What we noticed and realized on Day 1 of Winnipeg Jets coaching camp

WINNIPEG — Scott Arniel’s first stint as an NHL head coach didn’t go the way in which he deliberate it.

After 45 wins and 70 losses, he was confronted with an early exit from the pinnacle teaching fraternity he’d labored so exhausting to affix. His gamers had tuned him out, so the Columbus Blue Jackets let him go midway by his second season. It took him 12 years to earn a second shot on the high job.

It’s no marvel that Arniel introduced a way of pleasure and pleasure to his first “first day of camp” as Winnipeg’s head coach. It was evident on the ice, palpable in his personal interview and highly effective sufficient to depart GM Kevin Cheveldayoff a bit extra contemplative than common.

“Coaches dwell in glass homes, however they be taught from that,” Cheveldayoff mentioned at Hockey For All Centre on Thursday. “They be taught their shortfalls and in the event that they’re humble sufficient, they develop from it. And I can inform {that a} (coach) like Arnie, throughout our conversations, generally it’s a fragile query you’ll be able to ask however his solutions have been stuffed with, ‘I’ve realized now from Rick Bowness. I’ve realized from (Alain Vigneault), I’ve realized from Peter Laviolette.’”

Arniel has conceded that he tried to place his stamp on issues a bit too early and a bit too emphatically in Columbus. In Winnipeg, although, he has two years of familiarity with the roster that he inherited from Bowness. He spent the summer season in regular communication together with his gamers, even flying to Calgary to fulfill with captain Adam Lowry and alternate captains Mark Scheifele and Josh Morrissey.

There’s pleasure right here — in Arniel and in new assistant coaches Dean Chynoweth and David Payne.

“They’re all nonetheless studying from one another and are going to take greatest practices from one another,” Cheveldayoff mentioned. “Definitely, for these three guys within the coaches’ room, there’s that stage of pleasure you could actually inform.”

Nice, then. Arniel arrives at coaching camp with an outstanding alternative. What’s he going to do with it?

After Thursday’s full day of drills, conversations with a number of gamers and information conferences by Arniel and Cheveldayoff, right here’s what we’ve realized concerning the Jets — from Arniel’s line combos to Cole Perfetti’s future to key roster battles, Brad Lambert’s probabilities of making the staff and Winnipeg’s plans for its first two preseason video games this weekend.

Connor, Scheifele and Vilardi are again collectively

Arniel resisted the urge for roster revolution together with his Day 1 traces. Kyle Connor, Mark Scheifele and Gabriel Vilardi skated on one unit on Group Neufeld to start out the day. Nino Niederreiter, Adam Lowry and Mason Appleton have been collectively once more on Group Lesuk later within the day.

Right here’s a full checklist of Jets ahead traces from Day 1, sorted subjectively by me.

Has something modified in any respect? It doesn’t take plenty of work to plug Perfetti onto the second line, bump Alex Iafallo to Line 4, knock Axel Jonsson-Fjallby out of the highest 12 and see a carbon copy of final 12 months’s lineup.

Arniel was fast to clarify the reasoning behind reuniting so lots of final 12 months’s traces.

“You understand what? It’s simply my historical past on different groups: When these guys can come out within the first couple of days and get their touches amongst one another, it sort of will get them up and working,” Arniel mentioned. “I’ve additionally seen it the opposite approach the place you set a veteran with a few younger guys and it will get very irritating.”

Arniel left the door open to vary issues up, doubtless after no less than one spherical of cuts had been made. It could be that it’s simpler to combine and match NHL gamers — together with these on the cusp, like Lambert — as soon as there are fewer minor league and junior gamers on the ice. For now, although, will probably be extra of the identical, and it appears as if Lambert, Nikita Chibrikov and different younger expertise have an unlimited process forward of them in the event that they’re meant to win jobs.

If we do see modifications, my guess is that lots of the normal Jets duos will persist: Connor and Scheifele may very well be joined by Nikolaj Ehlers, for instance, however I’d be stunned to see them damaged up. Lowry and Appleton may see quite a lot of left wingers, maybe, nevertheless it’s tough to see them cut up.

Lambert will battle for a roster spot

There’s no approach Lambert will undergo coaching camp with out drawing acclaim. He was dominant at rookie camp, scoring three factors in two video games, and his velocity stands out even amongst established NHL gamers. Whether or not he turns into the swingman for a slower, very smart centre like Vilardi, finds chemistry with one other speedster like Connor or Ehlers, or each, Lambert goes to impress Jets followers for a very long time.

The one query is how quickly.

