Jets' forward depth gives Maurice options other coaches don't have

NEW YORK, N.Y. — Paul Maurice must feel like a kid in a candy store these days. After all, he's surrounded by tantalizing treats — the kind that would have many other head coaches absolutely drooling.

The addition of Paul Stastny, the MVP-type year of Blake Wheeler, the continued growth of Mark Scheifele, the steady veteran presence of Bryan Little and Mathieu Perreault, the explosive raw talent of Patrik Laine and Nikolaj Ehlers and the emergence of rookies Kyle Connor and Jack Roslovic, have all combined to give him three forward lines right now that might just be the deepest in the NHL.
And that's where having a pure scorer like Laine can really shift the balance, as he ultimately did in Carolina with two goals. Little said the team is in awe of what the 19-year-old can do.

"It’s pretty crazy. It’s almost getting funny now. Like on the bench when he shoots and scores, we just kind of look at each other and smile," said Little. "Unbelievable... It seems like everything that comes off his stick it’s going to go in. If he misses a couple in a row, you know the next one’s going in. It just seems like everything that comes off his stick is magic."