<body><div><p>The Winnipeg Jets are halfway through their six-game preseason slate and there’s been plenty to glean from their first three matchups. Here, we’ll dive into three takeaways from the contest versus the Minnesota Wild and a pair against the Edmonton Oilers.</p><h2>1: Arniel And New Coaching Staff Beginning to Set Themselves Apart</h2><p>While it can be unwise to read too much into preseason lineups and player deployment considering the number of young prospects getting action and how much lineups can change from game to game, some decisions and moves are well worth noting. There have been a few clear instances already of new head coach Scott Arniel and his pair of new assistant coaches in Dean Chynoweth and Davis Payne setting themselves apart from the Rick Bowness era.</p><p>Using Nikolaj Ehlers on the top unit of a new-look top power-play unit; using Colin Miller heavily and on the second power-play unit; and using Kyle Connor and Mark Scheifele on the penalty kill are just a new ideas already being tested out.</p><p>Fans and pundits alike have griped for years that Ehlers has been consistently under-utilized despite being one of the Jets’ most dynamic players and one of the best analytically. He has rarely gotten top power-play unit time, mainly being deployed on a second unit that has historically gotten 30 seconds or fewer on any given man advantage — really, scraps of titme that didn’t allow anyone to do much of anything.</p><p>However, the Dane has been tapped by Payne — who is newly responsible for improving a pass-happy power play that finished 22nd in the league last season, to play the “bumper” position in a 1-3-1 setup. Arniel called the bumper the “most important” power-play position and having someone as offensively gifted as Ehlers in it should allow the Jets to generate quality chances even if Connor and Scheifele — who got their first taste of preseason action on Sept. 25 against the Oilers — get keyed on.</p><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=39y1py_0vlnqSdM00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=39y1py_0vlnqSdM00" width="2048" height="1365" ><figcaption>Scott Arniel, Winnipeg Jets ( Jess Starr /The Hockey Writers)</figcaption></figure><p>Miller appears set for a much-increased role with Brenden Dillon and Nate Schmidt’s departures. The veteran defender has suited up for two of three games, logging almost 23 minutes against the Wild on Sept. 21 and just over 15 minutes against the Oilers on Sept. 25. Payne has tapped the 31-year-old to quarterback the second unit and Miller looked excellent in the role, moving the puck well and blasting home a goal from the point in each game.</p><p>It’s still unclear why Bowness used Miller so sparingly, only playing him in five games down the stretch and one playoff game, after general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff acquired him from the New Jersey Devils at the deadline. Miller has a bomb of a shot — he recorded the NHL’s hardest in-game shot las season at 102.59 miles per hour and also won the American Hockey League All-Star Skills Competition’s hardest shot in 2015 when he unleashed one at 105.5 mph. The changes to the top unit and a heavy dose of Miller on the second could go a long way to helping the Jets pot more power-play goals.</p><p>Top-line forwards Connor and Scheifele being deployed on the penalty kill is a sign Chynoweth — who is responsible for improving a kill that finished 21st last season — wants the regime to employ more aggressive tactics. Jets’ penalty-killing units of the past have often been too passive, and having players with great speed and skill could put more pressure on opponents and possibly snag some shorthanded goals if they can get going the other way with pace and space.</p><p>The Jets’ penalty kill against the Oilers on Sept. 25 featured both players and killed off all five of its shorthanded situations.</p><h2>2: Brad Lambert Looks Really Good</h2><p>Of all the Jets’ prospects who dressed in the first three games, Brad Lambert is the highest profile by far. After a strong 2023-24 with the Manitoba Moose where he led the team with 55 points and played top-six and top power-play roles, the organization hopes the now-20-year-old centre can take another big step forward.</p><p>The 2022 30th-overall selection has suited up for two games so far. He was held off the scoresheet against the Wild despite being noticeable and having three shots in nearly 20 minutes of ice time before having a great showing against the Oilers on Sept. 25 while centring the second line between Ehlers and Vladislav Namestnikov. He not only notched two points — including a third period power-play snipe — but also had a nice drive to the net that opened up space for Ehlers to score the game’s opening goal, drew a penalty, and was named the proceedings’ second star. He was the third-most impactful Jet, according to HockeyStatCards’ GameScore Impact Card.