Acquiring new centre would suit Little fine
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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 21/02/2019 (1862 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
LAS VEGAS — If adding a thoroughbred centre means Bryan Little’s ice time gets shaved or he swings to the wing, the veteran Winnipeg Jets forward is all for it.
Days before Monday’s NHL trade deadline, it’s believed Jets general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff is in talks to significantly bolster the club’s strength up the middle.
He either couldn’t make Ottawa’s final payment demand for Matt Duchene or wasn’t in serious negotiations with the Senators. Either way, Cheveldayoff’s attention is now turned elsewhere.
For now, Little remains the club’s best option behind Mark Scheifele. He’s been a successful two-way centre for the organization since its arrival in 2011 — and a few seasons before that in Atlanta — and is regarded as a significant piece in Winnipeg’s push for a Stanley Cup championship.
Little understands and appreciates the responsibility. But he’s also prepared for any amendments to his job description that could occur if his GM is successful in acquiring another skilled centre.
Someone, specifically, that might blend more favourably with young, Finnish-born winger Patrik Laine, whose talent for scoring goals is lost in the ether.
Little says his pride isn’t battered that easily.
“When you’re younger, you might look at it as getting demoted or moving down the lineup. But for me, we add a very good player and that’s one step closer to maybe winning a championship,” said Little in a chat following the Jets’ Friday morning skate at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas .
“That’s what it’s all about right now. When guys accept their roles and try to excel and be the best they can in those roles, that’s when things start to click.”
The startling trade for Paul Stastny from the St. Louis Blues almost exactly a year ago usurped Little as the No. 2 centre but was a boon for the Jets. Stastny already had a rapport with captain Blake Wheeler, injected a solid amount of post-season experience to a roomful of youngsters, was terrific at the faceoff dot and, most critically, produced offensively.
Little, meanwhile, slid down to the third line and also had some very productive outings on the wing. His ability to adapt is one of the traits he takes the most pride in.
“Last year, we got Stas and my role changed a bit. Those are the things you take pride in when you’re older, doing whatever it takes or whatever role they want you to play to help the team,” said the 31-year-old forward, drafted by the Thrashers in the first round (13th overall) in 2006.
He assumed the role of top-six NHL forward just two years later.
“Honestly, I got an opportunity right out of junior in Atlanta and played on teams that weren’t overly competitive and probably got chances I wouldn’t have gotten if I was on a better team,” he said. “I’m thankful for those opportunities, but I’ve never really looked at it as where I’m playing up and down the lineup. I look at it like, ‘where can I help the team?’ If I am given that chance, whatever it is, then I have to perform.”
Little had 14 goals and 37 points while playing all 60 games prior to Friday’s match against with the Vegas Golden Knights. He’s on track for his best offensive season since 2014-15, when he had 24 goals and 52 points. But he’s skated alongside the struggling Laine for much of the season, and that duo’s deep numbers aren’t attractive.
The pair, along with revolving right-wingers (most recently Jack Roslovic), gets hemmed in its own end with concerning frequency, with Laine’s weak puck management playing a large role. Thus, Little’s ability to create chances in the offensive zone is also hampered.
Little’s work ethic, though, has not been part of the problem.
“A model of consistency, right? His game has always been like that. You’re well-served if you’re watching a game just to watch the effort, the intensity and the consistency of his shifts. He’s been a really good pro,” said Jets head coach Paul Maurice.
Adds winger Nikolaj Ehlers: “I’ve played with him a lot over my first four seasons. He’s a smart guy, on and off the ice. I’ve learned a lot from him, not just on the ice but off the ice as well. He’s a role model. He’s a guy that everyone looks up to here. He doesn’t take a shift off… he works hard every single shift, game or practice and that’s what you strive to do as well.”
Little has also been able-bodied for almost two full seasons and a deep playoff run, which is a feat in and of itself for a guy that missed huge chunks of time during the 2015-16 season (fractured vertebrae) and in 2016-17 (knee).
“I’ve had two seasons where I had large chunks of time cut out and I wasn’t used to that. I think I am better when I play more games, play a full season,” said Little, who has already eclipsed a pair of career milestones this season — 800 games played and 500 points. He also reached the 300-assist mark Friday against the Vegas Golden Knights with two assists in the first period.
“It’s harder on the body, but I feel like it’s way harder to miss time for long stretches and then try and get back to what I think is my game. For me, more hockey’s better.”
The Jets came under some scrutiny for inking Little to a long-term contract extension prior to the 2017-18 season. The deal, which kicked in this season, pays him just under US$5.3 million annually through the 2023-24 season. Winnipeg’s salary-cap crunch has been well documented, and locking up an aging veteran for that kind of dough is a risk.
Little said he intends on providing the Central Division team with full value for their money over the contract’s duration.
“I want to live up to what the organization expects of me,” he said. “They rewarded me with a great contract, six years, right up until I’m 37, so I want to be a good player for them and show they put their faith in me in the right spot.”
jason.bell@freepress.mb.ca
Twitter: @WFPJasonBell
Jason Bell
Sports editor
Jason Bell wanted to be a lawyer when he was a kid. The movie The Paper Chase got him hooked on the idea of law school and, possibly, falling in love with someone exactly like Lindsay Wagner (before she went all bionic).