Winnipeg Jets

One of the Winnipeg Jets’ top forwards is struggling at the start of the season. Through nine games, Blake Wheeler has only one goal and four points.

The points and statistics don’t say it all. Wheeler hasn’t even been noticeable in the majority of the games he’s played this year. He’s been a turnover machine, and he can’t generate scoring chances in the offensive zone.

This isn’t a new occurrence as Wheeler has had another slow start that is very reminiscent of this one.

In the 2011-12 season, the first year the Jets returned to Winnipeg, Wheeler was invisible for the first 18 games. He posted seven points in those 18 games, but he had zero goals. Yep, he didn’t score once in that span. It was a terrible start.

The positive out of that slow start in 2011 was the fact that Wheeler turned it around and ended up leading the Jets in points with 64. Can he do the same this year?

Obviously it’s still very early and we know he’s capable. It’s possible for him to do the same this year, but he has to show some signs of life soon if not for his own sake, then for the Jets sake.

The Jets are an inconsistent team on the verge of being mediocre. They won’t have a chance at turning their season around without the help of individual players such as Wheeler.

Wheeler is one of the most relied upon forwards on the Jets roster so when he isn’t producing the Jets most likely aren’t winning. And coming off of a huge contract extension, Wheeler is one of the focal points on the team.

It’s been a disappointing start for Wheeler and the Jets, but he’ll have to do whatever he did in 2011 to try and turn this season around.

Winnipeg Jets defenseman Jacob Trouba suffered a scary injury Friday night against the St. Louis Blues.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch's Jeremy Rutherford reported the 19-year-old was attempting to hit Jordan Leopold along the boards, only to miss and hit head-first against the boards.

Trouba was attempting to hit Leopold and missed. He went head-first into the end boards. Another very scary scene. #stlblues #nhljets

— Jeremy Rutherford (@jprutherford) October 19, 2013

Rick Ralph of TSN 1290 reported that Trouba had movement in his legs, but the spinal board was brought out as a precaution.

Trouba had been moving his legs while laying on the ice.  Spinal board out followed by stretcher.  Precautions being taken.

— Rick Ralph (@RickRalphTSN) October 19, 2013

 Updates for Monday, Nov. 25:

Mike G. Morreale of NHL.com has an update on Jacob Trouba's status:

"I'm not hiding the fact that Jacob Trouba is going to play," Jets coach Claude Noel said after his team's morning skate.

Trouba has missed the past 17 games with a neck injury. To make room for the 2012 first-round pick (No. 9), the Jets will likely list Adam Pardy as a healthy scratch.

Trouba likely will be paired with Grant Clitsome.

"I'm excited to get back into things and it'll take some time to get some timing back so I just have to keep it simple," Trouba said. "I just know I can't really get running around at the start, just stay in control and not get too excited I guess."

The Winnipeg Jets are off to an inconsistent start this season, currently holding a losing record of 3-4. A lot of it has to do with the players being unable to find a groove on a game-by-game basis.

Some players are off to hot starts while others are off to slow ones. Who keeps it going and who turns it around?

Let’s see who I’m buying and selling after seven games of the 2013-14 season.

Tobias Enstrom and Dustin Byfuglien

Why not evaluate both at once? They’re both on the same pairing—a pairing that has been together for about three years. They both lead the Jets in points with six (with all six of those points being assists), and they’re both a plus-one.

Tobias Enstrom and Dustin Byfuglien are off to the hottest starts of any player on the Jets roster right now. And to no surprise, I’m buying that both keep it up.

This is nothing new. We’ve seen these two perform well over and over again. We’ve also seem them perform well out of the gate.

Enstrom and Byfuglien are elite offensive defensemen. They’ve been heavy point producers in the NHL for their entire careers. They both get top-pairing minutes, and both of them are on the Jets’ top power-play unit.

There’s no reason to believe that both of these defensemen will fail to reach 50 points again this season.

The only change going forward will be Byfuglien scoring goals. Enstrom will score a few, but he’ll finish the season with the higher amount of assists. Barring any type of injury, this hot start will continue rolling.

Evander Kane

The Jets' most explosive forward is off to a hot start this season.

Evander Kane has three goals and two assists through the first seven games. He’s tied for the goals and points lead among forwards, but he leads the Jets with 30 hits and 34 shots on goal. When he isn’t lighting up the scoreboard, he’s contributing in other ways.

Kane’s start is something to buy...maybe even buy high. I’m buying it, but I’m also buying that he’ll pick it up even more as the season rolls along.

It looks like Kane is coming close to breaking out on a torrid pace. Obviously, five points in seven games is less than a point per game. However, if Kane keeps doing what he’s doing, he’ll get very close to the point-per-game barrier.

Blake Wheeler

One of the most intriguing Jets forwards is off to a very slow start in 2013-14. Is this something new for Blake Wheeler?

No, it isn’t.

Wheeler has a habit of getting off to slow starts. In the 2011-12 season, Wheeler posted a measly seven points in the first 18 games. The slow start didn’t diminish his season. Wheeler went on to lead the Jets in points that year with 64. Talk about picking up the pace.

So far this season, Wheeler only has three points. He’s also coming off a huge contract extension that makes him one of the highest-paid players on the roster. To say he has to pick up the pace this time would be an understatement. The Jets are relying on Wheeler to be a primary scorer. And so far, he isn’t coming through.

There’s nothing to be worried about. I’m completely selling Wheeler’s slow start to the season. I’m selling it not only because of his history of slow starts but for the fact that Wheeler is an extremely talented player.

Give Wheeler a few more games. Once he gets going, the Jets will as well.

The Winnipeg Jets are off to a sluggish start to the season. After opening up the year with two wins, the Jets have dropped their last three games, leaving them with a record of 2-3 on the season. They didn’t just lose in those games; they were completely dominated in all of them.

So what’s wrong with the Jets? Why are they getting outshot, out-chanced and out-played in nearly all of their games?

The Jets are getting out-possessed for a number of reasons.

Firstly, the Jets are having trouble gaining the offensive zone. As a result, there are a lot of failed dump-and-chase plays. When the Jets do set up a cycle, it usually ends with a poor pass or a miscue.

The Jets have been hemmed in on the defensive side of things. Opponents have had all the room in the world to cycle and find the open man. It’s been a walk in the park for opponents on most nights. Obviously, that’s an issue.

The individual talent is there on defense, but the defensive play as a team is failing. Is there a problem within the system? The Jets have to play better in front of Ondrej Pavelec because he’s bailed them out on more than a few occasions.

Let’s take a look at some statistics.

The Jets are averaging 27.4 shots per game, which ranks them 25th in the NHL. They’re also averaging 33.8 shots against per game, which ranks them 24th. Clearly, they have to possess the puck more than they are now.

Another telling stat that greatly affects possession is faceoffs won.

The Jets are second-to-last in the entire NHL in faceoff-win percentage, only winning 42.6 percent of their faceoffs per game. Until the game against the Dallas Stars on Friday night, the Jets were woeful in this category. There’s hope they turn it around.

There’s no doubt about it, the Jets have to keep control of the puck more. They have to control the flow of the game offensively. Sometimes, offense can be your best defense.

It hasn’t been pretty and the fans are letting them know with a lot of booing. It's still early to get it turned around, but the mistakes have to be fixed immediately.

The Winnipeg Jets headed into Sunday night’s game against the Anaheim Ducks with a 2-0 record. It wasn’t always pretty in the prior two games, but the Jets still got the job done.

However, on Sunday night Claude Noel made a few key lineup changes. And coincidently, the Jets looked sluggish and out of sync. The Jets fell to the Ducks in a 3-2 loss, but the game wasn’t as close as the score may indicate.

Noel must not have heard the old saying that goes, "If it isn’t broke then don’t fix it."

The first set of changes came on defense.

Noel moved youngster Jacob Trouba to the third defensive pairing to make room for the returning Grant Clitsome in the top four. Paul Postma was the healthy scratch, which meant Trouba was paired with Mark Stuart while Clitsome was paired with Zach Bogosian.

These changes seemed counter-intuitive to the Jets' success. Why fix something that isn’t broke? Of course Clitsome has to get back into the lineup, but it would have made more sense to stick him on the struggling third pair.

In the first two games, Trouba was paired with Bogosian and it was arguably the Jets' best pairing. Postma was paired with Stuart and it was by far the Jets' worst pairing, no debate about it. It would have made more sense to see Clitsome replace Postma or Stuart.

Breaking up Trouba and Bogosian didn’t seem like the correct thing to do. Bogosian struggled mightily and basically gave the winning goal to the Ducks for free. Clitsome played the worst professional hockey game of his life.

Aside from the defensive issues, Noel made some changes up front that also caused some problems. He started Anthony Peluso over Chris Thorburn on the fourth line. That wasn’t the problem though. Noel’s addiction with James Wright was the problem in Sunday night's game and has been the problem for the Jets.

Wright continually gets chances on the third line even though Eric Tangradi has completely outplayed him. He’s continually on the ice late in the game when the Jets need a goal. And for what? What exactly does he provide other than the ability to skate?

