Projecting the Winnipeg Jets' Opening Night Roster

We're now less than four weeks from the start of the NHL season. Teams are finalizing their rosters and signing their RFAs, and players are getting ready for training camps to open. The Jets are going to be missing Mark Scheifele for opening night as he serves out the remainder of the 4-game suspension he earned during last season's playoffs. As such, the team will be a little staggered at forward, likely not exactly where they want to be out of the gate but things will fall back into place once their lineup returns to normal. Until then, their forwards will look like this:

Kyle Connor - Pierre-Luc Dubois - Blake Wheeler

Adam Lowry - Paul Stastny - Nikolai Ehlers

Andrew Copp - Riley Nash - Kristian Vesalainen

Cole Perfetti - David Gustavsson - Jansen Harkins

Dominic Toninato

Austin Poganski

This lineup's most glaring issues stem from the absence of Mark Scheifele, and once he returns, all these pieces will shift down the lineup, making it significantly more competitive in the process. Gustavsson is the likely 13th forward this season but, should the Jets choose to play Dubois at second-line LW, he may stick around as the 4th-line centre. Otherwise Riley Nash will play that role. Perfetti will get a look at the lineup (what better time than when the forwards are a little depleted) but is by no means a lock. That 4LW spot may ultimately go to Toninato. Similarly, Vesalainen should get a look on the third line, but if he can't hold his own Harkins will eventually take over that spot.

On defence things look similar to last season, with a pair of new faces slotting in:

Josh Morrisey - Neal Pionk

Brenden Dillon - Nate Schmidt

Logan Stanley - Dylan DeMelo

Nathan Beaulieu

Sami Niku

Ville Heinola

Johnny Kovacevic

That "all-new" second pair gives the Jets something of a sure thing on their blueline, but it is far from a permanent fixture. Logan Stanley will be given every opportunity to prove he can play higher up the lineup, and if he does Dillon will slide down as a result. Beaulieu will be the official 7th Dman, but expect all of Niku, Heinola, and Kovacevic to see some playing time with the Jets should injuries start to pile up among their defence.

In net, the Jets have one of the top netminders in the league, but there are some concerns beyond him:

Connor Hellebyuck

Eric Comrie

Mikhail Berdin

A familiar face in Eric Comrie returns to play for the Jets team that drafted him back in 2013. He's the current backup for Hellebyuck, but his numbers at the NHL level have never been particularly impressive. Now, Hellebyuck is perfectly capable of starting 65 games this season, which means there isn't a ton of pressure on Comrie to carry the load, but questions remain about his abilities as an NHL netminder. Comrie is still young, only 26-years old, but another weak showing from him or an injury to either goalie could mean an early call-up for Jets' prospect Mikhail Berdin, or a trade early in the season for a more reliable backup.

What do you think about this Jets lineup, and what would you change?

Photo credit: Eric Bolte-USA TODAY Sports