Winnipeg Jets

For the past few weeks, I’ve been talking about expectations and how the Winnipeg Jets surpassed them in this past season.

Now it’s time to take an early look ahead at where expectations will lie going into next season. It's only May, so obviously expectations are subject to change.

In 2012-13, the Jets will have much higher expectations. For starters, a top-ten draft pick will not suffice. It’s time the Jets stray away from any and all draft expectations.

The Jets are a franchise known for drafting high in the first round year in, year out. They’ll be drafting ninth overall in the upcoming 2012 NHL draft. When preseason rankings are released, the Jets are usually pegged to finish in the bottom ten.

But after taking an early look at things, the Jets aren’t going to be considered one of those bottom-ten teams next year. I expect most rankings to have the Jets competing for a lower-seed playoff spot.

Expectations will have grown and the Jets will be looked at as an on-the-bubble playoff team. In other words, they’ll be expected at least to compete for the playoffs.  

Playoffs may not be the expectation, not yet. But based off their prior season, the Jets will be expected to compete for them again.

All signs point to the Jets inching closer to the playoffs. They’re still young and have a while to go, but they’re headed in the right direction.

Expectations will be higher than last season, but not outrageous. If anyone expects a Stanley Cup run, you’ll be disappointed.

The Jets will be expected to compete for the playoffs. Whether or not they exceed expectations, as they did last season, will be up to how they compete on the ice.

We are months away from the start of next season. Obviously, there is still plenty of time for the Jets to make more improvements which could raise expectations.  

Regardless of what happens in the offseason, the expectations of the team will be much higher than last season, and the Jets are poised to exceed them...again.

GM Kevin Cheveldayoff is going to be a very busy man this offseason. After his initial focus on the draft in June, he’ll need to shift his attention towards another important matter— free agency, which begins July 1.

The Winnipeg Jets enter the offseason with seven unrestricted free agents (UFAs) and four restricted free agents (RFAs).

Restricted Free Agents (RFAs)

The Jets RFAs include Evander Kane, Ondrej Pavelec, Spencer Mahacek and Eric Fehr.

It’s usually guaranteed that RFAs are going to be re-signed (especially ones of this nature), as it is rare that a team will send out an offer sheet to try and pry a player away. And for the Jets, there shouldn’t be any worrying about this crop of RFAs.

Kane and Pavelec are as untouchable as it gets in the NHL, meaning getting these two players re-signed is probably Cheveldayoff’s top priority. Both of these players are centerpieces of this organization and the Jets will waste no time getting their deals done.

Expect Mahacek to get a deal this offseason, and furthermore, get a look with the big club in the beginning of the 2012-13 season. He’s one of the Jets' top prospects and he made an impact during his stint with the Jets late in the season.

As for Fehr, I would not be surprised to see the Jets let him walk, but if he does get re-signed, it would only be a one-year deal. Fehr had a disappointing season with the Jets, but recovering from an injury might be an excuse for some. However, I don’t see much of a future for Fehr in Winnipeg.

Unrestricted Free Agents (UFAs)

UFAs are usually the more difficult to re-sign because it’s fair game for all 30 teams.

The Jets UFAs include Jim Slater, Tanner Glass, Kyle Wellwood, Tim Stapleton, Randy Jones, Mark Flood and Chris Mason. As you can see, there aren’t many household names. However, I think Cheveldayoff may want to get some of these guys re-signed as soon as possible.

Wellwood is probably the Jets top priority out of this UFA class. His season full of career-highs should set him up for a nice raise. Ideally, you’re looking at a short-term contract ranging from anywhere between $2-$3 million per year.

Slater is arguably the Jets' top priority out of all of their UFAs. He is one of the best fourth-line centers in the NHL and his skills are of extreme value to this team. Expect the Jets to re-sign him.

Glass is probably another UFA that Cheveldayoff will consider high on his list. Glass helped to make up the GST line (Glass Slater Thorburn) and is a big part of why that line was successful. Expect him to be re-signed for at least one more season.

Stapleton played well enough to be considered for a new contract with Winnipeg, but I’m not sure how much of a future he has on this team. He’s someone I could see the Jets letting walk and replacing with another UFA on the market.

As for both UFA defensemen, Flood and Jones, don’t expect either of them to be re-signed. I like to consider them redundant. The Jets have too many defensemen right now and neither Flood nor Jones set themselves apart from anyone on the roster. Besides that, the Jets have young defensemen, such as Paul Postma, Zach Redmond and Arturs Kulda, in St. Johns who may get an opportunity.

