Jets unfazed by possible moving, shaking

WINNIPEG - There won't be much angst over potential additions and subtractions in the Winnipeg Jets locker room ahead of the 2018 NHL Trade Deadline.
Just ask veteran center Bryan Little, who shrugged off concern about possible roster changes.

"I think the fans and the panels (on TV), they want to see lots of action," said Little, 30, whose Jets (34-15-9, 77 points) were tied for first place with the Nashville Predators in the Central Division after a 6-1 victory against the Colorado Avalanche on Friday. "They want to see big deals and exciting trades, the action.
"But at the end of the day, you don't want to make moves like that just because other teams are doing it. If you feel your team is in a good position as it is, you have to be confident in that. Maybe someone you might see in the playoffs does go out and make a move, make a splash, so yeah, sometimes you sit and think maybe we should do something. But at the end of the day, it's not even worth worrying about as a player, I've found."
The Jets are in a dramatically different position than they were last season, when they finished fifth in the Central Division with 87 points and missed the Stanley Cup Playoffs by seven points.
Winnipeg has missed the playoffs in five of the six seasons since the relocation from Atlanta in 2011, qualifying only in 2015.
"I'm not too stressed about the deadline," said forward Mathieu Perreault of the approaching Feb. 26 (3 p.m. EDT) Trade Deadline. "I never really have been because it's so much out of our control."

Perreault, 30, played parts of four seasons with the Washington Capitals and one season with the Anaheim Ducks before arriving in Winnipeg. He's in his fourth season with the Jets.
He said his experiences in Washington (2009-13) and Anaheim (2013-14) left players feeling the trade-deadline activity was sometimes a little overdone. None of those teams Perreault played on advanced past the Second Round of the playoffs.
"They were kind of top teams, but around those rooms, I never felt that we needed to go and get somebody," Perreault said. "In Washington, we always seemed to do that every year, go and get someone.
"I don't know if it really ever helped the team that much. For us here this year, I kind of see the same pattern … that we like what we have here. For me, it's hard to say that we should go and get somebody because I've never really had a really good experience with that."
There is much talk in Winnipeg about possibilities this season, given the improvement in the Jets' play. They had 40 wins (40-35-7) in 82 games last season. They have 34 (34-15-9) in 58 games this season.
"I feel like we've had that window to do something for a while," said Little, who has played all of his 730 NHL games with the Atlanta/Winnipeg franchise, starting in 2007-08. "That's what made last year so frustrating, that we had a good team but we couldn't put it all together. I think this year, guys have more experience under their belt and it's starting to come together. We're playing a more mature game."
The window, Little said, has not changed his view of what Jets general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff ought to do in the next nine days.
"It's different this year, because even if nothing were to happen, we're confident in our team and the way we can go, especially once we get healthy and get everyone back in the lineup," he said. "Anything else they feel they can add to make us better, that's just adding on top of it."

The Jets continue to be challenged with injuries in the second half of the season.
On the injured reserve list are defenseman Jacob Trouba, who has missed eight games with a lower body injury, forward Brandon Tanev, who has missed five games (lower body), center Adam Lowry, who has missed six games (upper body), forward Shawn Matthias, who has missed 13 games (upper body) and goalies Steve Mason (14 games) and Michael Hutchinson (four games), each out with a concussion.
His confidence, Perreault said, comes from growth of a young core of players and the belief that the Jets defense compares well to those of their rivals.
"With Trouba coming back eventually, our top six defensemen are as strong as any other in the League," Perreault said. "If I look at a team like Nashville last year, they went to the Stanley Cup Final and they basically relied on the fact they had four really good defensemen and a good goalie.
"Good forwards, too, but I think it comes down to (defense and goalie), and I think we have that here. We have forwards that can score goals so if we go out and try to get somebody, well, I really don't see what's our need."

Some may see the Jets as contenders but focus on the daily business is what's best in this situation, coach Paul Maurice said.
"If you're in that sell mode, names get out there," Maurice said. "Now we're in a little different position here so we don't really have any Jets names being bandied about. It's tough to handle in your room (when they are). We don't talk about it with the players. Just keep your head down and focus."
Asked again on Friday about the deadline, Maurice simplified his answer. "I'm responsible for the trees," he said. "Chevy's responsible for the forest. We're fine."