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Jets Coach Hints at Surprising 4th Line Locks - With Penalty Kill Roles Already Taking Shape


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Daniel Lucente
September 25, 2025  (2:19 PM)
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Winnipeg Jets players celebrate a win
Photo credit: Edit from The Hockey Writers

Jets coach Dean Chynoweth revealed that Tanner Pearson and Cole Koepke will likely be on the fourth line and Jonathan Toews will kill penalties this season.

The Winnipeg Jets were special teams powerhouses last season, boasting the NHL's best power play and 13th-best penalty kill. They tallied 63 power play goals, second-most in the NHL, and surrendered just 41 power play goals, tied for fifth-fewest.
That two-way balance was part of their forte, with Alex Iafallo and captain Adam Lowry taking on a lot of the heavy lifting in shorthanded minutes, with Morgan Barron and Kyle Connor chipping in.
Yet the penalty kill will be different this season. Mason Appleton signed in Detroit, Rasmus Kupari is gone, Brandon Tanev's short stint here ended, and Lowry is hurt.

The Jets Lost Half of Their Top Penalty Killers From Last Season

That's four of last year's top eight forward penalty killers for the Jets no longer in the mix, with some significant roles to be filled.
The coaching staff expects Iafallo and Barron to form the top PK duo, with Vladislav Namestnikov and Connor likely as the second pair.
Namestnikov, in particular, could be counted on to make a defensive impact after shifting down the depth chart with Jonathan Toews' arrival to take the No. 2 center spot.
Toews, known for his defensive reliability, will also be leaned on as part of the PK rotation.
Assistant coach Dean Chynoweth recently stated that this camp is a matter of looking for players who can kill penalties. Tanner Pearson and Cole Koepke were brought up as options, and he stated that both appear to be safe bets to earn fourth-line spots.
Pearson hasn't had much special teams use in a while, but Koepke has some PK experience with Boston that provides Winnipeg with a bit more flexibility should injuries occur.
In the near future, Winnipeg's penalty kill appears solid enough, considering, but depth forwards rising to the occasion will be key.
Should Pearson or Koepke be able to excel in bigger roles, the Jets might stave off a precipitous decline in one of their greatest strengths.
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Jets Coach Hints at Surprising 4th Line Locks - With Penalty Kill Roles Already Taking Shape

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