Rewind back to the 2015-16 season, a year in which not a single Canadian NHL team made the playoffs. We all knew they were going to get better. Just a matter of when and the timing being just right. This dilemma sums up the Winnipeg Jets more then most. Just what kind of team are they?
The team with the loudest building in the league may just have another season of heartbreak.
As it stands the Jets are 2-2, if you want to get really particular they sit in the second wild card spot. There are more obvious signs of things getting better; that’ll happen when you have Patrik Laine on your team. Though the young talent doesn’t stop there, as Kyle Connor, Nikolaj Ehlers, and Connor Hellebuyck to name a few are still growing into their game. The Jets even switched out their resident “tough guy” in Anthony Peluso for a more skilled bottom-six player, Joel Armia. You could honestly have a five-part mini series just talking about Winnipeg’s younger core.
Laine with the hat trick to beat the Maple Leafs in OT. Just as the script was written. Great performance.
— Jeff Marek (@JeffMarek) October 20, 2016
So why the questions around this team? Well they unfortunately reside in the Central Division. To be hold a playoff spot in this division it takes nearly a 100-point season. It doesn’t matter how many goals Laine can score for them this year, to beat out the Chicago Blackhawks, St. Louis Blues, Dallas Stars, and Nashville Predators is a tall order. Even the two teams in the division some thought the Jets could possibly jump over, the Colorado Avalanche and Minnesota Wild, are playing great hockey early in the season.
To make matters even worse the Jacob Trouba issue doesn’t seem to be going away anytime soon. A trade is looming but the return has to be equal to or, to be honest, greater than Trouba. The Jets are a team who rely pretty heavily on Dustin Byfuglien on the backend. A strong defensive return is a must. Paul Postma and Tyler Myers are great supporting defensemen and the next possible top paring defensive player in Josh Morrissey is just 21. Byfuglien is now north of 30, the time to slowly ease off the ice time to ensure longevity is now.
What it really comes down to is the Jets are still going through some growing pains, not unlike the Edmonton Oilers before them, and anyone who follows the Jets even remotely hopes it doesn’t take quite as long to become a contender. To turn a young team into a consistent NHL club isn’t easy; it takes plenty of patience, along with a bit of luck that your opponent makes a few mistakes down the road. But maybe another year of frustration is worth it in the end for the Jets. Can anyone fast forward to the 2017 NHL Draft in Chicago? Nolan Patrick or Timothy Liljegren wouldn’t look too bad in a Jets sweater.
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