The Jets managed to keep most of their lineup intact over the course of the offseason, with a few exceptions. Up front, a couple spots opened up via the departures of Joel Armia and Paul Stastny, while the same deal that sent Armia to Montreal seems to have created a little competition for the backup position. The team’s decision to not offer a contract to lifetime Tobias Enstrom also created a spot on the back end.
Every year, there are an ample number of players trying out for roster spots, so who should we look out for this season?
First, consider Marko Dano and Nic Petan. These two 23-year-olds enter training camp with lower expectations than ever. Having been unable to grab full-time spots on the roster the past few seasons, this may well be their last shot at making the team. The added pressure should yield good performances from the offensively gifted forwards.
Next, there’s J.C. Lipon. Last year, I thought Lipon had the best camp of those searching for roster spots, and he went on to score a career-high 17 goals for the Manitoba Moose. Standing at six feet, the ninety-first overall pick of the 2013 draft plays a scrappy game and loves to drop the gloves. For a Jets team that many claim lacked size and grit in the postseason, Lipon could be the perfect candidate to replace Joel Armia.
Brendan Lemieux is another candidate for Armia’s spot. Lemieux is a highly skilled player who loves to get his hands dirty. As the thirty-first pick in the 2014 draft, there’s clearly some untapped potential in the 22-year-old. After scoring a career high 43 points, including 19 goals, alongside 170 penalty minutes, Lemieux could have a monster camp and make the team for opening night.
You can’t forget about Jack Roslovic, who’s likely a lock to make the roster. Fans should keep an eye out for how Paul Maurice and his staff utilize the 21-year-old forward. In 31 regular season games, Roslovic has only taken 45 faceoffs, despite playing most of his life as a centre. With the loss of Stastny, it will be interesting to see if Roslovic can step up and take the middle of the ice on a line with Patrik Laine and Nikolaj Ehlers. He could also find himself alongside Scheifele and Connor should the Jets decide to move Wheeler back to centre, where he played surprisingly well for a series of games while Scheifele was injured last season.
While Kristian Vesalainen’s chances of cracking the team this season are slim, there’s still a chance Jets fans will see him on the ice before the end of the season. That said, he and the Jets will need to decide what his best options are next season. Is it returning to Finland to continue playing on big European ice? Or is it a year in the AHL to get adjusted to the North American way of playing the game, on smaller ice?
Finally, what about Eric Comrie? When the Jets announced they had signed former Edmonton Oiler Laurent Brossoit as their backup goalie, it had many fans up in arms. But for Eric Comrie, it could mean a chance to become the team’s backup out of camp. With a razor-thin market for quality goaltenders this offseason, Comrie could see himself promoted to the big club should he prove he can handle the stage and be at his best, even with eight to ten days between starts. Though this may hurt his career trajectory, the Jets prospect could be the best answer for the team on nights where Connor Hellebuyck can’t play. He’s currently a restricted free agent and will need to be signed in order to attend the camp.
