Winnipeg Jets

This was supposed to be the year Nikolaj Ehlers' minutes soared and the Jets' fortunes soared with them. Rick Bowness was on board, promoting Ehlers to the ...

Even in a “down” year — and even granting he may not be 100 percent healthy — Ehlers continues to lead the Jets in points per minute at five-on-five and on the power play. Despite a clear advantage in shots, shot attempts and expected goals, Winnipeg has scored 17 goals and given up 17 goals with Ehlers on the ice at five-on-five. Factors in some poor puck management, poor puck luck and the worst on-ice save percentage of Ehlers’ career and I think the feeling of Ehlers’ defensive impact is worse than the real thing. Winnipeg is getting its chances with Ehlers on the ice from exactly where it wants to get them — the centre slot is a sea of deep, dark red. I really wasn’t happy with ( [Kevin Stenlund](https://theathletic.com/nhl/player/kevin-stenlund-11bfLQe99Ve12iAF/)’s) game and I had a talk to him about that this morning. He’s the ultimate case of a player outchancing and outscoring his defensive issues; Winnipeg gives up a lot with him on the ice but creates even more. [David Gustafsson](https://theathletic.com/nhl/player/david-gustafsson-6Y85sy7Nmw8MyTIa/)) line was playing really well on the forecheck. But [Blake Wheeler](https://theathletic.com/nhl/player/blake-wheeler-kyiBjNke8utWBW0I/) iced the puck with 37 seconds left in the game, [Tomas Hertl](https://theathletic.com/nhl/player/tomas-hertl-ujb69oMzy32EnMpV/) scored the game-tying goal and [Logan Couture](https://theathletic.com/nhl/player/logan-couture-yl9o1AFYyJRjG3Zm/) won it in overtime. To me, this seems like a player acknowledging he hasn’t been at the top of his game, acknowledging that he still feels pain or discomfort and taking responsibility for his level of play. Ehlers could have complained about his minutes or insisted that he was at 100 percent health or said he felt like he was at the top of his game. And while there are other culprits, imagine one of the many times Winnipeg has failed to get a shot off on a two-on-one, three-on-one, or — in one memorable case, a breakaway — and Ehlers is often at the centre of it. Ehlers was on board, too, turning the 19 minutes he averaged in two October games into three assists, including one on [Winnipeg](https://theathletic.com/nhl/team/win-jets/)’s top power-play unit.