Minnesota Wild: Central Division Preview; Winnipeg Jets

The Winnipeg Jets may have finished at the bottom Central Division last season, but they did own the Minnesota Wild to the tune of a 4-1-0 record against them. Here’s a look at how the Jets will stack up against the Wild and the Central Division this season.

One thing that might be an absolute certainty for the Minnesota Wild next season is that they will be playing in what will be the NHL’s toughest division. The Central Division will offer the Wild a ton of headaches from top to bottom, and based on last season the bottom could be the biggest headache of all. The Winnipeg Jets may have been in the cellar of the division with their 35-39-8 record, but against the Wild they were a dominating 4-1-0.

It certainly was another strange thing to be dominated by the Jets in a season that was full of strange things for the Wild. But when you consider that the Wild were 5-0-0 against the rival Blackhawks, it makes it even harder to fathom how the worst team in the Central Division owned them in the regular season. Looking ahead to this year this Jets club could be another thorn in the side of a Wild team determined to finish higher in the division.

Winnipeg seems on the surface to be the same team that they were last season. This offseason they were relatively quiet and really did not improve via free-agency or the trade market. Their signings were lukewarm at best with names like Quinton Howden, Shawn Matthias, and Brian Strait. Not impressed…don’t worry you shouldn’t be.

Jun 24, 2016; Buffalo, NY, USA; Patrik Laine shakes hands with NHL commissioner Gary Bettman after being selected as the number two overall draft pick by the Winnipeg Jets in the first round of the 2016 NHL Draft at the First Niagra Center. Mandatory Credit: Timothy T. Ludwig-USA TODAY Sports /

But when you look at their draft, that’s when you realize they gained a huge piece. With the 2nd overall pick the Jets selected Finnish forward Patrik Laine. Laine is an impact player who will start the season with the Jets and can be an impact right away. Laine was so good that many thought he could have been number one overall over Auston Mathews. He brings a 6-5, 206 lb. frame that he uses to fuel a physical and simultaneously finesse game with his lethal shot. Some have already made comparisons of Laine’s playing style to Alex Ovechkin.

Even more important than who the Jets brought in is who they kept. Mark Scheifele had a great breakout season in 2015-16 with 61 points (29 goals and 32 assists), and the expectation is that he’ll improve even more and crack the 30 goal mark. Also in goal they saw an emergent season from Connor Hellebuyuk who posted a 13-11-0 record with a .918 save percentage and 2.34 goals against average. He’ll look to ride some good momentum and take over the number netminder spot and finally give the Jets some consistency in goal.

Apr 1, 2016; Winnipeg, Manitoba, CAN; Winnipeg Jets right wing Blake Wheeler (26) celebrates his goal after scoring during the second period against the Chicago Blackhawks at MTS Centre. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Fedyck-USA TODAY Sports /

So basically you can expect that the Jets will be a better team just based on the expectation of younger players getting better. Putting them in the mix with their veteran lineup with names like Dustin Byfuglien, Tyler Myers, and Gopher alum Blake Wheeler this is a good team. Byfuglien is one of the most physical players in the NHL and Wheeler is coming off his third straight 25+ goal season and should be pumped up just being named captain of the team. So you can see why the it’s a good lineup the Wild still needs to be ready for.

The key for the Wild to have a better performance against this Winnipeg team will be to get the miss matches that will happen because of the Jets’ lack of depth. If the Wild make a concerted effort to shut down the top line with Wheeler and Scheifele, the Jets may not be able to throw out much more solid scoring. Conversely if the Wild can throw out solid scoring lines against the Jet’s lower four defensemen not named Byfuglien or Myers, they can rack up some points because of the lack of their depth on the blueline.