With the offseason departure of Paul Stastny, the battle to play second-line
centre will take centre stage in the Jets'; preseason action and likely well
into the regular season. Losing a solid option in Stastny, and the great
chemistry he had with Patrik Laine and Nik Ehlers, leaves a hole but the
Winnipeg Jets have the pieces to fix it.Veteran Little Still a Great Choice

Conventional wisdom says the 'tie goes to the veteran'; and for the Jets,
centre Bryan Little should be it. He';s already been pegged by head coach Paul
Maurice to slot in as the second-line centre and said he';s looking forward to
 the challenge, as well as the reward that comes with lining up between Ehlers
and Laine.

The 30-year-old has centered the second line in the past, as well as playing
top line minutes with fellow Atlanta holdovers Andrew Ladd and Blake Wheeler
while remaining remarkably consistent. He has only put up fewer than 40 points
once since coming to Winnipeg-32 points in a lockout-shortened 2012-13
campaign-and has 326 points through seven seasons wearing a Jets uniform.Bryan
Little is still a solid choice for Maurice on the Jets'; second line. (Amy
Irvin / The Hockey Writers)

Little still has a lot left in the tank and although he is supposedly coming
out of his prime, a veteran presence between Laine and Ehlers has worked out
before. He is crafty with the puck and skates well, so being able to keep up
with his two younger linemates should not be a problem.Roslovic Could Be Pushed
 from the Nest

Back in July, THW';s Declan Schroeder argued that an Ehlers-Roslovic-Laine line
 could have a big payoff. The prospect is enticing, having two of the game';s
slickest forwards lining up with a young and dynamic up-and-comer like
Roslovic, but there are problems with that line.

The acquisition-and near retention-of Stastny would have given the Jets more
time to develop Roslovic into the second-line centre they envision him
becoming. He has the pedigree: selected in the first round during the 2015
draft; playing for the powerhouse US National Team Development Program, and
scoring at a near point-per-game pace in the AHL. But expectations should be
tempered.Winnipeg Jets center Jack Roslovic could be shuffled into the second
line during the season (Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports)

Using the translation factors derived by analytics guru Rob Vollman, we can see
 that Roslovic';s future is promising based on his past production. Using his
AHL numbers, he projects to becoming at least a 30-point producer and when you
factor in context-playing his rookie season for a very bad Moose team-there is
a marked improvement.

In his second professional season, the 21-year-old recorded 35 points in 32
games with the Moose. Again using the translation factors, we can see that his
2017-18 production becomes 42 points in a full NHL season, which is only
slightly higher than the 37-point pace he was on while playing bottom-six
minutes with the Jets. Moving Roslovic up in the lineup could create an
offensive explosion.Wheeler Could Provide Roslovic Security

Last season saw the breakout of Kyle Connor, playing on the wing with Scheifele
 and Jets captain, Wheeler. The Michigan product notched 57 points-31 goals
and 26 assists-while being centered by an NHL superstar in Scheifele, as well
as Wheeler for a short time. The chemistry he built with the two veterans was
impressive and as was the security he felt by their presence.

Connor is now the unquestioned top-line winger for Scheifele and Wheeler, but
having Ehlers and Laine on the second line gives Maurice a very interesting
option. He could move Ehlers and Laine up to the first line to play alongside
Scheifele while moving Connor and Wheeler down to add a more experienced pair
for Roslovic on the second line.

Maurice mentioned during training camp that he will be giving Roslovic a look
at centre this season and that Little is their second-line centre for the time
being, which opens the door for some movement.

#NHLJets coach Paul Maurice key points:
-Tyler Myers will play some LD, but no guarantees who starts year beside
Byfuglien. 
-Bryan Little will start at 2C. Jack Roslovic will likely get a look at C. 
-Patrik Laine and Nikolaj Ehlers don't always have to play together.

- Mike McIntyre (@mikemcintyrewpg) September 14, 2018

Having an Ehlers-Scheifele-Laine first line and Connor-Roslovic-Wheeler second
line could give the Jets the best top-six in the league. Not only would Ehlers
and Laine get to play with the dynamic Scheifele, as they did on the power play
 during the playoffs, but it would also give Roslovic the same chance to prove
himself that Connor had and Nic Petan did not. Even so, the final line of Mike
 McIntyre';s tweet (above) brings up another interesting option for the Jets to
 consider.Swapping Laine & Wheeler Shuffles a Stacked Deck

Entering the 2018-19 NHL season, the assumption was that the Nordic pair of
Ehlers and Laine would be together forever. Both would blaze down the wings,
Ehlers using his hands and footwork to cut through defending pairs, while Laine
 would use his big body and bigger shot to terrify netminders.

However, with Maurice noting that the two were not inseparable, the Jets could
do some reshuffling to interesting results. Putting Laine on the top line to
skate alongside Scheifele would almost replicate their power play unit-albeit
with Laine on the right instead of the left-and putting Wheeler on the second
pair with Ehlers and Roslovic could help the young centre with a veteran
presence in Wheeler while allowing him to develop chemistry with Ehlers moving
forward.Blake Wheeler could be key in the development of Jack Roslovic (Amy
Irvin / The Hockey Writers)

Yet, keeping the top-six in tact is a solid option, as Maurice has been playing
 Roslovic between veteran special teams expert Mathieu Perrault and Finnish
dynamo Kristian Vesalainen during training camp and in the preseason. Depending
 on how the line comes together and if Vesalainen makes the big club out of
camp, there could be a scary third line coming for the Jets.

The post Jets Second-Line Centre Options appeared first on The Hockey Writers.

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