32 Thoughts Podcast | Friedman talks Winnipeg Jets structure, impact of Vilardi, Perfetti usage and more

On today’s 32 Thoughts Podcast insider Elliotte Friedman shared some thoughts on the local NHL club. He began talking about what the Jets look like when they stay within their structure and when they do not:

“One thing that we’ve really noticed is how important Vilardi was to this team. When I see the Jets, I see two teams, and maybe you can say this about a lot of teams but I really see it with the Jets. I see a team that is very good when it sticks to its structure and a team that is very bad when it breaks down. And maybe you could say that about everybody but I really notice that about Winnipeg. They had a nightmare game against the Islanders, what was it 26-4 were the shots in the middle of the 2nd period, and that’s the thing there were so many times in that game when I looked at them and I said ‘I don’t even recognize what they’re doing out there’ like that’s how crazy it was. That’s one thing I think about them. I think there are some teams when their structure breaks down they can kinda get away with it a little bit because they’re high skilled or they find their way back. The Jets when their structure breaks down it really seems sometimes I watch them they can’t overcome it or they really can’t get back.”

Then he discussed the impact of Gabriel Vilardi:

“The Vilardi situation since he’s been out, like that was a great trade they made this year for Dubois. They did a lot better then a lot of other teams have done in situations where they were put in a position where they had no leverage.  They made a great trade but Vilardi being out I think it’s really affected them on the power play. Even with Toffoli coming in, at times I think it’s really affected their offence. He’s obviously become a really important player for them.”

Then he mentions Cole Perfetti:

“Perfetti scored at the end of the game the other night against the Islanders. He got a late goal to kinda get off the schnid which was important for him but his main linemates on the weekend were Barron and Iaffalo, and nothing against those guys, but I do wonder if you’ve got to give him a shot up high again. I know, as you say they don’t like to do it, but I just want something to give them a bit of a jolt.”

Then he ends talking about mixing up the lines:

“Like that Rangers game this week where they played really well. That was a high structure Jets game. And one of the things I sit there and watch with them is when it breaks down like it did against the Islanders, and they were mostly good against Washington. Against the Islanders on Saturday they were getting killed and they mixed some of their lines up, like they broke up the Scheifele/Connor pair but then they went back to them on Sunday. I almost wish that they were willing to be a little more flexible when things go badly and stick with it for a bit longer. That Islanders game was over, it was 6-1 when they broke them up, they did score twice but next game, new start they do the same thing and again they didn’t give Washington much. But sometimes I wonder if they tried something different a little bit longer it might help them. It’s my theory watching them that when they break down they really break down and maybe there’s something they can do to get themselves back into it. ‘Cause they stick with what they know and for the most part they’ve been really good this year so I confess this might not be the best argument but I’ve been watching them the last few days after that great performance against the Rangers and that’s kinda what I wonder. Like I said they’re Jekyll and Hyde, when they stick in their structure their great, when they don’t they really go sideways.”

The discussion about Winnipeg starts at 24;40. You can listen below: