Winnipeg Jets

The Winnipeg Jets traveled to Buffalo on Tuesday night to take on the Sabres—a team that only had two regulation wins all season. They left Buffalo after an embarrassing display of hockey and a crushing defeat.

The Jets started off the game on what seemed to be a permanent penalty kill. The puck never left their zone with the way the Sabres were controlling play. Fortunately, there was no score at the end of the first period.

Jets center Mark Scheifele scored two quick goals right out of the gates to open up the second period. After that, the Sabres completely dominated the rest of the game. They went on to score four unanswered goals and win 4-2.

If it weren’t for the Scheifele line, the Jets would have been shut out by the 30th-ranked team in the NHL. Even so, it was a brutal display of hockey—a display fans are getting used to seeing.

The loss speaks volumes as to the type of team the Jets are. While the coach and GM can factor into it, the Jets are just a fringe mediocre hockey team with too many inconsistencies.

Will they even be able to bounce back from a loss so deflating, or is this them throwing in the towel? Things don’t look good in Winnipeg right now.

The Jets' lack of depth is a vital part of why they’re such a bad team. When Claude Noel is using Chris Thorburn, a borderline fourth liner, to fill in on the second line for an injured player, you know there’s something wrong. For those wondering, Thorburn has zero goals.

Outside of a few players in the top six, the Jets don’t have the scoring to carry them this year. And on defense they just can’t seem to hold opponents from creating chances and scoring goals.

A few good performances here and there are just flashes in the pan. The Jets' inconsistencies on the ice are too apparent for them to be competitive each game.

The team plays not only in the tougher of the two conferences, but the toughest division in hockey as well. Lose to the Sabres, though, and that excuse gets thrown out the window.

It's not as if the Jets have made a mark in the Central. Prior to the two-game road trip that concluded in Buffalo on Tuesday, the Jets were home for three straight games against Central Division foes. They lost all three on home ice in front of their diehard fans.

The Jets are 9-4-1 against Eastern Conference opponents but 3-11-3 against division opponents.

Can anyone expect a change going forward? The only changes that could get the Jets out of this hole would be a trade or a coaching change. Both of these ideas seem doubtful.

Preaching change is one thing, but actually executing on ice is another. It’s time the Jets right the ship this season before it’s too late, if it's not already.

Clearly the Jets aren’t ready for the Central, but seeing how they played against the Sabres, it looks like they’re not even ready to creep up out of the basement.

The Winnipeg Jets seem content with the way things are even if it means playing subpar hockey. General Manager Kevin Cheveldayoff will stick with his philosophy through the thick and thin, but will his conservative approach become more beneficial to the Jets in the long run or will it set them back?

There are both pros and cons to having conservative management, but for some teams that approach is better left elsewhere. For the Jets, the result has been the same since Cheveldayoff took over the role of GM—inconsistent and losing hockey. He also hasn’t done much to give fans faith.

Jets fans shouldn’t expect a change because as I’ve already stated, Cheveldayoff is a man that likes to stick with a plan. And his plan is a five-year one…maybe longer now. We’re already in year three and there hasn’t been much of a difference from year one.

Different players are coming in, different rookies are taking over, but the Jets inconsistent and losing ways still exist.

Having a conservative strategy means the Jets are content with what they have, and the only way to get better is to let players grow while building through the draft. Maybe call some players up from the AHL, maybe make some waiver-wire claims if the team is facing injuries, but the conservative style doesn’t extend much beyond that.

A conservative strategy also means that the Jets aren’t going to be aggressive. Whether it is through free agency, at the trade deadline or making any trade in general at any time of the year, the Jets will remain happily idle in those situations.

Don’t get me wrong, building through the draft is the best way to build a Stanley Cup contender just as long as you are drafting well. And in all honesty, Cheveldayoff has done a tremendous job with all three of his drafts.

The Jets just have to wait a lot longer than other teams would to become a playoff team and beyond. It takes a lot longer to determine if a Stanley Cup contending team is being properly built yet it’s not guaranteed to work out.

The Jets aren’t the type of team that would make a splash in hopes to turn the franchise around sooner rather than later. Instead, we just have to be patient with the team as it is and keep waiting for something that may never happen.

I give Cheveldayoff props for sticking with a plan, but five years seems a bit long especially for a team that already had quality players when he took over the role in 2011.

And, if the plan fails three years from now, what happens then? If the Jets are still a mediocre-to-subpar hockey team, what happens then? Another five years? Longer? The Atlanta Thrashers had one playoff experience in 12 years for a reason.

When push comes to shove, Cheveldayoff is going to have to make vital decisions. Cheveldayoff hasn’t completely shunned away from trades, but minor ones are as significant as they’ll ever get. The acquisition of Michael Frolik has become a big payoff, but the trade for Devin Setoguchi is looking like a flop.

The ownership has already given Cheveldayoff a vote of confidence when they extended his original five-year deal in September by adding two more years which takes him through 2017-18. He has a lot to work with going forward and a lot of work to do.

The extension makes it a very long time for a GM that hasn’t done much in his three years with the team. The contract extension came just shortly after Cheveldayoff locked up key members of the Jets questionable core. However, it’s still up in the air whether or not he made the right decisions overpaying for an unproven defenseman in Zach Bogosian and a struggling, inconsistent forward in Blake Wheeler.

Sure, any GM would have re-signed those players because it was the correct move. However, Cheveldayoff vastly overpaid for Bogosian because he possesses “potential”. It's 2013, Bogosian was drafted in 2008 and we’ve only seen slight glimpses of that potential. When you sign a player to a seven-year, $36M contract because he has potential, you are sure to get burnt in the long run.

The Jets are now in the toughest division in hockey so it will be much more difficult to make the playoffs then it was when they were in the Southeast Division. It becomes a much more difficult task yet one that has to be done for a playoff-starved city like Winnipeg with more than deserving fans.

There’s no certainty in the NHL. That’s why GMs are hired to execute while we criticize from a distance. Cheveldayoff has gained a lot of fans supporting his every move, but he also has his naysayers that criticize every chance they get.

The only thing we can do is sit back, be patient and keep on watching the Jets progress individually and as a team. The only problem with that is most fans are impatient. They want to win now and they want the playoffs now. So when you make fans wait five or more years, you had better hope your plan is successful.

The Winnipeg Jets signed Olli Jokinen to a two-year contract in 2012 with expectations that he would provide scoring and depth. That wasn’t the case…at least initially.

At the time of the signing, GM Kevin Cheveldayoff was criticized for “overpaying” for Jokinen at $4.5 million per season. Jokinen didn’t do much to prove the critics wrong in his first season with the Jets, and I don’t think anyone will try to justify that price.

In 45 games last season, Jokinen had seven goals to go with seven assists. He also finished the year as a minus-19. But beyond that, his overall play was dim. He just wasn’t the same old dominant Jokinen from years past.

It looked like it wasn’t going to work out for Jokinen in Winnipeg until now. Jokinen is having himself a tremendous bounce-back year.

Jokinen has already surpassed his point total from last season. In 29 games, he has six goals and 17 points. The statistics don’t really tell you just how good he’s playing—and it’s a thousand times better than last year.

Jokinen has been a dominant two-way player this season. His play in all three zones has been outstanding, and he completes his game with a solid backcheck and forecheck. There’s a lot of confidence growing in Jokinen’s game.

Besides, Jokinen is one of the most consistent Jets forwards each night.

Is Jokinen playing like the Florida Panthers’ version? Obviously no, I’m afraid that won’t happen again (he was too dominant then). But he’s playing much better for a man his age, and the difference from last year is tenfold. After all, expectations were low to begin with, but he’s certainly surpassing them so far.

On Monday, Jokinen stepped up and scored twice to help lead the Jets to a huge road win over the New York Rangers. The Jets need Jokinen to continue stepping up each night if they want any chance at playoff hockey.

Jokinen’s bounce-back season isn’t just good for the Jets. More importantly for Jokinen, it gives him new life in the NHL after it seemed he was on the brink of being finished.

Jokinen is due to become a free agent at the end of this season, so he’s ideally playing for a new contract. Also, it’s possible the Jets move Jokinen near the trade deadline, depending on where the Jets stand at that point.

But for now, Jokinen is enjoying a revived stint with the Jets.

Jokinen will turn 35 on Thursday, which means the clock is ticking on his NHL career, but he’s showing there’s still game left in him. If he keeps up his pace, he’ll certainly have another job next year.

The Winnipeg Jets are struggling to find consistency in the standings this season, and a lot of it has to do with their own players struggling to find consistency in their own game.

Although others are still trying to find their scoring touch, two of the Jets' most relied-upon forwards ended their long scoreless droughts in the win Monday night against the New Jersey Devils.

Evander Kane scored his seventh goal of the season after failing to score a goal in 11 straight games. Mark Scheifele scored his second goal of the season—the first since opening night in Edmonton. It was an enormous 24-game goalless drought for Scheifele.

Both Kane and Scheifele snapped out of their slumps, but will one game be enough confidence for the two young forwards to find consistency in their games again?

This is Scheifele’s first full stint as an NHL player, and so far, he’s showing signs of inconsistency. However, the struggles are expected for a rookie like Scheifele. As dominant as he was in the OHL, it will take a few years for his game to translate to the NHL.

The Jets will most likely keep Scheifele in the NHL for the entire year, meaning no AHL for him. He’ll have the opportunity to learn more of the NHL style as he continues his development in year one. The progress and experience will bode well for his future game.

Scheifele gets a free pass...for now. On the other hand, Kane has to start becoming more consistent. This is Kane’s fifth season in the NHL, and he has a history of slumping.

When Kane isn’t scoring, he’s still getting shots on net, creating scoring chances, playing his physical style of hockey and hustling. But the Jets desperately need him to be the goal scorer that he is capable of being on a daily basis.

Oddly enough, Kane is still second in goals on the Jets. That right there should tell you that the Jets have much worse problems.

The issue with Kane isn’t that he can’t score or doesn’t score. It’s that he’s not doing it consistently or at the pace Jets fans expect him to. People expect superstar-level scoring from Kane. And that is completely fair because he shows glimpses of such promise. He just has to string it together if he wants to achieve that status.

Center James Wright still hasn’t put up a single point this season. Through 24 games, Wright has zero goals, zero assists and zero points. You can argue that his duties lie elsewhere, but a player averaging over 11 minutes a game has to contribute at least some offense. Wright is contributing zero.

Andrew Ladd and Blake Wheeler have a combined 11 goals in 52 games. Ladd has six on the season while Wheeler has five (both in 26 games). If Bryan Little wasn’t playing as well as he is, the shuffled top line would be a pretty mediocre top line.

Devin Setoguchi is trying but still struggling to find his game in Winnipeg. He has just five goals through 25 games. Although it only cost them a draft pick, that trade doesn't appear to be working out so well for the Jets.

Winnipeg Jets defenseman Dustin Byfuglien is finally doing what he does best, and that's scoring goals. Not only does this help everyone who has him in their fantasy hockey pools, but it also helps the Jets win games.

In the first 18 games of the season, Byfuglien had a big zero in the goal category. It's not as if he was invisible, though. He had a solid 11 assists during that goalless stretch, but obviously, piling up assists isn't the forte of Big Buff.

He's a pure offensive defenseman who makes a living by scoring goals.

In the last five games, Byfuglien has scored five times. And just like that, he's only two goals in back of Ottawa Senators defenseman Erik Karlsson, who leads all NHL defensemen in goals with seven.

It was only a matter of time for Byfuglien.

During his 18 game struggle, Byfuglien had 59 shots on goal, but not a single one of them went in the back of the net. He was long overdue for some goals, so it's no surprise that they're coming in bunches now.

Byfuglien's goal production bodes well for his overall game. Everyone knows how ugly it can get for him on the defensive side of it, and for the first 15 or so games, it was pretty ugly. But when he's producing offensively, he plays a much better game on defense.

For Byfuglien, his offense is his best defense.

Byfuglien is regaining confidence and playing with a fire lit under his belt. It also gives the Jets a boost they truly need. The Jets are struggling to score goals and produce offense, so a surging Byfuglien will give the Jets a better chance at winning.

With the Olympics right around the corner, Byfuglien is doing his best to impress. If he keeps dominating, he will be a shoo-in for Team USA…if he isn't already.

Byfuglien's production can only get better from here on out.

The Winnipeg Jets are surging as they enter Minnesota on Sunday night to take on the Wild. The Jets have won four straight games and will look to add to that streak.

This will be the second meeting of five between the new Central Division rivals. The Wild won the first one on their home ice back in early October. The Jets will look to even out the series before these two teams face again at the MTS Centre in less than a week.

Both teams are looking to continue their hot streaks. The Jets are 6-4 in their last 10 games while the Wild are 8-1-1. The Wild are on a seven-game point streak, which includes a 5-0 record on home ice during that stretch.

It will be a difficult game, but the Jets are finally stringing some wins together. However, they’re doing it a little bit differently than the Wild.

The Jets have won three straight games in the shootout. Usually, the shootout isn’t too kind to the Jets, but this year has been different. A 5-1 shootout record ties the Jets with the Washington Capitals for the best team in hockey in this regard.

At some point, the Jets will have to win games in regulation. While they’ll take wins however they can get them right now, their luck in the shootout or overtime will eventually run out.

Regardless, the Jets are playing the best hockey they’ve played in a long time and deserved to win the games they’ve won. They have to keep it up to compete for a playoff spot in the tough Western Conference.

Following the trip to Minnesota, the Jets will be right back in action on Monday night as they head back home to take on the Calgary Flames. Back-to-back wins would surely start to turn some heads.

This past offseason, the Winnipeg Jets took a huge leap of faith when they signed Bryan Little to a multi-year contract worth $23.5 million. We’re only 19 games into the new contract, but it’s already paying off big time for the Jets.

The Jets aren't off to the best of starts, but Little has been a key bright spot as the Jets try to surge back to .500. The Jets are 8-9-2 on the season but have won their past two games—both in which Little was a major factor.

During the Jets two-game win streak, Little had two goals and two assists including a game-winning goal. Little’s presence on the ice both offensively and defensively has helped propel the Jets to some wins. Now the goal for both Little and the Jets is to sustain consistency going forward.

Little has 10 goals and 17 points on the season, which ranks him first on the Jets in both points and goals. He’s also tied for fourth in the NHL in goals and tied for seventh in points. It’ll be a tough task, but these numbers are sustainable.

Little has already surpassed his goal total from last season when he scored just seven times and is more than half way to his point total of 32. Clearly, the new contract lit a fire in his game. He got the money, and now he’s producing.

But this isn't just your typical Bryan Little producing. He’s showing a “little” something more.

Little is on pace for a career year. In 2008, Little scored 31 goals to go with 51 points. He hasn't come close to that goal total since, but he has reached the 40-point plateau twice. It’s safe to say that Little is in line to surpass his career numbers from 2008.

Individual numbers are numbers; Little is helping the Jets win games as well. Little is the Jets' best statistical forward, but he’s also arguably their best non-statistical forward right now. Meaning, what he does in the other zones doesn't show up on the stat sheet.

Excluding faceoffs, which have been the only inconsistency in his game, Little has been dominant. He’s a workhorse on the forecheck and backcheck. He has good vision and a knack for getting to the open area. Plus, he's a solid net presence.

Little has been nothing short of superb in the early going of 2013.

However, the Jets are struggling to score goals as a team. If they want to keep winning games, Little will have to keep scoring goals and producing for others.

The Jets rely on Little and the rest of their top line to score goals and lead them to victories. Little is averaging close to 20 minutes per game. Expect that number to go up even higher if he keeps playing on this level.

Little turned 26 on Tuesday. The Jets are in action Tuesday night as they head to Detroit to face the Red Wings. What better for a birthday present than a win on your birthday?

OK, maybe a few goals or a few points would be nice, but no doubt the Little’s focus is on winning.

The Winnipeg Jets are having a mediocre season. Through 15 games, the Jets hold a 5-8-2 record, which puts them in last place in the Central Division. They’re also the second-worst team in the entire Western Conference.

The transition to the West was going to be rough, but the Jets don’t even look competitive right now.

Do the Jets have what it takes to turn things around? They have a lot of problems to fix.

We can break down the Jets' porous record by looking at some key statistics—where they thrive and what they fail to get done.

This won't point out any individuals but will take a look at the overall team aspect. Whether or not they have the right personnel or individual talent to get the job done is a debate for another time.

Goals For/Goals Against

Winning hockey games simply comes down to outscoring the opponent.

The Jets are ranked 24th in the league averaging 2.20 goals per game. Counter to that, the Jets are ranked 22nd allowing 2.93 goals per game. It only makes sense that the Jets are the 22nd best team in the NHL.

The Jets are inconsistent in both of these categories. When they’re scoring goals, they’re not keeping them out of their net and vice versa.

In their last five games, the Jets haven’t scored more than two goals in a game, while opponents have scored three or more goals in four different games. In that span, the Jets are 1-3-1.

Overall, the Jets only scored more than two goals in five out of the 15 games they played this season. On the flip side, they’ve allowed three or more goals in 12 of the 15 games.

In short, the Jets are allowing too many goals and aren’t scoring enough to win.

Special Teams/Power Play

The Jets are a solid penalty-killing team, but the same can’t be said for their lackluster power play.

The Jets are ranked in the bottom five (26th) in the NHL in power-play percentage with a measly 10.9 percent. That is a 1-10 ratio, but the hot and cold streaks make it even more unsteady.

A recent 0-for-26 drought sums up how streaky the power play actually is. I’m almost half-expecting Claude Noel to decline the penalties at this point. If only this were a different sport.

Clearly, this is a huge part in why the Jets are closer to the bottom in goals per game. And, of course, why they’ve lost some games they could have won with the swing of a power-play goal.

Faceoffs

Faceoffs are a key part to any hockey game. The more times you win them, the more times you can control the pace and keep possession. Offensive zone faceoffs, defensive zone faceoffs, even neutral zone faceoffs—they’re all important.

The Jets are the third-worst faceoff-winning team in the NHL, as they only win 44.5 percent of their faceoffs. Obviously, the centers have to do a better job in winning the draws.

In the offseason, the Winnipeg Jets re-signed young defenseman Zach Bogosian to a seven-year, $36 million contract. We’re only 13 games into that contract, and the Jets might already be regretting it.

Bogosian has started off this season very unproductive on the offensive front. He hasn’t scored a goal and only has three assists. He hasn’t done much to help one of the league’s worst power plays either.

However, Bogosian doesn’t seem to lack any confidence in his abilities. He’s still carrying the puck pretty well in the neutral zone (when he’s not turning it over) and can gain the offensive zone to help set up. He doesn’t lack the confidence, but he’s lacking the performance.

It’s simple—Bogosian has to perform. A defenseman that is making $5 million a season has to be able to produce offensively. However, It’s not just the lack of offense that’s concerning. It’s the defense that has been a burden as well.

Bogosian has been terrible defensively, and that’s the most concerning part of all.

Statistics don’t really tell you just how bad he’s been. During the 3-2 loss to the Colorado Avalanche on Sunday night, Bogosian was very soft on what would eventually be the game-winning goal. That’s been a problem for Bogosian. He’s built strong, but he often plays soft.

We want to see the Bogosian that clears the crease and plays aggressive, not the Bogosian that stands idle in front of the net leaving players wide open. He has a tendency of doing that.

Bogosian has also been a turnover machine and has made his fair share of plays that make you scratch your head. Earlier in the season, he basically assisted on Corey Perry's game-winning goal by falling down behind his own net and carelessly throwing the puck out in front.

Combine all of these flaws and you get an overpaid defenseman struggling to produce and play defense.

The baffling part is when you look at the bigger picture and see that the Jets just re-signed Bogosian to a seven-year contract. They basically based the entire contract off of the potential Bogosian has even though he hasn’t consistently played to his potential.

Every Jets fan knows what Bogosian’s potential is because we’ve see him play to it a lot last season and even in the season before. However, he has never been consistent. And he’s never done enough to be worth the contract he received.

Thirteen games is a small sample size when looking at the bigger picture, but it has to make general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff wonder if he did the right thing by throwing money and years at Bogosian.

The Jets are a woeful team when it comes to defense, but Bogosian has been a big part of it individually. Maybe the Jets just don’t like the system they’re in? Or maybe Bogosian just needs a change of scenery.

Whatever the case, Bogosian has to turn his game around.

Hopefully in a few weeks we can chalk up Bogosian’s horrendous start to an untimely slump. He has to get better.

The Winnipeg Jets are off to a roller coaster start this season. After a disappointing loss to the Nashville Predators on Thursday night, the Jets sit with a losing record of 4-5-2.

There have been a lot of inconsistencies in the first 11 games of the season. Players aren’t playing to their potential. Many players are struggling to find their game.

For the Jets to turn their season around including the losing record they possess, they’ll need some key players to turn their game around. It starts with these three players…

Blake Wheeler

Blake Wheeler has been sluggish to start the year, but it looks like he’s starting to turn his game around.

Wheeler has three goals and three assists now including goals in back-to-back games. Still, he’ll have to produce more rapidly if he wants to be a real factor in the offense.

The Jets are having trouble scoring as a team and Wheeler is one of the reasons why. He’s a leader and he’ll have to be that by leading with offense.

Three goals in 11 games isn't going to cut it for Wheeler.

Mark Scheifele

The Jets need more out of their young center. Mark Scheifele has been struggling with only one goal and three points this season.

Scheifele is depended upon to be a top-six player in the lineup. The rookie is still learning the game and adjusting to the NHL level, but he’ll have to show some signs of life. He has one point in his last nine games. Clearly, he has to turn it around.

The blame isn’t all on Scheifele as other players haven’t helped him out much, but he has to take things into his own hands.

Scheifele has to step up and become a leader. He’s an integral part to the Jets' future, but it would reassure everyone if he started to look like a dominant player now.

Zach Bogosian

One of the more disappointing players at the start of this season is defenseman Zach Bogosian.

Bogosian is coming off of a huge contract extension, but hasn’t “wowed” anyone this season. He has three assists in 11 games. Aside from that, he’s been below average on defense. And the Jets need him to unleash that “potential” that everyone raves about.

Bogosian has to turn his game around immediately if the Jets are going to have success. He’s not performing like a $5 million defenseman. He's been beat a number of times in his own end, and has failed to make any significant impact throughout the first 11 games.

There’s a lot of room for improvement in Bogosian’s game.