It’s an interesting lens that we view the Winnipeg Jets through lately. Only a few weeks back, they were rolling through the NHL — winning eight games in a row and accumulating points in 14 straight.
As a team, they looked deep, complete and battle ready to take on anyone atop of the league’s standings. But right around the midway point of the season, the Jets suffered a key injury to their number one centre, Mark Scheifele.
His six-game absence, along with some other ailments to key personnel, and their third, three-game losing skid this season heading into this week’s break has slightly altered that perspective.
Oh sure, the Jets are still a solid team, but without Scheifele, Winnipeg looked different, played differently … and frankly, for the first time this season, appeared vulnerable. All of a sudden, they were exposed, particularly at the centre ice position.
And honestly, that revelation comes as no surprise, not even to the Jets. Nobody within the organization was ever hiding from the fact that after Scheifele there was a considerable offensive drop-off at that position. The auditions of Cole Perfetti, Vladislav Namestnikov, Adam Lowry and even some others have only quietly perpetuated that understanding.
But in order for the Jets to favourably press forward, filling that second-line centre hole has now become an acute requirement on or before the March 8 trade deadline — even if there’s organizational sticker shock to market prices.
Of course, they also need to get Scheifele healthy and back into the lineup leading up to next Tuesday’s game in Pittsburgh, but adding a piece at centre ice is now a pressing need for a team with plenty of promise.
Because what the last six games without Scheifele have provided was a change in scope and a different lens on how the Jets look without not only one front-line centre, but two.