed 15 shots on net and showed a maturity and patience beyond his years. A right-handed shooter, he also spent one game on the left side. Though he’s definitely deserving of being the Jets’ seventh D-man, it makes little sense to have him waste away in the press box when he could be logging major minutes at the American Hockey League. He may not be there for long, however, as one injury to the Jets’ back end would almost guarantee his injection into the lineup. Crease crusaders The Jets signed Steve Mason to a two-year, US$8.2-million contract in June in hope of bringing some much-needed stability to the Jets’ net. The numbers put up by the 29-year-old goaltender weren’t spectacular overall — with a 1-1-1 record, .918 save percentage and a 2.31 goals- against average in three games — but it can be argued he did enough to promise brighter times are ahead. What was most impressive from Mason in the pre-season was his ability to bounce back after allowing a bad goal. Of the seven goals he surrendered — on 85 shots — two should have been routine saves, with pucks beating him from bad angles on soft shots. Matthew Tkachuk snuck one under Mason’s glove Saturday that had the Jets netminder hanging his head. But while, in the past, those type of goals often led to further letdowns in the Jets’ crease, Mason rallied each time to give his team a chance to win. Connor Hellebuyck also showed well at times in his three games of action. He had an identical win-loss record as Mason, but fared better in save percentage (.922) and GAA (1.95). Only one of his six goals against were while the Jets were short-handed, while Mason had four sneak by him while at least a man down. A step in the right direction Last season, the Jets took 306 minor penalties, fourth-worst among 30 NHL teams. They were short-handed 275 times — third-most in the league — and had the sixth-most penalty minutes. The year before, they were even worse, with Winnipeg being assessed the third-most minor penalties during the 2015-16 season, with 327. In what was viewed as a way to address the lack of discipline — and to better understand the further crackdown on stick infractions this year — the Jets invited former longtime referee Paul Devorski to camp for a better understanding of how the league planned to increase attention on hooking, slashing and tripping calls. He also spoke with players individually, offering tips and a glimpse into what officials look for on those calls. Although the Jets still averaged 15 penalty minutes a game through seven pre-season tilts, it’s a number that put Winnipeg in the middle of the pack. To be sure the message that stick infractions would be less tolerated, officials were liberal when calling penalties during the pre- season, making what seems like a large number for the Jets rather marginal. Whether that improvement will transfer over to the regular season is still to be seen, but the early results are positive. Powered up No team had more success on the power play in the pre-season than the Jets. Winnipeg converted on 29.5 per cent of their PP trips, scoring 13 of its 17 goals on the man advantage. The Edmonton Oilers were the next best team, clicking at 22.4 per cent. It’s foolish to suggest that those numbers are sustainable in the regular season, because they aren’t. And, yes, the Jets were playing against watered-down teams over the past two weeks, including a number of backup goalies. But it can be seen as encouraging and should boost the confidence of a group that ranked 18th on the PP last season, despite scoring the sixth-most goals in the NHL. https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/sports/hockey/jets/jets-fall-in-shootout-to-end-pre-season- 448863143.html Jets fall in shootout to end pre-season Winnipeg begins regular season at home against Toronto on Wednesday By: Jeff Hamilton CALGARY – With a seemingly never-ending pre-season on the final stretch, the Winnipeg Jets provided an exciting close in the finale, losing to the Calgary Flames 3-2 in a shootout at the Saddledome Saturday night. While Kyle Connor, Patrik Laine and Nic Petan were all unable to beat Flames netminder Mike Smith, Calgary needed just two shooters to finish it off, with Sean Monahan beating Jets goalie Steve Mason with a tricky fake to the forehand after Matthew Tkachuk was turned aside in the first round. After starting the pre-season with four consecutive losses, the Jets rallied with consecutive wins before Saturday’s loss, finishing the exhibition season 2-3-2. The Jets also battled the Minnesota Wild to a 3-2 shootout loss to open the pre-season. For some, the game provided one final tune-up before the NHL starts in earnest next week, with the Jets opening the 2017-18 regular season at home against Auston Matthews and the Toronto Maple Leafs on Oct. 4. For others, particularly a number of forwards vying for spots in the bottom six, it meant much more that just dusting off any lasting rust, acting instead as a final audition to prove they can play at the game’s highest level. But while many anticipated strong efforts from the likes of bubble players such as Petan, Connor, JC Lipon, Marko Dano and Brandon Tanev, it was a much more familiar face driving the excitement for the Jets on this night.