Take a look at the ahead traces above. Understanding that the roster will doubtless embrace 13 forwards, seven defencemen and two goaltenders on opening evening, whose job will Lambert take? Ehlers isn’t going anyplace at this stage and Perfetti will take a spot within the high six. If Lambert wins a job, bumping Vladislav Namestnikov and Iafallo to the fourth line, the Jets shall be compelled to waive considered one of Rasmus Kupari or David Gustafsson. That’s exhausting for me to ascertain, given Gustafsson’s time with the group since being drafted in 2019 and Kupari’s highway to Winnipeg by way of the PL Dubois commerce. They’re end-of-the-roster gamers on a staff this deep; I simply don’t see them as expendable from Winnipeg’s viewpoint.

Barring harm (or a surprising size of time with out Perfetti), Lambert’s solely path to Winnipeg is thru a camp so spectacular it forces the Jets’ hand, with highlight-reel objective after highlight-reel objective … or by the Manitoba Moose. Lambert doesn’t require waivers to be demoted. His competitors does. If he leaves any doubt in any respect within the coaches’ minds, assigning him to the AHL would be the best path. Gamers do get damage. Jobs do open up. Lambert could also be destined to observe in Connor’s footsteps, biding his time till seizing a chance from which he’ll by no means look again. He’s the identical age that Connor was in 2018 when Mathieu Perreault’s harm opened up an October roster spot. Lambert’s AHL scoring can be much like Connor’s by the identical stage in every participant’s profession.

Winnipeg will take an extended have a look at Lambert by a number of preseason video games and provides him each probability. The depth chart makes it apparent although; waivers-exempt gamers like Lambert and Chibrikov should be phenomenal to start out the season within the NHL.

The Perfetti negotiations drag on

The second Perfetti indicators his subsequent contract, he’ll emerge as a front-runner for top-six minutes and first-unit power-play time. Every passing second between at this time and Perfetti’s subsequent deal creates just a bit bit extra angst amongst followers. As negotiations drag on, Perfetti has gone from an amazing offseason which included exercises with Scheifele, Morrissey and Lowry, to skating on his personal in an effort to take care of his progress.

Cheveldayoff, in the meantime, says that he’d give Perfetti no matter he needed … if solely he may.

“Personally, I’d give these guys the moon,” Cheveldayoff mentioned on Thursday. “They’re superior guys and I’d like to have the flexibility to pay them every part they need and deserve. In a wage cap world, it’s a must to make enterprise selections.”

So what’s the holdup?

As Cheveldayoff places it, negotiations like this one rely on all sides making the case for comparables — related gamers, at related levels of their careers — to push conversations towards a contract that everyone can agree on. This isn’t something new and it’s not rocket science however Cheveldayoff and Perfetti’s brokers are having hassle getting on the identical web page about which gamers represent acceptable comparables.

I’ve argued that Shane Pinto’s two-year, $3.75 million AAV contract (signed this summer season) and Gabriel Vilardi’s two-year, $3.4 million AAV contract (signed in 2023) make plenty of sense as a place to begin. Vilardi had scored 78 factors in 152 video games previous to signing his deal, value 4.12 % of final 12 months’s cap most. Perfetti is 2 years youthful than Vilardi was when he signed that contract however has scored 75 factors in 140 video games — a superior fee. Pinto and Perfetti have every performed 140 NHL video games, with Perfetti outscoring Pinto 75 to 70 regardless of being one 12 months Pinto’s junior. In some methods, it appears minimize and dry to me: If there’s a bridge deal to be signed, Perfetti’s ought to be in step with Vilardi’s and Pinto’s — even perhaps increased, if you happen to’re keen to credit score him for attaining his level manufacturing at a youthful age.

I don’t suppose Cheveldayoff sees it the identical approach.

“There’s completely different ranges of contract negotiations on this league,” Cheveldayoff mentioned once I requested him about Pinto and Vilardi. “RFAs popping out of their first contract usually don’t have arbitration rights and that turns into a sticking level generally. When gamers do have arbitration and so they file, there’s a deadline and there’s a mechanism in place that contracts observe and you’re employed in direction of that.”

That clarification applies to Vilardi, who had arbitration rights final summer season, however to not Pinto this summer season. Nonetheless, it appears as if Cheveldayoff’s level was that he doesn’t view both participant as a direct comparable for Perfetti. Elsewhere within the dialog, he spoke to a desire to give attention to gamers exiting their ELCs and signing their second contract, like Perfetti is.

However most of these gamers from Perfetti’s draft class — Anton Lundell (six years, $5 million AAV), Seth Jarvis (eight years, $7.42 million AAV), Quinton Byfield (5 years, $6.25 million AAV), Lucas Raymond (eight years, $8.075 million AAV) — have signed long-term extensions. Perfetti has performed fewer video games and scored fewer factors than all the gamers on that checklist and comes with much less hype at this second however ranks third out of 5 in factors per recreation. His camp might really feel that it’s cheap to incorporate him in that group — and forward of New Jersey’s Dawson Mercer, who has additionally performed extra video games and scored extra factors however whose per-game fee trails Perfetti.

