Opening Night Lineups

Team: 2023-24 Winnipeg Jets

Initial Creation Date: Oct. 3, 2023

Published: Oct. 3, 2023

Salary Cap Mode: Basic

1ST LINE: Bowness already said this is the top line to start the season. And so far I do like it, Connor and Vilardi need to get healthy.

2ND LINE: Bowness did say Nino would be on the 2nd line over Iafallo, but I believe Iafallo is better defensively. Perfetti and Ehlers are both offensive, so they need a good defensive player. Not saying Nino is bad defensively, but Iafallo I think is better.

3RD LINE: This is where things get interesting. And its where I have Nino slotted in. The one thing that the bottom 6 as a whole has lacked is scoring. While being solid defensively, there wasn't much scoring depth throughout. Its bold to put Ford here, but I love his shot and offensive prowess. He's also leading the Jets in points during the preseason. And he's playing alongside captain Lowry, so some mentorship will be gained here.

4TH LINE: Who knows how Kupari will do? Time will tell. Appleton should provide the fourth line will more scoring as well. Barron can provide physicality and decent defense.

1ST D PAIR: Its obvious what the top D pair will look like. And it looked really good last year. Can Morrissey replicate last year? Once again, time will tell.

2ND D PAIR: Ok hear me out. Heinola will be playing with Pionk and here's why. A thing that no one has realized is that during the 2021-22 season, all five of Heinola's points came while on a pair with Pionk. Heinola's offensive totals should be much better if this were the case. He's already made his presence known during the preseason, every game he's noticeable. Slightly better defensively and not afraid of using the body more often.

3RD D PAIR: The same bottom pair as last year will stay intact. I do think however that Bowness should roll all 3 pairs and give all defenders equal time on ice.

GOALIES: Its the most obvious thing on this roster. Delia will be the guy that gets called up if there's an injury.

WAIVERS AND TRADES: Chisholm will likely clear waivers. Stanley however, will get claimed. As for Dillon, I do think he will play but honestly I think he should be traded cause of the logjam at D. Heinola and Samberg need playing time and the only way to get it is by trading a defender. Its debatable between Schmidt and Dillon, but I picked Dillon because I love Schmidt's playoff resume more. Also Dillon needs a Cup ASAP and I don't see the Jets winning the Cup this year.

1.

2.