Winnipeg Jets Line Combinations Hint at Upcoming Final Roster Decisions

At camp, the Jets' fourth and fifth lines are maybe telling us something about who's going to fill out the roster, and who's going to get cut.

On the fourth line today, Morgan Barron, Cole Koepke, Tanner Pearson, and Parker Ford paired up, a line that could be the last ones to grab roster spots.

The fifth line featured David Gustafsson, Walker Duehr, Brad Lambert, and Nikita Chibrikov, which may mean they're about to be sent down to the juniors next.

Winnipeg's game a year ago was built on efficiency. They were 14th in attempt-at-shot rate and 11th in five-on-five expected goal rate, not great by possession numbers but extremely effective at creating dangerous situations on the rush.

That was a big step up from the 15th in goals per game and 22nd on the man advantage the year prior.

Their best line was the Kyle Connor-Mark Scheifele-Gabe Vilardi line. With that line on the ice, the Jets shot a mind-boggling 11.48 percent to just 7.93 percent when they were not on the ice.

An interesting side note is that their overall possession numbers were stronger when the top line was not on the ice, a reminder that volume isn't always greater than finishing ability.

Depth was also significant. Vladislav Namestnikov performed much better than anticipated as a second-line centre, taking Cole Perfetti to 50 points and enabling Nikolaj Ehlers to record his career-high point-per-game total.

At the same time, the Adam Lowry-Nino Niederreiter-Mason Appleton fourth line was the NHL's best checking unit on a nightly basis.

Keeping his top three lines together for most of the season was pure genius on the part of head coach Scott Arniel in terms of chemistry.

The next week will sort out which depth players find a role and whether Winnipeg can duplicate last season's formula. The top-notch skill is readily apparent, but the battle for jobs near the bottom of the lineup may prove equally important.