As for Mason, the Jets backup to Pavelec, I’d expect to see him re-signed for another short-term, low-money deal. He did his job as a backup goalie and that’s really all the Jets need. It'd be pointless to go out and sign some other backup goalie when the team already has a reliable one.

Nonetheless, expect to see many of the same faces in the 2012-13 season, but be prepared to say farewell to some of the redundant players on this team.

There have been ongoing debates and discussions on whether or not the Winnipeg Jets had a successful return-season to the NHL. I’m going to dig a little deeper on this topic and tell you why their past season was a success.

Success is relative. What’s successful for one team could likely be considered disappointing for another. For the Jets, I don’t mean it in terms of we should all go out and celebrate as if we just experienced the most spectacular season of all time. However, we shouldn’t be disappointed with the season, we should be happy and confident.

Missing the playoffs is disappointing; however, fans should not be disappointed. 

The projection on where the Jets would finish in the standings were low before the season even began and many people believed the Jets to finish the season as a lottery team.

Sure the Jets were in a playoff race for the better part of the season, but that shouldn’t sway any expectations and give off higher, unrealistic expectations.

Being in the playoff race for that long, if anything, greatly exceeds expectations. Although the Jets eventually fell out of the race, they lasted long enough to challenge for a playoff spot until the very end.

The Jets didn’t finish in the lottery as many projected before the start of the season, but they finished in bottom 10 of the league. The Jets finished as the ninth worst team and will be drafting ninth overall in the upcoming 2012 NHL draft.

Regarding expectations, the Jets exceeded them in terms of not being a lottery team and competing for the playoffs for so long. It should be considered a successful season in that regard alone.

It’s more than just a one-way street, though. Exceeding expectations gave hope and reassurance, but it wasn’t the only thing that made the 2011-12 season a success for the Jets.

The Jets are a very young team and all eyes were on their young players to see how they’d develop. Player progression was a huge part of why the Jets had a successful season.

We got to see players take the next step in their career, reach new career highs, and still leave room for improvement. These young players are on a path to perfection and are set out to reach their potential. This past season surely boosts confidence and not only for the players, but for the fans also.

There weren’t any setbacks or question marks when the season ended. Virtually everybody on this team, especially the young kids, developed or furthered their game.

Player development and progression went just fine. In that regard alone, the Jets had a successful season.

Every fan of this team should be filled with hope and confidence for the future of this organization.

Sometimes it comes down to more than just winning or losing, making the playoffs or missing the playoffs. Each team can be successful in different ways. For the Jets, the 2011-12 season was certainly a successful one for them.

The Winnipeg Jets finished the season with a record of 37-35-10, good enough for 84 points and fourth place in the Southeast Division.

Overall, the Jets finished in 11th place in the Eastern Conference, eight points out of a playoff spot.

The Jets put together a solid season and really built off previous seasons.

Although they didn’t fare well enough to make the playoffs, they fared well enough to give hope for the future—maybe for the first time in a long time.

If the Jets can continue to progress and build off each season, they’ll be golden. With just a few more tweaks, the Jets could find themselves in the postseason as early as next season.

Statistically, the Jets saw players elevate their game to a whole new level while setting career-highs in goals and points.

At times, the Jets couldn't buy a goal during the season. But as a team, the goalscoring improved over time.

The Jets finished with three 20-goal scorers, including Evander Kane, who reached 30 goals for the first time in his young career.

Kane led the Jets in goals with 30. Andrew Ladd finished second with 28 goals, one shy of his career high, which was set last season in Atlanta. Former 30-goal scorer, Bryan Little, finished third on the team with 24 goals.

Kane would have probably been a 20-goal scorer in each of his first two seasons if it weren’t for injuries, but the budding superstar managed to take flight this season by netting 30 goals.

Kane’s impressive season is just a small taste of what he holds in store for the Jets. With continued offseason improvements, Kane is likely to become a 40-goal scorer in this league.

The Jets also had four 50-point players, including a 60-point player in Blake Wheeler.

Wheeler led the Jets with an impressive 64 points. Kane came in second with 57 points, while defenseman Dustin Byfuglien came in third with 53 points.

Ladd rounds out the Jets 50-point players with his 50-point season. 

Probably the most unexpected yet impressive feat this season was Blake Wheeler’s breakout year. Wheeler emerged into a solid playmaker and finally learned to use his size to his advantage.

Wheeler’s made himself a keeper in Winnipeg and an extremely valuable asset. The scary thing is, Wheeler started off extremely slow in the beginning of the year.

If Wheeler picks up where he left off at the start of next season, he could possibly elevate his game even further.

