When Jets management decided not to offer a contract to lifetime Thrasher/Jet defenseman Tobias Enstrom, it marked the end of an era for both sides. Enstrom, originally an eighth-round draft pick of the Thrashers in 2003 (yes, they’re used to be an eighth round), had worked his way up the rank and onto the team in the 2007–08 roster, where in his debut season he dressed up for all 82 games. From there on out, it was practically a guarantee that when the Thrashers hit the ice, you would at some point see number 39 lacing up, should he not be held back by injuries—which plagued him in his final years in Winnipeg.
For most of his early NHL career, Enstrom found himself lacing up alongside either Niclas Havelid, a grizzled veteran, or young rookie Zach Bogosian. He even saw about 900 minutes of ice-time with six-foot-four defenseman Pavel Kubina. In his lone season with Kubina in 2009–10, Enstrom went on to score the second highest point total of his career, racking up 50 points in 82 games.
Noting the success Enstrom had with a big offensive defenseman on the ice, management went on that offseason to trade for a six-foot-five force on the backend, known as Dustin Byfuglien.
In their first season as defensive partners, the two combined for 104 points, including 29 goals, and Dustin Byfuglien went on to finish seventh in voting for the Norris Trophy. The rest has been history. The pair has been on the ice together for nearly 3,500 minutes (about 58 hours) and have forever been linked to one another thanks to their success on the ice.
For Enstrom, the writing has been on the wall for the better part of two years, and that can in large part be attributed to his inability to stay healthy. In the last two seasons, he has played just 103 out of a possible 164 games. On top of this, he became synonymous for his bad contract, after he signed a five-year $28.75-million deal following a shortened lockout season where he put up 15 points in 22 games. Nonetheless, his age and style of play seemingly have no place in how the game is played, and thus he finds himself as a free agent.
So, since the Jets have decided not to re-sign the 33-year-old Swede, the question has to be asked: who should play with Dustin Byfuglien this season? The answer will likely come after training camp.
But for today, let’s take a look at a couple of those candidates and try to determine the frontrunner.
Joe Morrow was acquired at the 2018 trade deadline in exchange for a fourth-round draft pick. The 2011 twenty-third overall pick was the only defenseman other than Enstrom to touch the ice at five-on-five with Byfuglien during the postseason. His size and stay-at-home defensive style seem like a perfect blend for Byfuglien’s game, but his skating is lacklustre and has held him back over the course of his career. Despite this, I would still consider him a candidate.
Another option is Ben Chiarot, who served as Byfuglien’s partner for the majority of his rookie season. In 40 games, Chiarot averaged just over 17 minutes of ice time and played about 455 minutes of that time with Byfuglien. Since becoming an NHL player full-time, Chiarot has been a quiet but solid bottom pairing defenseman, but he can lead a rush or make a good breakout pass should he have to. The fact that his game can be characterized as quiet speaks to how well he plays on defence and is the primary reason he should be starting with Byfuglien on opening night. He was also the Jets’ fourth best defenseman as far as shot attempt percentage is concerned.
While it hasn’t always worked when Chiarot and Byfuglien have been paired together, it’s hard to believe that Joe Morrow makes the opening night line-up over Chiarot. At the very least, Maurice has to give his veteran a chance to prove himself alongside Byfuglien.
The Jets begin their Enstrom-less era in St. Louis on October 4.
