When I asked Brad Lambert a couple of weeks ago if confidence was an issue for him, he had a rather interesting answer.
He led with a simple ‘No’, to clear up any initial confusion about where his belief in himself was at.
What followed was the intriguing part.
“Personally, I think I’m pretty confident when I’m given the opportunity to generate offence on top lines,” he went on to say. “I know I can do it so I’m not too concerned about that.”
Indeed, Lambert appears to be a special offensive talent in the infancy of his NHL career. Still yet to be signed to a contract, the young Finn with plenty of Canadian roots attached to him has impressed and then some.
Here’s an 18-year-old who could be on the cusp of some serious NHL time if he continues to show he can hang against NHL competition.
So far, the Jets have given him everything he could have hoped for. He’s been given plenty of opportunity, with a green light to flash his creativity in the offensive zone. One could gush and gush some more about his obvious talent with the puck on his stick.
Off of it, too, he’s shifty and quick, scanning the ice for areas where he can receive the puck and begin his attack. It’s a rare sight to see a late first-rounder pounding on the NHL’s door.
It lacks a bit of context, however.
Lambert was, in some preseason rankings at this time last year, a top-three prospect for the 2022 NHL Draft. His draft season back home in Finland’s Liiga wasn’t what he would have wanted it to be. And so, a kid blessed with seemingly limitless talent slid feverishly down the draft board this past July in Montreal.
But last year’s Brad Lambert is last year’s Brad Lambert.
Even after sitting out the gold medal game in August against Canada at the World Juniors, Lambert seemed unphased as he suited up for the Jets at rookie camp a couple of weeks later.
Lambert was asked to be something that he’s not in that tournament — a grinder who dumped pucks deep. They seemed to zap him, for whatever reason, of his offensive theatrics.
As such, he lost his mojo.
The Jets have allowed Lambert to be what he is in camp — a player with the capability to take over a game offensively.
It may have created a headache for them when it comes to where he should play this coming season, but they also may have secured the steal of the 2022 draft. That’s not a bad consolation at all.
You get the sense, talking to Jets head coach Rick Bowness, that he likes Lambert and what he brings to the table. You get the sense he wants to see where he can take Lambert as an NHLer, perhaps as early as this season.
“Can he adjust?” Bowness questioned earlier this week when speaking on Lambert’s potential to take his game to the NHL level, when it kicks up a couple of notches come Oct. 14.
Lambert’s going to make mistakes if he plays at 18. Those will be baked into his expectations if he does play meaningful NHL minutes.
But fans would hope the Jets don’t try and make Lambert do something he doesn’t need to worry about as much right now.
There’s no need to neuter his offence by trying to get him to try too hard defensively. If he plays at 18, that will need time. That’s not to say Lambert is above the system — he has to play within it, of course. No free passes.
The question is, can the Jets live with the offensive upside he brings at the expense of any defensive shortcomings he may have?
Bowness said it himself on Monday that Lambert has been proficient in quickly picking up new ideas.
What you’d want to avoid is what seemed to happen at the World Juniors, however. Lambert isn’t going to be a third-line checker in the NHL, nor will he be a fourth-line grinder. And at 18, there’s plenty of time to coach him up on the other side of the puck.
Perhaps a side effect of having Lambert in the NHL, even if for only those nine games (assuming he signs, of course) is he’s going to put people in seats at Canada Life Centre.
He may be an economic boon on top of what he brings to help the Jets win on the ice.
And while I may have been half-joking on Twitter, I think a line of Cole Perfetti, Pierre-Luc Dubois and Lambert sliding in on right-wing could do some real damage.
I understand the default in these situations is to err on the side of caution by putting him in the American Hockey League and letting him round out his game.
The problem there is that if they got a top-three pick disguised as a 30th overall one, he may just do his best learning in the game’s best league.
Credit to Cheveldayoff
A lot of ink was spilled this past summer wondering what Jets general manager Kevin Chevledayoff was thinking essentially standing pat after the season that was last time out.
Perhaps some “depth” additions proved to be far more shrewd than were given credit for.
Saku Maenalanen fits the bill here. He’s on the cusp of carving out a bottom-six spot on the Jets roster, and he’s not pushing his mid-30s either. There’s some tangible skill there with his size and shot.
