Fire: The Winnipeg Jets defense is strong, but the bar is higher for opponents

Coming out of the All-Star break, the Winnipeg Jets' priority is preparing for the Stanley Cup.

For Kevin Cheveldeiff, that means evaluating the Jets' running back Sean Monahan and scouring the trade market for other upgrades. Monahan fills two of the Jets' biggest needs — he's a power-play threat playing the bumper position, and he could be a perfect fit in a lineup with Cole Perfetti and Nikolaj Ehlers — but the Jets' work isn't done.

Of course, their crimes were dry. Pittsburgh's 3-0 win on Tuesday was the Jets' fourth straight loss: the Jets' fourth straight shutout this season. Winnipeg's power play was 0-for-2, and Pittsburgh scored twice on Brenden Dillon's shoulder check on Noel Acchari's head during the five-minute match. Special teams are holding Winnipeg to a quality five-for-five performance.

The power play is just as messy as it was a month ago when we wrote a deep dive into the Jets' systemic weaknesses . Five-on-five is good despite the lack of goals. I wonder if the Jets will sign a veteran quarterback who can kill the penalty. Both of the Penguins' goals, Dillon's penalty kicks, came in foul play, and they were scored by Pittsburgh first – Jeff Carter, then Brian Rust.

Even if you take a deep breath and blame the shots, not the box, for those goals, the Jets' penalty kill is 25th in the league. They shopped Monahan in part as a solution to the 25th-ranked power play, and Cheveldyeff said “the work on the ice doesn't stop” when asked about his desire to revamp Winnipeg's defense in a post-trade news conference. .

In the short term, the Jets will be licking their wounds and preparing for Dillon's possible suspension. His head check on Acciari early in the second period was the turning point in the game. I didn't see Dillon leave his leg and it was obvious that he was holding his elbow close to his side. His shoulder hit Acciari in the head, and it's the kind of hit the NHL is trying to eliminate.

Interestingly, the referees have chosen to award a match penalty — a discretionary call available if they believe there has been an attempt to injure an opposing player.

“The refs made the call and unfortunately the call didn't go our way,” Rick Bowness told reporters in Pittsburgh. “The second power play goal seems like a broken play, but that's hockey. You fight it.”

Longer term, the Jets, who finished their third straight game with five quarterbacks after previous injuries to Dillon and Josh Morrissey, could look to the bigger picture to shore up their defense.

There are well-known, respected names like Chris Tanev and Sean Walker on the trade market. Tanev is the brother of Brandon Tanev, a former Manitoba Muse and also a longtime Winnipeg fan. Pierre LeBrun reports that Tanev's price is a second-round pick and another asset. Winnipeg may even have an upgrade at home: Ville Heinola has been impressive in 10 games for Manitoba since recovering from an ankle injury. Hainola had a great training camp, earning a full-time job in the eyes of Winnipeg's coaching staff, but was injured before opening night. Logan Stanley could tie after playing just seven games on the season.

Before you get lost down the rabbit hole of the trade market, consider Winnipeg's 22-year-old prospect or the puck prowess of his 25-year-old first-round pick eight years ago, the driving force behind the Jets' success. . Winnipeg isn't fighting for first place in its division because its offensive stars are expanding, picking teams apart and scoring at will. The biggest driver behind Winnipeg's success has been the quality of its defense.

Thanks to an improved 200-foot game, quality execution from Winnipeg's zone defense and excellent goaltending, the Jets gave up the fewest goals in the league. That's especially evident in five-on-five games, where the Jets have allowed 13 fewer goals than the second-best team (Florida) and have the highest goal-against percentage in the league. The underlying numbers largely support this excellence; Winnipeg has given up the fifth-fewest shots and the fourth-fewest expected goals in five-on-five, according to Emerging Hockey.

If that breaks down, even an offensive boost won't be enough to restore Winnipeg's winning ways.

This is why it is so important to take a long-term view of the airframe. Dylan DeMelo plays Morrissey in the top doubles. He's been the team's best matchup to Morrissey this season, delivering quality shooting numbers, going 38-19 on five-for-five field goals this season. DeMelo is a pending unrestricted free agent.

Dillon is a key part of the Jets' second team and a big, strong, physical player who will be vital to any Jets' playoff success. He and Neal Pionk are shooting close to 50 percent, and the 27-19 Jets lead in five-for-five field goals. (It's worth noting that Nate Schmidt and Dylan Samberg also played five minutes apiece, winning their matches 15-7, admitting that the top four will play tougher matches.)

Dillon, 33, changed agents this week, moving from Newport Sports' Craig Oster to RSG Hockey Inc's Allan Roy. Athletic on Tuesday, Winnipeg's focus is on the Cup race. He doesn't expect contract talks to continue in earnest until after the season, citing the Jets' trade deadline and the need to process other free agents like DeMelo and Perfetti.

Roy says Dillon is open to re-signing in Winnipeg.

“They have something special going on in that locker room,” Roy said.

Roy also notes that he would be more than willing to approach the market if he doesn't end up being eligible long-term in Winnipeg. Again, it's too early to be sure what the future holds. If Dillon misses time due to his suspension, it's worth considering his importance to the Jets' future success. Winnipeg is in a great spot right now with Morrissey-DeMelo and Dillon-Pionk secured, but Morrissey, Pionk, Samberg and Schmidt are all under contract for next season.

Stanley and Heinola, who is also Roy's client, are restricted free agents. The salary cap is expected to increase by $4 million — not enough to cover Mark Scheifele and Connor Hellebuyck's $4.7 million raises, sign Perfetti to a bridge deal and re-sign DeMelo and Dillon to their current contracts. One of them, whether it's Schmidt or another roster player, seems like something should happen next season.

A four-game losing streak can be an awkward moment to focus on to appreciate current greatness. With the Jets struggling to score amid Dillon's possible suspension, it seems important to acknowledge that Winnipeg is the better team to have a successful postseason. Nothing lasts forever, and as Cheveldeiff said last week: “The work on the ice never stops.”

(Photo by Brenden Dillon: Justin Berle/Getty Images)