Apr 11, 2014; Calgary, Alberta, CAN; Winnipeg Jets goalie Michael Hutchinson (34) guards his net during the warmup period against the Calgary Flames at Scotiabank Saddledome. Winnipeg Jets won 5-3. Mandatory Credit: Sergei Belski-USA TODAY Sports
Winnipeg, Manitoba has not seen its hometown Jets make the playoffs since the franchise relocated from Atlanta in 2011.
The Atlanta Thrashers only reached the postseason during 2006-07 season, and were promptly swept in the first round by the New York Rangers.
The Winnipeg Jets are looking to change their fortune in a strong central division. They finished last in the division during the 2013-14 campaign, despite a strong second half of the season.
On January 12th last season, then head coach of the Jets, Claude Noel, was fired. Paul Maurice was named his replacement. This marked the turning point of Winnipeg’s performance last year. Noel made for some entertaining soundbites, but sacrificing funny post game interviews for more wins is a tradeoff most Jets fans would accept.
With Maurice as head coach the Jets went 18-12-5, good for a points percentage of .586. The Dallas Stars finished in the final playoff spot in the Western Conference with a .555 points percentage. Despite going 0-3-3 over a six game stretch in March last year, the Jets still managed to post an encouraging record under Maurice. One that would have seen them make the playoffs if they sustained it for the course of an entire season.
The Jets converted on a meagre 15.4% of their power play opportunities last season, which was good for 25th in the NHL. They would love for the development of 20 year-old defenseman Jacob Trouba and 21 year-old forward Mark Scheifele to spill over into production on the man advantage. Scheifele posted four of his 34 points on the power play last season, while Trouba only posted one of his 29 points with the extra man. Each averaged 1:58 of power play time on ice per game. Speedy winger Evander Kane needs to be more effective on the power play. The sniper only notched one power play goal last year, while averaging 2:13 per game on the man advantage.
The penalty kill for the Jets was a strong point. It was successful 83.2% of the time, good for sharing the ninth best penalty kill in the league with the Vancouver Canucks. While Trouba played a secondary role on the power play, he and his fellow defenseman, Mark Stuart , led the team in average time on ice on the penalty kill (logging 2:55 and 3:04 respectively).
Goaltender Ondrej Pavelec had a dismal season last year, posting a goals against average of 3.01 and a save percentage of .901. With the departure of backup goalie Al Montoya to the Florida Panthers, 24-year old Michael Hutchinson has the opportunity to displace Pavelec as starter. At the very least, Hutchinson is poised to start the season as the backup goalie.
Hutchinson, a native of Barrie, Ontario, was drafted 77th overall by the Boston Bruins in 2008, and signed as a free agent in 2013 with Winnipeg. He made the adjustment to the Jets organization effectively, playing well in both the ECHL and AHL before earning a late season call-up, where he lost his NHL debut 1-0 against the Minnesota Wild. Hutchinson played three games in the NHL last year, going 2-1-0 while sporting a .943 save percentage and 1.64 GAA.
The Jets were quiet in the offseason, as the acquisition of center Mathieu Perreault was their only move. The addition of Perreault will infuse some more offensive capability into the Jets’ bottom six forwards. On paper the Jets will likely be very similar to the team that failed to reach postseason play in recent years.
There are some young players currently competing for roster spots. Left-handed defenseman Josh Morrissey and left-handed winger Nick Ehlers are currently with the Jets. They are both eligible to return to the CHL. Owing to their age and the fact that they are coming from the CHL, neither can be assigned to the Jets’ AHL affiliate, the St. John’s IceCaps. While the 18 year-old Ehlers seems like a long shot to make the Jets this season, which would mean a return to the Halifax Mooseheads of the QMJHL, it is viable that the 19 year-old Morrissey will be playing at the NHL level this year.
The 6’0”, 185 lbs Morrissey had a very strong junior campaign last year, and was a reliable defender for Team Canada at the 2014 World Junior Hockey Championship. For the Prince Albert Raiders of the WHL last season, he recorded 28 goals and 45 assists for a total 73 points. In the World Juniors, he ranked second amongst all Canadian defensemen in both plus/minus (+3) and points (3), after Minnesota Wild prospect Matt Dumba and Pittsburgh Penguins prospect Derrick Pouliot respectively. In June, Tom Urtz Jr. wrote a prospect profile for Bleacher Report on Ehlers, whom Winnipeg selected ninth overall at last year’s NHL entry draft.
Trade rumors have been aplenty with regards to the Winnipeg Jets, and especially goal-scoring winger Evander Kane. At some point this season, the Jets may find themselves under pressure to add more depth to their third and fourth lines up front, or they may feel the need to mix up their core. It all depends on how the season starts for them as a team and for individual units, such as Kane and winger Dustin Byfuglien , that are going to be relied upon to make an impact in the deep Central Division. It also depends on what the culture of the team is like behind closed doors, and whether General Manager Kevin Cheveldayoff thinks he has to address the leadership of the team.
The Jets went 9-15-5 in divisional play last year, including going 1-3-1 against their neighbours to the south, the Minnesota Wild. A successful 2014-15 season is unlikely without a drastic improvement in their divisional record.
Their upcoming season series against the Wild looks as follows:
November 16 @ Minnesota
December 27 @ Minnesota
December 29 in Winnipeg
February 10 in Winnipeg
April 6 @ Minnesota
Division standings prediction
St. Louis
Chicago
Minnesota
Colorado
Dallas
Nashville
Winnipeg