Scheifele, Jets in 'really good spot' entering season
Center says trip to conference final has Winnipeg hungry for more
"I think we're in a really good spot," the center said Wednesday. "We have a lot of really great young players, a lot of players that had great years last] year and coming-out parties, and I think the biggest thing for our team is that we're fortunate that we have players that want to get better and want to be more than what they are. That's an important thing for our team because that's how you build a solid team."
After years of building, the Jets have arrived as a powerhouse in the West, Scheifele said.
**[RELATED: *[Team Reset: Winnipeg Jets]*
Winnipeg went from 87 points and out of the Stanley Cup Playoffs in 2016-17 to a franchise-record 114 points, second in the NHL to the Nashville Predators (117) last season. The Jets defeated the Predators in seven games in the Western Conference Second Round before losing to the Vegas Golden Knights in five games.
The Jets return most of their nucleus, minus center Paul Stastny, who signed a three-year contract with the Golden Knights as a free agent July 1.
Scheifele, 25, is in the third season of an eight-year, $49 million contract. He had 60 points (23 goals, 37 assists) in 60 games last season, mostly on a line with left wing Kyle Connor, 21, who had 31 goals in his rookie season, and captain Blake Wheeler.
Winnipeg had 14 free agents at the end of last season, including Stastny and defensemen Joe Morrow (unrestricted), and goalie Connor Hellebuyck, defensemen Jacob Trouba, Josh Morrissey and Tucker Poolman and forwards Adam Lowry, Brandon Tanev, Joel Armia and Marko Dano (restricted).
Morrow, Hellebuyck, Trouba, Poolman, Lowry, Tanev and Dano each has a new contract; Morrissey and the Jets remain in negotiations. Armia was traded to the Montreal Canadiens on June 30.
"You definitely think about it," Scheifele said of those contracts. "Especially me, I'm a big thinker in that sense. It's something that's totally out of our control as players, but all of us as players have an idea in our minds of what the best-case scenario would be and how this team is going to be able to take it to the next level and what it will take to get to the next level."
There is no denying Winnipeg will be different without Stastny, who was acquired in a trade with the St. Louis Blues on Feb. 26 for forward prospect Erik Foley, a first-round pick in the 2018 NHL Draft and a fourth-round pick in the 2020 NHL Draft.
The Jets wanted to re-sign Stastny, who solidified their lineup as the second-line center and power-play specialist. He had 13 points (four goals, nine assists) in 19 regular-season games and 15 points (six goals, nine assists) in 17 playoff games.
"You build a team through the draft and build a team through each player getting better each year and that's what us players are focused on," said Scheifele, the No. 7 pick of the 2011 NHL Draft. "We have a lot of players who are pretty dialed in in that sense. That's why we're in a good spot."
Center Jack Roslovic, 21, played 31 games with the Jets last season and had 14 points (five goals, nine assists) and will be considered to fill Stastny's spot on the second line, joining Patrik Laine, 20. Laine scored 44 goals last season, second in the NHL last season to Alex Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals (49).
Strong pushes from young players is what will keep expectations high in Winnipeg.
"Last year, it wasn't like it was a super big surprise here," Scheifele said. "We knew we had a good team and that we could do something special. It was just a matter of putting it all together. So I think this year, there's even more confidence.
"Making it to the conference final was an amazing feat, but at the end of the day, it did nothing and we didn't accomplish anything. Everyone has that hunger in their belly to want more than that."
Scheifele had 20 points (14 goals, six assists) in 17 playoff games. He set NHL records for most road goals in one postseason (11) and most road goals in a playoff series (seven against the Predators).
Aside from training, Scheifele will take a temporary detour into a different athletic realm this summer. He accepted a sponsor's exemption to compete in The Players Cup, the Winnipeg stop on the Mackenzie Tour-PGA Tour Canada on Aug. 16-19. He is replacing Wheeler, who had to withdraw for personal reasons.
"The biggest thing for me is to enjoy it," Scheifele said. "It's a pretty cool thing and trying to stay calm is my biggest thing. To play in an event like this is pretty special and I'm excited to get out there and play a great course at Southwood and hopefully bring some more people out to watch the beautiful game of golf."
