Schenn, Tanev forge roles with Winnipeg Jets, bringing toughness and playoff experience

Gemma Karstens-Smith · The Canadian Press

· Posted: Mar 18, 2025 10:10 AM EDT | Last Updated: 10 minutes ago

Luke Schenn has grown utilized to alteration implicit much than 15 years arsenic an NHL defenceman.

Getting traded doubly astatine the commercialized deadline, though, was thing new.

The seasoned blue-liner was dealt from the Nashville Predators to the Pittsburgh Penguins to the league-leading Winnipeg Jets implicit the people of 2 days earlier this month.

"Whirlwind's an understatement," Schenn said Monday aft the Jets practised successful Vancouver.

Winnipeg (47-14-4) has hovered astir the apical of the NHL standings each season, but wanted to adhd toughness and post-season acquisition up of a playoff run.

"Hockey wise, the transition's been smooth," said Schenn, who won back-to-back Stanley Cups with the Tampa Bay Lightning.

"Everyone's been ace welcoming. When you travel to a squad similar this, that's benignant of had the twelvemonth they've had, you conscionable privation to acceptable successful and lend nevertheless you can."

The Jets besides picked up Tanev from the Seattle Kraken astatine the deadline successful speech for a second-round prime successful the 2027 draft.

The determination marked the left-winger's instrumentality to the nine wherever helium started his NHL vocation arsenic an undrafted escaped cause backmost successful 2016.

"It's evidently a whirlwind astatine this clip of the year, during the commercialized deadline, and you ne'er cognize what's to come," Tanev said.

"But for maine to travel backmost to a spot I cognize precise good — I started my vocation here, spent immoderate large years, made immoderate friends, a batch of bully teammates that are inactive present that I'm precise bully friends with — it makes things successful the modulation a batch easier for maine to travel backmost successful this locker room."

Tanev joined a enactment with Morgan Barron and Alex Iafallo, and rapidly recovered success. They person contributed 3 goals and 2 assists implicit Winnipeg's past 5 games.

"I deliberation we've kept things simple. We've communicated, we recognize wherever we request to beryllium and what we request to bash connected a shift-by-shift basis," Tanev said.

"So I deliberation that's conscionable the mindset going successful each shift, knowing what we request to do, what we request to bring the squad and spell retired determination and, ultimately, person immoderate fun."

Both Tanev and Schenn adhd depth, tenacity and acquisition to Winnipeg's lineup, said winger Kyle Connor.

"They've been astir the league rather a bit, they've been successful immoderate playoff situations, and obviously, their enactment adds to our locker room, which is awesome," helium said.

"You spot the mode Schenner plays, blocking shots, hitting guys and conscionable making hard plays — he's the benignant of subordinate that you tin conscionable spot he's going to excel successful the playoffs, and aforesaid with Tanev. So I deliberation we brought successful 2 guys that, erstwhile the pugnacious times travel and the large moments come, I deliberation their games are going to shine."

The Jets person been a unit each season and topped the league successful points (98), wins (47) and extremity differential (plus-81) heading into Monday night's action.

The squad has struggled successful the playoffs successful caller years, however, and hasn't made it retired of the archetypal circular since the 2020-21 campaign.

Ahead of this year's commercialized deadline, the Jets' coaching unit had agelong conversations astir what, precisely, the roster needed, said adjunct manager David Payne.

"You tin adhd tons of pieces, but we were precise cautious astir making definite that pieces fit," helium said. "And I deliberation that tin sometimes get a small spot overlooked, arsenic opposed to what the sanction mightiness accidental connected the marquee."

The Jets recovered what they were looking for successful Schenn and Tanev.

"These guys acceptable our group," Payne said. "And we truly similar what we person moving forward."