'These guys fit our group': Schenn, Tanev forging roles with Winnipeg Jets

Winnipeg Jets' Alex Iafallo (9) chats with newly acquired teammates Brandon Tanev (73) and Luke Schenn (5) during the third period of their NHL hockey game in Winnipeg, Tuesday March 11, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Fred Greenslade

VANCOUVER — Luke Schenn has grown used to change over more than 15 years as an NHL defenceman.

Getting traded twice at the trade deadline, though, was something new.

The veteran blue liner was dealt from the Nashville Predators to the Pittsburgh Penguins to the league-leading Winnipeg Jets over the course of two days earlier this month.

“Whirlwind’s an understatement,” Schenn said Monday after the Jets practised in Vancouver.

Winnipeg (47-14-4) has hovered around the top of the NHL standings all season, but wanted to add toughness and post-season experience ahead 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 super welcoming. When you come to a team like this that’s kind of had the year they’ve had, you just want to fit in and contribute however you can.”

The Jets also picked up Tanev from the Seattle Kraken at the deadline in exchange for a second-round pick in the 2027 draft.

The move marked the left-winger’s return to the club where he started his NHL career as an undrafted free agent back in 2016.

“It’s obviously a whirlwind at this time of the year, during the trade deadline, and you never know what’s to come,” Tanev said.

“But for me to come back to a place I know very well — I started my career here, spent some great years, made some friends, a lot of good teammates that are still here that I’m very good friends with — it makes things in the transition a lot easier for me to come back in this locker room.”

Tanev joined a line with Morgan Baron and Alex Iafallo, and quickly found success. They have contributed three goals and two assists over Winnipeg’s last five games.

“I think we’ve kept things simple, we’ve communicated, we understand where we need to be and what we need to do on a shift-by-shift basis,” Tanev said. “So I think that’s just the mindset going in every shift, understanding what we need to do, what we need to bring the team and go out there and, ultimately, have some fun.”

Both Tanev and Schenn add depth, tenacity and experience to Winnipeg’s lineup, said winger Kyle Connor.

“They’ve been around the league quite a bit, they’ve been in some playoff situations and obviously their leadership adds to our locker room, which is awesome,” he said.

“You see the way Schenner plays, blocking shots, hitting guys and just making hard plays — he’s the type of player that you can just see he’s going to excel in the playoffs. And same with Tanev. So I think we brought in two guys that, once the tough times come and the big moments come, I think their games are going to shine.”

The Jets have been a force all season, and topped the league in points (98), wins (47) and goal differential (plus-81) heading into Monday night’s action.

The team has struggled in the playoffs in recent years, however, and hasn’t made it out of the first round since the 2020-21 campaign.

Ahead of this year’s trade deadline, the Jets' coaching staff had long conversations about what, precisely, the roster needed, said assistant coach David Payne.

“You can add lots of pieces, but we were very careful about making sure that pieces fit,” he said. “And I think that can sometimes get a little bit overlooked, as opposed to what the name might say on the marquee.”

The Jets found what they were looking for in Schenn and Tanev.

“These guys fit our group,” Payne said. “And we really like what we have moving forward.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 18, 2025.

Gemma Karstens-Smith, The Canadian Press