We are most of the way through our Line Dancing series as we take a look at 20 different line combinations in 20 days. In fact, this is the last installment of the series with my own suggestions. We will wrap up the series in the coming days with suggestions from our fanbase. If you haven’t already, comment on this post what you would like to see in the Jets lineup to start the year and you might get featured in an upcoming post.

As always, these scenarios have a theme. In this case, we are looking at the best ‘doomsday’ lineups which go under the assumption that both Laine and Connor remain unsigned by the start of the season.

Let’s face it. There are no great options without Connor and Laine in the lineup. The Jets will have to muster up their best options in the meantime as the deals are still getting worked out.

The benefit of having a multitude of strong wingers is that even without two of them in the lineup, the top line is still excellent. Ehlers, Scheifele, and Wheeler have played together before and it would give Winnipeg a really strong top line.

Unfortunately, the depth doesn’t look quite as strong. The second line would good enough, but would likely lack the scoring punch needed as the secondary option. The bottom six would be fine with Copp and Lowry anchoring the third line alongside Appleton.

If the fourth line played in a sheltered role, they would also be a good enough depth option. They wouldn’t provide tons of value, but they would be serviceable in the meantime until the Jets get Connor or Laine back.

There’s a really good chance that Maurice would split up Scheifele and Wheeler if the Jets are without Connor and Laine. This gives them better coverage among the top six and helps balance out the lines in an effort to score by committee.

I think the second line would be really interesting in this case as Andrew Copp would get some more minutes and play with a strong playmaker like Wheeler. There seems to be another level to Copp’s game and he might be able to hit it by playing in a more offensive role.

This scenario also welcomes a new addition to the team as Andrei Chibisov is given a shot on the fourth line. Chibisov has been a welcome surprise in the preseason as he plays a heavy game and uses his physicality to drive his play in the offensive end. He wasn’t really on the radar before training camp began, but there is a real possibility that he makes the roster if both Connor and Laine are not with the team.

There are two ways the Jets can split up their skill among two lines. Either split up Scheifele and Wheeler like scenario 14, or allow Ehlers to play on the second line to boost the secondary scoring. In this case, Ehlers moves down to the second line and Copp moves up to play with Scheifele and Wheeler.

Andrew Copp would be an excellent compliment to Scheifele and Wheeler. He has some offensive ability, but he’s especially good at driving possession and playing a smart defensive game. Scheifele and Wheeler struggled in both of these areas last year so it seems that Copp is the natural fit to get them back to their dominant ways.

This also allows Ehlers to play alongside Little and Perreault who have enjoyed enormous success in the past. It’s been a while since we’ve seen this trio, but history suggests that they dominate possession and garner far more chances than the opposition.

Lastly, this scenario features David Gustafsson making his NHL debut on the fourth line. There’s an outside chance that Gustafsson makes the roster as he’s also put together a strong training camp and preseason. The safe play would be starting Letestu, but Gustafsson has so much more to offer that it would be worth the look to see his ability.