The Winnipeg Jets’ turnover last offseason on defence has been well documented. Many fans, not to mention experts, thought a regression was coming in the 2019–2020 season after so many key defenders were replaced with smaller and less experienced replacements.
They were wrong.
The 42 points the Jets have accumulated this season is only four points less than they had after the same number of games last year, and it’s one more point than they had after 33 games during the 2017–2018 season when they reached the Western finals.
To figure out what’s going on, let’s run a comparison between a few of the former players and their replacements this season.
The first, and potentially biggest offseason change, was the trade of defenceman Jacob Trouba to the New York Rangers on June 17 in exchange for Neal Pionk and a first-round draft pick, which the Jets utilized to select 18-year-old Ville Heinola.
As of Sunday, Trouba had five goals and 12 assists, totalling 17 points while averaging 22 minutes and 56 seconds of ice time per game for the Rangers. He is in the first year of a seven-year contract which pays him an average of $8 million per year.
Pionk, on the other hand, has been a pleasant surprise this year with three goals and 16 assists, totalling 19 points while averaging 23 minutes and six seconds of ice time per game. Pionk is in the first year of a two-year contract which pays him an average of $3 million per year.
The next player is defenceman Tyler Myers, who signed with the Vancouver Canucks as a free agent on July 1. As of Sunday, Myers had one goal and five assists for six points while averaging 21 minutes and 34 seconds of ice time per game. He is in the first year of a five-year contract which pays him an average of $6 million per year.
For the Jets, Tucker Poolman is filling that vacancy admirably following a couple of strong seasons in the AHL with the Manitoba Moose. As of Sunday, Poolman had one goal and ten assists for 11 points while averaging 16 minutes and 57 seconds of ice time per game. He is on the second year of a three-year contract which pays him an average of $775,000 per year.
The next former Jets defender is Ben Chiarot, who signed with the Montréal Canadiens as a free agent on July 4. As of Sunday, Chiarot had four goals and seven assists for 11 points. He is on the first year of a three-year contract which pays him an average of $3.5 million per year.
In this case, the Jets have turned to Luca Sbisa, who was claimed off waivers on October 23 and has helped to fill the void. Sbisa has played only 21 games with the Jets this season and has two goals and four assists for six points while averaging 17 minutes and 53 seconds of ice time per game. Sbisa signed a one-year contract earlier this year which pays him an average of $750,000 per year.
The strong play of the Jets this season is a testament to the coaches. In fact, I believe Paul Maurice should be an early candidate for Coach of the Year. Maurice and the rest of the coaches have done an impeccable job with this group.