Another impressive feat was Dustin Byfuglien’s 53-point season. He matches his career-high from last season, but did it in 15 less games.

Yes, Byfuglien accumulated 53 points in 66 games. An untimely injury forced Byfuglien to miss 16 games, or else he would have been a sure shot 60-point defenseman.

On the defensive side, the Jets saw many improvements.

Although at times the defense struggled to keep the opponents from getting great chances, the defensive corps as a whole improved on many elements this season.

Mark Stuart, one of the unsung heroes of this team, finished among the top 10 in the league in blocked shots. Not only that, Stuart’s physical game continues to improve each season as he finds himself among the league-leaders in hits.

Stuart’s guidance really helped Zach Bogosian elevate his game.

Bogosian is a key piece to the Jets defense and is relied upon to live up to his third-overall potential.

The Jets are going to have to continue to improve as a whole on defense in order to become a solid playoff team.

Goaltending was rarely an issue for the Jets this season, because the man behind the mask played like never before.

Ondrej Pavelec—remember the name, because he’s going to be one of the top goalies in this league for years to come.

Pavelec was probably the main reason why the Jets were competing for a playoff spot in March. Without Pavelec, the Jets certainly aren’t anywhere near as good as they are with him.

Pavelec’s growth has come a long way, and the Jets are going to need him to continue his development into one of the best goalies in the league.

Even with questionable defense in front of him, Pavelec comes to the rescue.

The Winnipeg Jets played their final game of the 2011-12 season on Saturday night against the Tampa Bay Lightning.

The Jets closed out their season on home ice at the sold out MTS Centre in front of an exuberant crowd. Unfortunately, the Lightning spoiled the Jets’ hopes of going out with a win.

With nothing left to play for, the Jets wanted to put on a show for their fans, letting them know how appreciative they are of their passion and support.

Although it didn’t start in the favor of the home team, the Jets were able to display a valiant effort in the latter part of the game to give the fans a dramatic finish.

Jimmy Slater scored twice in the third period, including a late, game-tying goal which gave the Jets one last chance to become victorious.

However, Teddy Purcell wouldn’t allow that to happen. Purcell scored his game-winning hat trick goal just one minute into the overtime period.

The Jets were sent away with a loss, but that didn’t matter to the fans. When the game ended, the fans stood high and applauded their team for one last time this season.

Although it was the Jets' final game of the season, all eyes tonight were on Lightning superstar-forward, Steven Stamkos.

Stamkos entered tonight’s game with 59 goals, just one shy of a remarkable milestone. Early in the third period, Stamkos achieved 60-goal status.

Stamkos’ feat didn’t go unnoticed even on the road as the classy fans of Winnipeg gave him a standing ovation.

The historic first-year return of the Winnipeg Jets has come to an end.  The Jets finished the season with a record of 37-35-10.

The Jets fall just short of the playoffs, but it won’t take away from their memorable return to the NHL.

It may be the end of the season, but it’s only just the beginning.

The clock is ticking on Teemu Selanne’s career.

Selanne is a free agent after the season, and is still unsure whether or not he will play for another year or retire.

Regardless, the time is running out for the seemingly ageless Selanne, who turns 42 in July.

Selanne hasn’t been too outspoken about his future, but early speculation is that he will either stay with his current team, the Anaheim Ducks, or retire.

Stunningly enough, Selanne hasn’t hit a wall. For someone his age, it’s hard to believe that he still has the ability to produce at the level he does.

The NHL veteran and future hall of famer has played in over 1300 games throughout his career, and has accumulated just over 1400 points.

He’s left the NHL with many memorable moments in his career, including his unbelievable rookie season where he scored 76 goals.

Selanne will be an NHL icon for years.

And one city where he’ll always be remembered as an icon is Winnipeg.

A long, long time ago before Teemu Selanne was a household name, the Winnipeg Jets drafted him into the NHL. He spent four seasons in Winnipeg and quickly became a fan favorite.

It was sort of a short-term relationship though. When the Winnipeg franchise was jettisoned to Phoenix, Selanne moved on to Anaheim.

And when the Jets returned this season, Selanne also made his return to Winnipeg for one of the most anticipated games of the season. This time, however, Selanne returned as an opponent.

The fans of Winnipeg, though, cheered Selanne as if he was still one of their own… and maybe he is.

With numerous standing ovations, cheers and chants, the fans of Winnipeg showed Selanne why he will always be one of their own.

And so there’s one question that’s on everyone’s mind.

It was on everyone’s mind before he returned to Winnipeg, during the game in which he returned, when he left Winnipeg back in December and still now, today.

