The countdown continues for the days before the Jets home opener, and that number is now down to 66. This is a sort of a “part 2” to the last article I posted, where I looked at different options for the Jets 4th line. One of the other main lineup questions that I continue to think about is what will the Jets 3rd defence pairing look like on opening night? We know it’ll be Josh Morrissey and Dylan DeMelo on the 1st pairing, and we’re now 100% certain that it’ll be Dylan Samberg and Neal Pionk on the 2nd pairing, but what about that 3rd pairing?

Unlike last time where I made you wait to see what the most realistic option could be, I’m starting with what I think will be the Jets 3rd defence pairing on opening night. Haydn Fleury and Luke Schenn are listed together as the projected 3rd defence pairing on several hockey websites such as Daily Faceoff and Puck Pedia.

You need to look at each player individually to understand why this pairing makes the most sense. Starting with Haydn Fleury, who was brought in by the Jets last season as a depth defenceman. Fleury started the season as the 2nd or 3rd “backup” option on the Jets blue line, but eventually found himself into the lineup, appearing in 39 games.

Fleury hasn’t been able to show the scoring you might expect from a former 7th overall pick in his career, but he’s developed into a very solid defensive minded defenceman, which is what you need on that 3rd “shutdown” pairing. Going into the 2024-25 season, I was hoping the Jets would give Fleury a real chance in the lineup, and his play earned him a new 2 year, $1.9 million deal with the Jets, which should help his chances of securing a spot on the opening night roster.

As for Luke Schenn, it only makes sense that he’s the right handed defenceman to play alongside Haydn Fleury. Schenn was acquired by the Jets at the trade deadline last season, and he’s entering his final year of his current 3 year, $8.25 million contract which he signed with the Nashville Predators. Very much like Fleury, Schenn is one of the those players that has been of a handful of teams throughout his career, and Schenn is also a former 1st round pick (5th overall) who has adapted his style of play in order to find his role in the NHL.

Schenn entered the Jets lineup immediately after being acquired, and he only missed a few games due to minor injuries. Schenn’s physicality and veteran leadership is what really rounds out the Jets blue line, and having the chance to gain more chemistry with Fleury will only strengthen the 3rd pairing into a true shutdown pairing.

The other players that the Jets have available for the bottom pairing or even 7th defenceman include Logan Stanley, Ville Heinola and Elias Salomonsson. Logan Stanley is entering the final year of his current 2 year, $2.5 million contract. Jets fans seem to have had “enough” with the “Stanley experiment”, as the 6 foot 7 defenceman hasn’t fully been able to prove that he deserves a spot on the Jets blue line. I do think Stanley did do enough last season to show that he can start the season as the 7th defenceman. Stanley played a career high 63 games and recorded a career high 14 points, while looking relatively more comfortable on the Jets 3rd defence pairing.

Ville Heinola is in a somewhat similar situation to Logan Stanley, as Jets fans are getting close to the point of “giving up” on the once promising prospect. Injuries have really affected Heinola’s career so far, and that’s part of the reason why he’s never gotten a fair shot in the NHL. Heinola did appear in a career high 18 games last season, but the former 1st round pick only recorded 1 point, and didn’t look like he was quite ready for an everyday NHL role.

Elias Salomonsson has gone from an exciting Jets prospect to a top 3 (maybe even number 1) prospect in the Jets organization. In terms of having a chance to earn a roster spot with the Jets next season, the situation for Salomonsson is similar to that of the Jets forward prospects such as Brad Lambert and Nikita Chibrikov. The opportunity is there, but with the Jets making several depth signings in the off-season, the chances of the younger players making the team out of training camp remains relatively low. The best path for Salomonsson’s development is to excel in his 2nd pro season with the Manitoba Moose, before he can potentially earn some games in the NHL towards the end of the season.

The Jets will have a slightly new looking 3rd defence pairing on opening night, but nobody quite knows who those two defenceman will be. The pre-season will be a good time for the Jets to experiment with some of their secondary defence options before they set their lineup. Regardless of what the Jets decide to go with, it will be interesting to see how this 3rd defence pairing develops and gains chemisty from the opening night of the 2025-26 season.