Desperate times call for desperate measures.
With the NHL's crackdown on both stick infractions and faceoff violations in full force, the Winnipeg Jets are going the extra mile to give them a special teams advantage.
The club will welcome former NHL referee Paul Devorski to training camp to help the club curb penalties, according to Sportsnet's Sean Reynolds.
Head coach Paul Maurice reached out to the NHL to help them fix their penalty woes. The plan is to have Devorski on the ice with the club while they do battle drills where the former ref of 26 years will point out ways the club can avoid taking penalties, per Reynolds.
The ploy is not just to help with the league's new stricter sanctions, but also to correct the team's previous discipline issues:
3/ Planned since summer it's an effort to fix the team's penalty issues. Jets finished 6th, 6th & 2nd in NHL in PIM's the last 3 seasons.
— Sean Reynolds (@snseanreynolds) September 21, 2017
Related: Enraged Daley likens penalty-filled game to 'special teams practice'
On top of finishing sixth in the NHL last season with 835 penalty minutes, the Jets also boasted the fifth-worst penalty kill, so figuring out a way to take fewer penalties is imperative for the club.
In their first two preseason games, the Jets have taken 12 penalties, but surprisingly just three slashing minors and none for faceoff violations.