What if Teemu Selanne returned to play for Winnipeg for one last season?

It would be a dream come true for the many Jets fans that would still like to see him return to Winnipeg.

I, however, haven’t sided either way. It would be a storybook tale if Selanne returned to the Jets, but I don’t have the same passion for him as most Jets fans, simply because I wasn’t a fan of the old Jets franchise.

Instead of picking a side, I’m going to look and the pros and cons of the situation. I’ll argue why Selanne should sign with Winnipeg and why he shouldn’t.

Why Teemu Selanne Should Not Sign With Winnipeg

It’s simple—he likes where he is and there is no reason for him to change that.

Selanne has been outspoken about how much he and his family like Anaheim. I don’t see why he would change that now to re-join a city where he only spent four seasons.

Selanne has spent 13 seasons with the Ducks. He’s won a Cup with them. There’s no reason for him to not finish his career out in Anaheim.

And it’s not like the Jets are a contender. If Selanne wanted to play for another season, I'm sure he would want an opportunity at another Stanley Cup.

There simply aren’t any incentives for Selanne to join the Jets. Not this late in his career.

Why Teemu Selanne Should Sign With Winnipeg

Teemu Selanne should end his career where he began it. It’s storybook. It would please the fans that still treat him as one of their own.

Put all the fan favoritism aside for a moment. We know what the fans want.

What do the Jets want? What would this move do for the Jets?

It would give the Jets a veteran presence in the locker room, one that can help with a playoff run.

A presence like Selanne's would be felt throughout the locker room. The younger players would benefit off of his experience and knowledge.

And a one-year contract wouldn't hurt the Jets as far as the salary cap goes.

Signing Selanne wouldn't hurt the Jets at all. The question is, would they even pursue him?

Regardless, the decision would be up to Selanne and whether or not he would even want to return.

It would make for one great story though.

The Winnipeg Jets will look to continue their lengthy rebuilding process at the 2012 NHL draft in late June.

The draft is one of the most important dates in the NHL. For the Winnipeg Jets, the draft is of extreme importance. It’s the key to rebuilding a successful franchise.

This franchise, in particular, has been in the same position quite often over the years when the Atlanta Thrashers were finishing at the bottom of the league year in and year out.

But in the past, this franchise was never able to build a contending team after having multiple opportunities to do so through the draft. The Jets have to make sure the same failure doesn’t occur this time around.

In the past four years, the Thrashers, and now Jets, have drafted some promising first-round talent such as Evander Kane, Alex Burmistrov, Zach Bogosian and Mark Scheifele.

It has been a stellar rebuild to this point as most of the young players are coming along well, but the Jets are still pieces away from becoming a contender.

It’s at the draft where the Jets acquire those pieces.

And it’s at the 2012 draft, in particular, where the Jets are going to have to continue checking off their needs.

The draft is still months away, but it’s a good time to evaluate what positional players the Jets are going to target.

Obviously, it’s still unknown as to where the Jets will be drafting in the first round, which could change what position they target. Regardless of where they end up, their needs will remain constant.

A dominant goal-scoring forward

The Jets should target one of the many skilled forwards available in the first round, especially if they’re drafting high enough to obtain one of the more highly touted ones.

The Jets need more goal scoring, and there's no better time to acquire it than at the draft.

The Jets have drafted a forward with their first-round draft pick for the past three seasons. It’s never a bad idea to have too many top-talented forwards.

Building a solid foundation of forwards through the draft would only bode well in the long run.

A stay-at-home, shutdown defenseman

The Jets have the offensive-defensemen, now they need someone who thinks defense all the time—someone who can play the position well and shut down the opponent’s top line.

Whether or not the Jets target one in the first round will be up to where they draft and how the dominoes in front of them fall.

Although, it should be on the Jets' mind to look for one of these defensemen in the second and third rounds.

It’s not easy pickins to find such players in the latter rounds, but it’s possible. It's a deep draft. Teams will have the opportunity to find a diamond in the rough. It's up to the Jets' scouting team to find some of those players.

A shutdown defenseman is probably the Jets' most important need. If they feel fit to draft one in the first round, then they should do so.

But if the Jets are drafting within the first 10 picks, there's a great opportunity to snag one of the highly touted forwards that could change the face of this franchise.

The Winnipeg Jets have been pushing for the playoffs all season long—a push that will ultimately fall just short of its goal.

Remarkably enough, however, they’ve stood in the race up until about a week ago.

At one point not too long ago, they lead the Southeast Division. Since then, they have constantly battled in-and-out of the eighth and final playoff spot.

