The Winnipeg Jets are relying on a familiar player with hopes of a long run in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
After early exits the past two seasons, Winnipeg acquired center Paul Stastny in a trade from the Vegas Golden Knights on Oct. 9 for defenseman Carl Dahlstrom and a conditional fourth-round pick in the 2022 NHL Draft.
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Stastny, who turns 35 on Dec. 27, played for the Jets during the 2017-18 season and helped them reach the Western Conference Final with 15 points (six goals, nine assists) in 17 playoff games.
"I had a good bond with a lot of those guys in Winnipeg," Stastny said after the trade. "I've already talked to a bunch of them, so I'm excited. Just to be able to also play under (coach) Paul Maurice
).
"We feel we can get our traction back," Maurice said. "I think we were trying to hold water last year in a lot of ways and not just a function of our injuries (325 man-games lost), but that we lost four defensemen. We feel now that we've got it stabilized, and now we're looking for forward motion again."
Maurice said he's confident those improvements will complement the Jets' strong goaltending and forwards. But just as important will be the resolve they gained last season battling through their roster makeover and injuries; Winnipeg was on a four-game winning streak when the season was paused March 12 due to concerns surrounding the coronavirus.
"We were really excited about our team [in March] and more excited about the intangibles, where there were lots of times for that team to break and it just never did," Maurice said. "We learned how to work harder and compete harder and we were excited.
"I don't want to judge this team on that series [against Calgary] because there were just too many right things that happened before."
