It took all of four games for the Winnipeg Jets depth on defence to be tested.

With Ben Chiarot scratched with an undisclosed injury, Adam Pardy jumped into the lineup and provided 15-plus steady minutes in a 4-1 victory over the New York Rangers.

Pardy was back in the lineup on Friday as the Jets played their home opener against the Calgary Flames.

Trying to stay sharp when you're not in the lineup on a regular basis is a challenge, but Pardy's learned to deal with things much better than earlier in his career.

“It helps you be able to forget. You can't hang onto things,” Pardy said after the morning skate. “It doesn't help you to be negative. That's not the way to do it. If you are, you're going to find yourself outside the door pretty quickly.

“And if you're sitting around pouting about things that are going wrong, you're not really worrying about the things you need to do to in order to be right. It's something I've learned over the years. Obviously I went through some tough years. That's really built me into a person, to never get down on myself.”

It's not like Pardy is sheltered when he's in the lineup either.

Skating alongside Dustin Byfuglien, Pardy routinely sees double digits in ice time and is an important member of the penalty-killing unit.

“(Pardy) knew if everybody was healthy he would start the season out of the lineup,” said Jets head coach Paul Maurice. “The numbers don't lie – when he's in our lineup the penalty kill is better. He does a real good job in that department.

“I think he feels valued. And certainly he's valued in the room. He's not an extra guy. That was a real important takeaway from surviving those injuries last year.”

ken.wiebe@sunmedia.ca

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