Examining what the expected pairings will be for the Defencemen of the 2024-25 Winnipeg Jets
As the Winnipeg Jets prepare for the next NHL season, the buzz around their projected lineup has started to commence with fans wondering what they can expect to see from the 2024-25 team.
It's very early to say what the coaching staff will decide to roll out with but the Daily Faceoff has started their early predictions for the Jets lineup and it appears to have some accurate aspects to it.
We look to break down the projected top six defencemen and how likely it is for the pairings to come into fruition on opening night versus Edmonton.
First Pairing: Josh Morrissey - Dylan DeMelo
This is an obvious one as Morrissey was paired with DeMelo for a majority of last season with 1207 minutes or 80 games played together, according to Money Puck's line analytics. They played together the second-most of any defensive pairing and allowed 1.74 goals against per 60 minutes. The duo also helped out on offense with 62 goals as a pairing which was third-best in the league.
[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fy7sfNvveFQ[/embed]
They were a mainstay for the Jets backend last season and should continue to be as DeMelo re-signed a new extension recently and will help keep the pair together. When not playing together, Morrissey spent 178 minutes with Neal Pionk which could be a possibility if DeMelo gets injured.
Second Pairing: Dylan Samberg - Neal Pionk
Pionk will be looking for a new dance partner, after regular linemate Brenden Dillon left for New Jersey in free agency. Samberg will be doing the same after playing a majority of last season with Nate Schmidt, who was bought out of his contract in the offseason. The two may work together as they played in a pairing for 151 minutes last season, which was the fifth-highest minutes for a Jets pairing last season.
They allowed just one goal when paired up and Pionk should help Samberg improve after a rough postseason that saw him go a team-worst -7 after being a decent +16 in the regular season.
Third Pairing: Colin Miller - Logan Stanley
Like the fourth line of forwards, there will be a lot of movement with this pairing. Miller and Stanley played just 12 minutes together last season and will still need to compete for their jobs as 26-year-old Kyle Capobianco and 2019 Jets first round pick Ville Heinola will be looking to make the jump to the main roster.
It's hard to say if these two finish up as the final pairing but Miller ended off the season with nine points and a rating of +8 in 46 games while Stanley finished with two points and a rating of +4 in 25 games.