It’s somewhat of a cliche in the sporting world, but the Winnipeg Jets have been a shining example of the “next man up” mentality this season.
Six weeks without Gabe Vilardi. Five weeks without Kyle Connor. Now? Ten days and counting without Mark Scheifele.
Of course, there are teams that have had much worse injury luck this season, but those are top players who have missed substantial time.
Head coach Rick Bowness and his staff would love to ice the best line-up possible every night, but these injuries have created opportunities and guys like Nikolaj Ehlers, Alex Iafallo, and now Adam Lowry have stepped up and shown they can all contribute as top-line players.
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Maybe more important is the trickle-down effect that has in the line-up: who would have thought fringe NHLers like Dominic Toninato and Axel Jonsson-Fiallby would be having such a positive impact?
Bigger picture, could this affect how general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff approaches the trade deadline?
There will be plenty of time to speculate over the next 46 days about what the Jets need to add to push themselves over the top.
But one thing is for sure, the Winnipeg Jets are encapsulating the true definition of being a team — with a next man stepping up every single night to maintain the status of being the NHL’s best.
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