It’s been one of the most interesting training camps in Jets 2.0 history. With so much uncertainty surrounding the lineup, nobody really knows what the opening roster is going to look like. As the preseason crosses the midway point we still don’t know the status of Laine, Connor, and Byfuglien or if they will be in the lineup next week for the season opener. While there are plenty of questions, there are also a few potential answers.

There have been previous camps where players are trying to win a spot in the lineup. There have also been camps where players are just trying to earn a spot in the pressbox. This time however, there are two players in particular that have their eyes on a much larger prize.

The time is now for Jack Roslovic and Sami Niku.

It’s no question that the biggest benefactor of the Laine and Connor holdouts is Jack Roslovic. Roslovic already had a secure hold on a bottom six role, but without two wingers ahead of him, suddenly Roslovic is top six material. It could be argued that Roslovic deserved a top six look regardless, but there just wasn’t room with the current crop of talent.

It’s been a fairly quick rise for Roslovic who only has one full season of NHL experience under his belt. He believes in himself and there were rumours that he was frustrated with his usage, or lack thereof during last season.

Even with two players ahead of him missing, it’s still up to Roslovic to prove his value to the team. With a few preseason games in the books, it’s safe to say that he’s showcased himself quite nicely. He has looked impressive during his few games and he even notched a goal against the Flames as he crashed the net after an offensive zone draw.

During our Pilot’s Logbook series this summer, we had this to say about Roslovic’s future with the team:

We mentioned the need for Roslovic to take that next step towards convincing his coaches of his true value. That’s much easier said than done, but he’s going to get a great chance to showcase this talent when he’s playing more minutes.

In terms of Roslovic’s abilities, he seems capable of handling a top six role. Like most young players he struggles with consistency, but he has shown that the high end ability is there. Look no further than his first career hat-trick this past season against the Ducks. When he was given a chance after Ehlers went down, Roslovic was at his best. What’s he going to do now that Connor and Laine are both out of the lineup? Let’s hope he takes it as a challenge and proves to everyone that this is his time to shine.

Roslovic and Niku are coming from slightly different paths as they head into this season. Roslovic is coming from a full season in the NHL with 77 games played. He was a productive member of the team before getting an increased role in training camp. Niku on the other hand only played 30 games last year and struggled mightily when he was on the ice.

Niku was arguably the worst player on the entire roster in terms of shot metrics. Looking at the heat maps with Niku on the ice, there were two huge problems; offense and defense. The Jets struggled to get any type of offense with Niku on the ice last year. Unfortunately, the team also struggled with defending when Niku was on the ice. This makes for a really bad combination and led to Niku getting severely out-chanced nearly every time he was on the ice.

All hope is not lost however. There are several things to keep in mind with Sami Niku’s game. First of all, last year was his first real taste of NHL hockey. After getting some seasoning in the AHL, the speed and physicality of the NHL seemed to take Niku by surprise. He was playing extremely tentative, which is the opposite of his normal free flowing, effortless style.

There were flashes of it as the season went on, but it appears that Niku gained more confidence over the summer as well. So far in the preseason, Niku has been strong. He is jumping into the play when he needs to and he isn’t shying away from the physical side of the game either.

Once that confidence is built up, Niku will surely look much better on the ice and the shot metrics will start to turn around.

There was a good chance that Niku was going to be in the lineup regardless of Byfuglien’s potential retirement. However, without Byfuglien, the door is absolutely wide open for Niku to play big minutes in the top six. We have seen glimpses of Niku with Morrissey during training camp, which would be a massive step forward for Niku’s career.

There is still plenty of things up in the air with the Jets defense, but Niku’s doing his best to force Maurice’s hand. Much like Roslovic up front, the time is now for Niku to step up and make an impact on the team.