It may be awfully exhausting to persuade a GM to pay for promise, based mostly on scoring charges — significantly Perfetti’s top-tier main level fee — versus outcomes. I’ve nonetheless argued that Winnipeg would do nicely to signal Perfetti long-term earlier than his level totals get too excessive. Consider Vilardi’s subsequent contract, for instance — it’s going to be much more costly than a long-term deal would have been final summer season. I believe Perfetti is monitoring nicely to make himself costly on his third contract, regardless of decrease level totals at this time.

And no matter I take into consideration all of this, one factor appears clear. Cheveldayoff and Perfetti’s camp are additional aside when it comes to which gamers represent truthful “comparables.” Something can change with a telephone name nevertheless it looks like they’ve work to do earlier than they get shut on a deal. Simply do not forget that this isn’t terribly uncommon; Kyle Connor and Patrik Laine missed components of camp in 2018, whereas Morrissey missed the beginning of camp in 2019. It would get executed, Perfetti shall be welcomed again by his teammates and Arniel shall be glad to plug him into the lineup. We wait.

Barring the unexpected, the highest seven defencemen appear clear

Generally it’s good to do not forget that there’s a component of “something can occur” at coaching camp. Take into account the case of Ville Heinola, who mixed his offensive imaginative and prescient with defending that regarded chaotic however efficient to win a job final season … after which didn’t play a single NHL recreation.

“Final 12 months, Ville Heinola made our staff after which he was gone, broke his ankle and it modifications issues,” Arniel mentioned.

Heinola could be complicated within the defensive zone, successful battles with out ever trying like he’s successful these battles — such is the peril of enjoying at his measurement. Final season, he didn’t return to the Jets from his ankle harm and even dominate the AHL when he arrived. He has proven NHL means and has raised the general stage of his recreation to the purpose the place a job appears nicely inside his attain.

The Jets ran the next pairings on Day 1 of camp and I believe there’s an apparent high seven to start out the season.

The Jets will rely closely on Morrissey, Dylan DeMelo, Neal Pionk, Dylan Samberg and Colin Miller. Two jobs are open and I consider they’ll belong to Heinola and Logan Stanley. If anybody can persuade Arniel and defence coach Dean Chynoweth to go in a special path, will probably be Haydn Fleury or Dylan Coghlan, every of whom performed NHL video games final season.

Fleury, 28, has performed 268 video games for Carolina, Anaheim, Seattle and Tampa Bay, delivering completely ample outcomes as a third-pairing defenceman. Coghlan, 26, has performed 106 video games cut up between Vegas and Carolina, providing equally strong outcomes for a depth defender. Fleury and Coghlan should not low bars to clear. Each gamers have stored a cleaner defensive zone than both Stanley or Heinola up to now in every participant’s NHL profession.

All of this leaves high defensive prospect Elias Salomonsson on the surface trying in — destined to start out his North American profession in Manitoba after a dominant 12 months in Sweden. All of Fleury, Coghlan, Heinola and Stanley require waivers to be assigned to the AHL. Salomonsson doesn’t.

One change Arniel desires to make?

“We wish to attempt to have a rotation the place our seventh man is getting slightly bit extra (enjoying time),” he mentioned.

Hellebuyck and the goalie plan

Arniel desires to have 22 gamers on the roster: 13 forwards, seven defencemen and two goaltenders.

This follows our pre-camp projections: Connor Hellebuyck will doubtless be backed up by Kaapo Kahkonen whereas Eric Comrie mentors Thomas Milic within the AHL and Dom DiVincentiis begins in ECHL Norfolk. It was nonetheless humorous to listen to Arniel’s response once I requested if there’s any probability he retains three goalies on the roster.

“In all honesty, when you’ve a Vezina Trophy goalie, I haven’t actually thought concerning the goalies in any respect,” he mentioned. “It will likely be the place we’re at number-wise after we get to that time. When you’ve got your 23-man roster, it’s a must to have a look at that as nicely.”

Kahkonen and Comrie ought to every get one begin this weekend. The plan is for Hellebuyck to get into two and a half preseason video games, leaving a few extra begins for Kahkonen and Comrie to duel. It doesn’t matter what occurs, Winnipeg’s internet nonetheless belongs to Hellebuyck. It’s simple to see him hitting 60 begins as soon as once more.

(Photograph of Kyle Connor and Mark Scheifele: Jonathan Kozub / NHLI by way of Getty Photographs)