Game 1: Jets vs. Leafs pre-game report

It is an early one tonight with a 6 pm puck drop to kick off the 2017-18 season at Bell MTS Place.  The Jets are on the ice early and while the big news today was the Nikolaj Ehlers seven year contract extension, there is still a hockey game to play.

Ken Wiebe of the Winnipeg Sun has these as the projected lines and D pairs:

Perreault-Scheifele-Wheeler
Ehlers-Little-Laine
Matthias-Lowry-Armia
Dano-Copp-Tanev

Morrissey-Trouba
Enstrom-Byfuglien
Kulikov-Myers

Mason
Hellebuyck

Audio:

Blake Wheeler

Mark Scheifele

Steve Mason

Nikolaj Ehlers

Patrik Laine

Coach Maurice:  On getting the Ehlers contract done before the season began.  What does he see Ehlers ceiling at?  How ready is this Jets team to get to business?  How does he feel about his goaltending?  Does he feel this is the year his team will take a jump and what does he feel is the biggest hurdle?  What went into his decision making process in the 3rd and 4th lines?  Why Copp at centre?  On his relationship with Mike Babcock and his experience coaching two Canadian teams?  What are some of the telltale sign that his team’s commitment to D is showing?

All audio courtesy of TSN 1290 Winnipeg.

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