</p><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">What's the procedure, everyone? What's the procedure? 🔥 <a href="https://t.co/ScS3bymZxS">pic.twitter.com/ScS3bymZxS</a></p>— Winnipeg Jets (@NHLJets) <a href="https://twitter.com/NHLJets/status/1839122493669269869?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 26, 2024</a><input type="image" src="empty.gif" style="opacity:0" onerror="s=document.createElement(&quot;script&quot;);s.src=&quot;https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js&quot;;document.body.appendChild(s);"></blockquote><p>The battle for the second-line centre spot vacated by Sean Monahan appeared to be a four-person race between Lambert, Namestnikov, Cole Perfetti, and Gabriel Vilardi. However, it appears Vilardi is set to begin campaign as the first-line right winger alongside Connor and Scheifele, while the newly-signed Perfetti is more likely to be deployed on the wing as he was for the majority of last season.</p><p>That leaves the battle between the veteran and the rookie. Namestnikov doesn’t have high-end skill, but is a steady hand who has been versatile and effective in a variety of roles up and down the lineup. Lambert is set to play again on Friday, Sept. 27 versus the Wild, and if he shows well again, Arniel and company would be hard pressed to leave him off the opening-night roster. If Arniel were to bump Namestnikov down, a second-line of Lambert, Ehlers, and Perfetti could be quite the electric trio. It’s something worth at least looking at.</p><h2>3: Kahkonen Appears to Have Inside Track on Backup Goalie Gig</h2><p>Sometimes, preseason usage can say a lot.</p><p>The fact Kaapo Kahkonen got two of three starts, and did not have to split time with either of his backups, indicates the organization is giving him every opportunity to earn the backup role behind Connor Hellebuyck.</p><p>Kahkonen, signed in free agency on a one-year deal, got the call against the Wild and on Sept. 25 against the Oilers. His first start didn’t go so well as he allowed five goals on 28 shots and would likely want the fourth and fifth goals back. The 28-year-old Finn rebounded quickly, though, as he stopped 26 of 27 shots the Oilers fired on him and was 3:28 from pitching a shutout before Connor Brown’s deflection beat him when the Jets were cruising up 6-0. One caveat is that Oilers’ head coach Kris Knoblauch iced a young lineup sans Leon Draisaitl, Zach Hyman, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, and Connor McDavid.</p><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=0Wopmb_0vlnqSdM00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=0Wopmb_0vlnqSdM00" width="2048" height="1536" ><figcaption>Kaapo Kahkonen, Winnipeg Jets (Photo by Jonathan Kozub/NHLI via Getty Images)</figcaption></figure><p>Comrie, acquired in free agency to a two-year deal, got the start on the road against the Oilers on Sept. 22 and looked decent, stopping 25 of 28 in a 3-2 overtime loss. None of the Oilers’ four aforementioned stars suited up for that contest either.</p><p>Arniel has indicated the reigning Vezina-Trophy-winning Hellebuyck will get two-and-a-half games prior to the regular season, so there’s not much time if any for Comrie to make up ground in the backup goalie battle. It seems the organization is higher on Kahkonen, who despite being younger, has more NHL experience (139 games to 57 games.) It’s also possible the organization feels Kahkonen is likelier to be claimed off waivers if assigned to the Moose than Comrie, (although Comrie was claimed off waivers twice when the Jets tried to send him to the Moose in prior stints, by the Arizona Coyotes in 2019 and the Devils in 2021.)</p><h2>The Preseason Rolls On</h2><p>The Jets are back in action tonight (Sept. 27) in Minnesota against the Wild. They’ll then return home to face the Calgary Flames on Oct. 2 before traveling to Calgary for a rematch on Oct. 4 to wrap their preseason slate. Keep following <i>The Hockey Writers</i> for more on the Jets and every other NHL team.</p></div></body>

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3 Takeaways From Jets’ First 3 Preseason Games

The Winnipeg Jets are halfway through their six-game preseason slate and there’s been plenty to glean from their first three matchups. Here, we’ll dive into three takeaways from the contest versus the Minnesota Wild and a pair against the Edmonton Oilers. 1: Arniel And New Coaching Staff Beginning...

3 Takeaways From Jets’ First 3 Preseason Games

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