We’re now Andrew Copp’s rookie year jersey number (51) days away from the Winnipeg Jets opening night of the 2024-25 season in Edmonton. While it still seems like a ways away, I felt that today would be a good time to look at the ideal defence pairings for the Jets to use on opening night. This is part 1 of a mini part 3 series where I’ll discuss what line combinations the Jets should put on display for their 1st regular season game of the 2024-25 season.

Lineups for every team change as the season progresses, so this is why I wanted to just look at opening night to begin with. Of course, I’ll mention some names of players that would (and likely will) serve as replacements to the players in the starting lineup, and this year more than ever the Jets seem to have some solid options to go to on the bench. Here are the 6 defence, listed in pairings 1-3, that I think will be tasked with shutting down opposing teams.

This top pairing should come to no surprise of anyone, and is the only pairing that should be a lock throughout the season. Morrissey and DeMelo are coming off a successful season as the team’s top pairing last year, and nothing indicates that the Jets will be changing this one up any time soon. DeMelo is back on a new 4 year, $19.6 million deal, and he’ll be holding down the right side with a Norris Trophy hopeful in Morrissey. This combination has worked well in the past because of Morrissey’s more offensive minded style working with DeMelo’s more defensive minded style to protect counter attacks and shut down opponents before transitioning to the offensive zone.

As for the 2nd and 3rd pairings, that where things could get interesting for the Jets. With Brenden Dillon leaving in free agency, the 2nd spot on LD appears to be set for Dylan Samberg’s taking. Samberg and Pionk did have a solid amount of playing time together last season, so they should be able to carry over that chemistry into the upcoming season. More eyes and pressure will be on both of these players next year, but for different reasons. For Samberg, it’s because fans are anticipating a breakout season from the young defenceman, who’s looked very promising in certain moments last season. Pionk, on the other hand, has been brought up in trade rumours recently, more so due to some inconsistency in his play, and partially due to his less than ideal current contract at 5.875 million a year. I’m pretty confident this pairing will work well together, as they’ll bring an overall blend of two-way defence on both ends of the ice.

Last but not least, the 3rd pairing… and here’s where things could really change and look differently throughout the season. As for opening night though, Heinola and Miller should be who the Jets go with as their bottom defence pairing. When it comes to Heinola, this year just HAS to be the time that he gets his chance at being an everyday NHLer. Yes, he’s had some injuries and bad luck to start his career, but after a strong season in the AHL last season, it just feels like this will be the year that the 1st round pick from 2019 makes an impact with the Jets. As for Miller, the veteran defenceman was acquired at last season’s trade deadline, and served for the most part as the Jets 7th defenceman, the “next man up”. This pairing may take a while to gain some chemisty, but the 23-year old “rookie” and the 31-year old “vet” should be able to gel together and be productive when called upon.

So who’s “next” for the Jets if injuries occur or if someone in the bottom 4 is having a rough stretch? After some off-season signings, the Jets have several options available. In order of who I believe will be the 7th defenceman, and so on, the Jets could use Logan Stanley, Haydn Fleury, Dylan Coghlan, Elias Salomonsson, Simon Lundmark and Dmirty Kuzmin. It’s unlikely that more than 2 of these defenceman will see playing time in the 2024-25 season, but the various options are there for the Jets if needed. Overall, the Jets defence might not look as strong on paper as it did last season, but it’s still a balanced group that should be able to be successful if everyone does what’s needed from them.

Morrissey – DeMelo

Samberg – Pionk

Heinola – Miller