Jets' Maurice 'surprised' by Ehlers' development

Winnipeg Jets head coach Paul Maurice is a man of few words and even fewer compliments.

So, when Maurice praised third-year winger Nikolaj Ehlers for how he's developed his defensive game, people paid attention.

"The ability to put him on the ice and not be somebody that the centerman has to take care of out there changes what we can do,” Maurice said, according to Paul Friesen of The Winnipeg Sun. "So he has surprised me. Of all the forwards, Nik Ehlers' growth right now is the one I'm most pleased with.

"That line is an option now, and if you'd asked me in July I'd be a bit nervous about it."

If the Jets could ever figure out what's going on in their crease, their nasty group of offensive-minded forwards possess enough talent to take the team back to the postseason for the first time since 2015.

In addition Ehlers, who racked up 64 points in only his second NHL season, the Jets boast super sniper Patrik Laine and the criminally underrated Mark Scheifele, both of whom registered 30-plus-goal seasons last campaign.

If Maurice sticks with some of the line combinations he's been playing with in practice, Ehlers and Laine could form a potentially dangerous offensive duo on Winnipeg's top line when the puck drops on the regular season next week.