Olli Jokinen is interested in extending his time as a member of the Winnipeg Jets.

Whether or not the feeling is mutual won’t be known for a bit, but Jets head coach Paul Maurice certainly gave the veteran Finn a ringing endorsement prior to Thursday’s home-ice finale at MTS Centre against the Boston Bruins.

“Olli Jokinen today works for me,” said Maurice, whose club defeated the Bruins 2-1 in a shootout and will close out the regular season on Friday night against the Calgary Flames. “Now I’m slipping onto the management side and I have no qualifications to do that, but a gentlemen his age (35) that scores 18 goals can walk around a lot of teams and say, I’m a pretty good player still.

“And he is. Olli can play a number of years.”

It’s not the first time that statement — or a variation of it —has been made.

Jokinen himself said he had five or six good years left prior to training camp as he met with the media for the first time since the 2013 campaign.

I asked Jokinen if that’s still the case?

“Absolutely,” said Jokinen. “When you get to this age, you try to enjoy every day you come to the rink and are able to put your skates on and work. That gives you the drive to get better. And obviously, you want to win as well. This year I’ve been able to get my game where it needs to be. I’ve been able to move up and down in the lineup and do the things coach has asked me to do

“I haven’t lost the passion. I still enjoy playing and I still enjoy working hard. You go day-by-day. That’s the way it should be, even if you have 10 years on your contract or no contract at all. Physically and mentally, I feel I can still play.”

Jokinen is the highest-profile pending unrestricted free agent on the Jets’ roster and his two-year deal will expire this summer.

He has been in this situation before and is making no predictions about what could transpire.

“The future is good here,” said Jokinen. “What’s my future going to be? I don’t know. I have absolutely no idea. At the end of the day, it’s not always what the players’ want. You need one side to want you first, before you can answer these questions.”

Jokinen is not an overly physical player in terms of throwing a lot of crushing body checks, his size allows him to play against the bigger centremen in the Western Conference.

While I expected Jokinen to bounce back from a disappointing lockout-shortened season, I thought it was more likely he’d spend most of the season playing on the third line and then be moved to a contender at the NHL trade deadline.

The first part of the equation has been obvious.

Jokinen’s production has been solid, as evidenced by the 18 goals and 42 points he’s put up through 81 games.

But on a team that features plenty of youth, Jokinen is a veteran voice who was shown the ropes by the likes of Gary Roberts and Joe Nieuwendyk as a member of the Florida Panthers.

Sure, Jokinen has only six Stanley Cup playoff games on his resume but that doesn’t tell the whole story, at least not as far as Maurice is concerned.

“Olli Jokinen is a great pro. He’s great with his teammates,” said Maurice. “In my mind, he’s a winner.”

Jets players see Jokinen’s value.

“You’ve got to have veteran guys like him, they don’t make as many as they used to,” said Jets defenceman Mark Stuart. “He’s a guy that takes care of himself, comes to work every day and knows how to be a pro. Hopfully that rubs off on some young guys. Everybody needs a guy like that on their team to mentor younger players.”

The original signing of Jokinen allowed the Jets to be patient with Mark Scheifele and send him back to junior for another season.

By extending his deal by one season and perhaps at a slightly reduced rate from the $4.5 million he collected this season, the Jets would keep Jokinen’s leadership and give prospect Adam Lowry a little more time to develop before getting his chance at graduating to the NHL from the St. John’s IceCaps of the American Hockey League.

Thanks to his strong season and bronze-medal performance in Sochi, Jokinen should attract some interest should he make it to free agency.

It’s true the Jets might look for a younger and cheaper alternative, but if I were general maanger Kevin Cheveldayoff and Jokinen was willing to sign on the dotted line for one year before becoming a UFA, that’s a move I'd be comfortable making.

If Jokinen wants a multi-year deal — one that he may find elsewhere — the Jets should thank him for his services and send him on his way.

ken.wiebe@sunmedia.ca

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