The Jets have often rounded out their roster with veterans with the ability to kill penalties, only to have to revert to some of their star talents on the PK simply because the veterans they brought in weren’t cutting it.
There’s been a lot more competition on forward that perhaps some, including myself, first realized. Maenalanen is just one player. Kevin Stenlund, prior to getting waived on Monday and sent to the Manitoba Moose, had pushed as well and has a good body of work the Jets could look to in times of injury.
And perhaps for the first time, the youth are really getting a shot. Kristian Reichel was sent down on Monday as well, but he’s in line for a call-up at some point if need be. Lambert, of course, is there. And David Gustafsson has really taken to his fourth-line role this season.
I remember showing up at camp last year and Gustafsson was already pegged for the fifth line. He didn’t seem to get a good shot out of the gate last time. His injuries didn’t help, but those can’t be held against him either.
They haven’t been this year under Bowness.
Ville Heinola could one day anchor Winnipeg’s top power play. He’s looked good in that role in the games he’s played it. He fits well into assistant coach Brad Lauer’s scheme, which includes far more movement than any power play under Paul Maurice and Co.
And don’t look now, but Nikolaj Ehlers is now on the first power play, with the coaching staff wanting to see his creativity in motion.
The kids are eating now, and the Jets appear better for it.
We’ll see how it all settles come opening night, but the tools that Bowness has to work with seem better this year. He appears much more open to the youth movement seen in the NHL these days.
Perhaps his hiring will prove to be as seismic as Cheveldayoff was quoted as saying it was.
Best guess at the opening night roster?
You either look smart or stupid when you do these things, but whatever. The people wanna know…
Kyle Connor-Mark Scheifele-Nikolaj Ehlers
Cole Perfetti-Pierre-Luc Dubois-Brad Lambert*
Mason Appleton-Adam Lowry-Blake Wheeler
Saku Maenalanen-David Gustafsson-Sam Gagner
Lambert earns the asterisk simply due to his situation. He’s still not signed, but he’s progressing toward a nine-game audition should he sign an entry-level contract.
It doesn’t make a lot of sense playing him in the bottom six, although you could see him suiting up on the third line with Appleton and Lowry for some offensive flare and a green light to do more than be a shutdown line.
If not, Wheeler could scoot down to the third line, which wouldn’t be out of his wheelhouse (no pun intended).
Again, I see a lot of damage being done with Lambert on the second line as I have it here.
Where are Jansen Harkins and Dominic Toninato, you ask? In the press box.
There isn’t enough room for everyone, folks. And Harkins and Toninato are, in some respects, the same player. They can kill penalties, but so can Gustafsson and Gagner and Appleton and Lowry and Connor, etc., etc.
On defence, I’m less certain. No one has really separated themselves from the pack.
Josh Morrissey-Dylan DeMelo
Brenden Dillon-Nate Schmidt
Dylan Samberg-Neal Pionk
Samberg, despite a couple of mishaps in camp, seems to have the perfect blend of defensive posture and offensive upside that Stanley and Heinola don’t.
Samberg was very good in his 15 NHL games last year. You never talked about him during the game, other than to point out his quick, smart plays.
Heinola has the gaffe against Philadelphia that some still point to. That shouldn’t linger any longer, but Heinola still has his moments. His pizza against the Edmonton Oilers in Saturday’s 3-2 loss showed where some of the deficiencies still lie. But he’s also the best offensive guy in the mix for a spot right now, and Bowness wants more scoring. He’s also showing he can anchor a power play. That can’t be slept on.
Kovacevic may be the sleeper in all of this. He may just be too defensive for what the Jets need, too. It’s hard to say. The team’s seventh defenceman? Perhaps. You know what you’re getting with him, and it’s good.
Capobianco and Stanley could become nine and 10 guys, especially if Heinola fits into the plans somewhere. His waiver-exempt status may hurt him. Likewise with Samberg, if neither can stand out. Maybe the Jets look for suitors for Stanley’s services, but they aren’t going to want to try and sneak him through waivers, losing a first-rounder for nothing.
It’s complicated on the blue line.
Wednesday’s game, which is like to feature most, if not all, of the bubble guys, is a big one.
sbilleck@postmedia.com
Twitter: @scottbilleck
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