The tides have turned and teams that were originally trailing the Jets now lead them. Playoffs in 2011-12 are a thing of the past for the Winnipeg Jets.

It’s time the team focuses on something beneficial—something that will make them even better in the long run.

Stunningly, for a team that’s been in playoff contention for so long, the Jets are only six points better than the Eastern Conference’s worst team, the Montreal Canadiens.

The 10th-placed Jets could easily fall within the bottom of the conference if things don’t go well in the remaining six games of the season, especially when four of those games are on the road.

The fact of the matter is, the Jets can become a lottery team.

Usually when teams are in the lottery, they’ve had an utterly disgusting season.

Take the Columbus Blue Jackets, for example. I don’t think anyone is proud of that organization after the season they've had.

However, for the Jets, this season is different. I don’t feel disappointed. I feel like the organization has shown so much. I feel like the team has progressed so much.

I feel all that and the Jets could very well be a lottery team. And if they do become a lottery team, everyone in the organization needs to keep their heads held high.

What separates the Jets from being a playoff team is their abysmal road record. But at home, the Jets showed how good they are. And if they could have made that transition this season, I wouldn’t even be discussing the lottery.

Being a lottery team shouldn’t make anyone feel disgusted. Not this season. Not after our team displayed pure competitiveness all season long.

Not after the run they had with such little expectation behind it.

The Jets are too good to be a lottery team, but the standings don’t lie. It’s a possibility that could become true.

Understandably, no one wants to lose, no matter the scenario.

But I don’t think my loud cheering is enough to decide whether or not the Jets win or lose their final games.

It’s late in the season, playoffs are out of the realm of possibility, and there isn’t much gas left in the tank.

It’s time to embrace adding another stout prospect to this organization—one that could change the shape of this franchise for years to come.

The remainder of the 2011-12 season is beginning to wind down—a season that will leave the fans of Winnipeg with so many amazing memories.

Considering where this franchise stands after the many years of disappointment in Atlanta, I’d say they’ve exceeded expectations to this point.

Although it would take a miracle for the Jets to make the playoffs, they’re still on pace to finish with a winning record. And for once, fans didn’t have to anticipate the lottery draft as early as December.

Exceeding expectations means that they’ve had to be at least somewhat successful this season. They’ve exceeded expectations as far as how well they’ve progressed when not many expected them to be this competitive this early.

However, to truly be successful in the NHL is to make the playoffs. Defining success for individual teams is all relative based on the expectations.

Then again, how many teams can say they’ve had a successful season and not make the playoffs?

For the Jets and just about every other team in this league, being successful is making the playoffs.

And in 2012-13, they’re going to have to make improvements in order for that kind of success to surface.

The most important improvement the Jets are going to have to make will be the ability to compete and win games on the road—something that hasn't happened enough.

Let’s face it, there is absolutely no way any team in this league could make the playoffs with the worst road record in the entire league.

Even with a .500 road record, the Jets would be in a much better position than they are now.

From home ice to road ice, there is an astronomical difference in terms of how the Jets compete.

And just about every statistical category—for example, being the top-ranked power play on home ice but being the worst-ranked power play on the road—proves just how different they are when playing on the road.

Categories such as power-play percentage, penalty-kill percentage, goals for and goals against are just the main focal points that the Jets need to become efficient in on the road just as they are at home.

Until they find their game on opposing territory, they’re not going to become a playoff team anytime soon, regardless of how good they are at home.

Going into next season, the Jets also have to find a way to shore up their defense.

There have been games where the defense has left Ondrej Pavelec out to dry on an island.

I’m not against Claude Noel’s method of activating the defense. It’s a huge advantage to have defensemen who can join the rush and score goals.

But the defense needs to learn how to get back in the play to prevent goals. And when they do get back, they need to learn how to position themselves properly.

The Jets progressed and became much better defensively as the season went on, especially at home. However, it’s the inconsistencies that burden this team.

The Jets need to become consistent, and that starts by showing up to play a full 60 minutes every night.

There have been games this season, including as recently as the one against the Carolina Hurricanes, where the Jets would take a lead into the third period only to fall apart at the end.

But in 2012-13, the Jets are also going to rely on individual player improvements, which essentially improves and helps the team itself.

They have to rely heavily on their young talent to take the next step.

Evander Kane is doing it this season, but the Jets are going to need it from other high draft picks such as Zach Bogosian and Alex Burmistrov.

It's time for players to step up and take it to the next level because the Jets are counting on it. 

Behind an energized crowd, the Jets have shown a lot this season. More than what many have expected.

They can only improve and get better. They're going to have to if they want to be successful next season.