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Winnipeg Jets: Why fans shouldn’t be worried about a weak defensive core

By Patrick McMenamon

LOS ANGELES, CA - NOVEMBER 30: Los Angeles Kings Right Wing Austin Wagner (51) battles for position in front of Winnipeg Jets Defenceman Josh Morrissey (44) and Goalie Laurent Brossoit (30) during their game at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, CA. (Photo by Rob Curtis/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - NOVEMBER 30: Los Angeles Kings Right Wing Austin Wagner (51) battles for position in front of Winnipeg Jets Defenceman Josh Morrissey (44) and Goalie Laurent Brossoit (30) during their game at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, CA. (Photo by Rob Curtis/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /
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It seems as a Winnipeg Jets fan scrolling through social media, the same generalizations appear about the Jets roster and their weak defensive core. Although this is not something that fans should lose sleep over.

At the time of this article, the Winnipeg Jets are sitting in third place in the Central Division. They are only two points behind the Stanley Cup champion St. Louis Blues. The Jets are tied for sixth in the league with 40 points and a winning record of 19-10-2.

Even with losing many key defensive players in the offseason, with the departure of Tyler Myers to the Canucks, Ben Chariot to the Canadiens, and how can we forget about the current dilemma revolving around Dustin Byfuglien and his leave of absence from the organization, the Jets are a darn good team.

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They lost valuable members of the blueline, but there have been many diamonds in the rough when it comes to the Jets defense. Ville Heinola is a star in the making. Although he opted to return to Finland after eight games with the Jets this season, he played a mature level of hockey for a very young player and played with confidence in his time on the Jets.

Neal Pionk has also become a factor in the success of the unit. Pionk has played all 31 games for the Jets and is solid both defensively and offensively, contributing for 16 points and a plus-minus rating of +8. Tucker Poolman has looked good so far and has also taken a big role playing top pairing minutes with assistant captain Josh Morrissey.

The offense has been a huge help to the success of this young defense. The Jets have been able to outscore opponents 62 to 52, well above expected goals for and goals against, which are estimated at 53.4 for to 63.3 against.

Head coach Paul Maurice has not been short of mentioning the offense as being a huge benefit to the defense. Maurice often mentions in his press conferences about how the offense needs to and is also doing a good job getting backchecking pressure.

With the middle of the season approaching there will be a close eye on the injury reports. Although Maurice tries to avoid the injury topic in his press conferences, we do know that Kulikov has been placed on IR with an upper-body injury and is expected to be re-evaluated at the all-star break. It is inevitable that injuries will happen, but there is a gold lining for the Jets, and that’s the Manitoba Moose.

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The Jets have a plethora of options if a key player were to go down. Sami Niku has been showing potential that is way larger than where he was taken in the seventh round of the 2015 entry draft. As well as big-bodied defensemen Luke Green and Logan Stanley, who will hopefully someday be able to step up into the role that Byfuglien played as a physical force to be reckoned with.

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