The fact that Mark Scheifele and Devin Setoguchi—two key cogs on the second line—were benched for most of the third period while Wright logged more ice time is an issue. It’s a growing concern.

Would there have been a different outcome Sunday night if Noel left things the way they were? One thing that isn’t up for debate is the fact that the Jets lost. Not only did they lose, but they also got completely outplayed. It was entirely one-sided for a full 60 minutes.

The NHL season is less than a week away, which means all the questions leading up to the regular season will soon be answered.

The Winnipeg Jets are a team that have many key questions facing them, but what are the most important ones that fans want answered? Some answers could determine whether or not the Jets have a successful season.

These burning questions will soon be answered, but what are they to begin with?

Here are three questions that Jets fans will want answered.

Will the Jets score consistently and prevent opponents from scoring?

This question could probably be interpreted simply as: Will the Jets win games? Because if they score consistently and prevent opponents from scoring, it should mean that they’ll win games on a consistent basis.

That’s not the core of the question though.

The Jets roster is equipped with a mixture of playmakers and goal scorers. Last season, the Jets scored 2.62 goals per game which ranked them 16th in the entire NHL. That isn't too bad, but they’ll look to improve on that.

On the other side of it, the Jets weren't too successful at keeping the puck out of their own net. They allowed 2.94 goals a game which ranked them 25th. This is something the Jets have to focus on throughout the entire season.

This then brings up the questions surrounding Ondrej Pavelec... and there are plenty of them.

The Jets need consistent goaltending from Pavelec and the defensive support in front of him.

There will be nights when the offense doesn't show up and the Jets will have to rely on their goaltending to get it done and vice versa. You have to be consistent in both of these categories to win games and more importantly, make the playoffs.

Will the Jets have improved special teams?

This is an important question. The answer could probably predict whether or not the Jets have a successful season. Last year, the Jets were beyond awful in both special teams categories.

In the shortened season, the Jets were ranked dead last in power play percentage. Yes, they were the 30th ranked team with a lowly 13.8 percent. That is terrible. It’s very indicative of why the Jets missed out on the playoffs.

The Jets penalty kill wasn't much better as it ranked 24th with a mediocre 79.7 percent.

The Jets have to improve in both special teams categories or it could be another long season. Even a top-20 finish would be a huge improvement.

Will the Jets make the playoffs?

Look, I’m sure not many people are expecting playoffs. I’m not expecting playoffs. But the Jets have to show us they've improved from last season. They came close, but not close enough.

How close will they come in a new conference, in a new division with tougher opponents?

As the season progresses, we’ll see how the Jets adjust. We’ll see if they hang in as a playoff-bubble team for the long run, or if they’re out of the race by February.

We all know teams can take a step back in the rebuilding process. For the Jets, they have to keep going forward without regression. Some will argue that a bottom-five finish would be better in the long haul. But making the playoffs would give fans hope.

The Jets are capable of making the playoffs. They don’t need to win the division; fans would happily take a low seed.

The NHL season is a long one. The Jets have to be consistent in many areas of their game throughout the year.

If there's one team that can prove everyone wrong, it's the Winnipeg Jets.

The NHL season will take off in just over a week. The goal for the Winnipeg Jets—just like every other team in the league—is to make the playoffs.

It’s no easy task.

In order to make the playoffs, the Jets will need a lot of players to step up. And then there’s also the X-factor—the special kind of player who could make or break playoff hopes.

The Winnipeg Jets have a roster filled with players who are capable of stepping up and taking over the team, but who is their X-factor? An argument can be made for a lot of different players, but I’ve narrowed down my selection to just one.

The Jets' biggest X-factor heading into the season is Devin Setoguchi.

The newly acquired Setoguchi is fitting right in on the second line, with Evander Kane on his opposite wing and either Mark Scheifele or Olli Jokinen as his center. Setoguchi was the missing piece—the piece that legitimizes the Jets' second line.

Individually, Setoguchi will bring the top-six scoring that comes with his offensive-minded game.

Setoguchi is a goal scorer. That’s what he does and what he’ll continue to do as he enters his seventh season in the NHL. He’s a former 30-goal scorer. He also hit the 20-goal plateau twice while reaching 19 another year.

Setoguchi is what the Jets needed on their second line—a goal scorer with a high-powered, uptempo offensive game.

Last season, the Jets barely missed the playoffs. However, they didn’t have a legit second line because they didn’t have a top-six right wing playing on it. They didn’t have someone capable of putting the puck into the net.

They had Antti Miettinen.

And no disrespect to Miettinen, but he’s no top-six forward. He’s no Setoguchi either.

Would things have been different if the Jets had Setoguchi and not Miettinen? If the Jets acquired Setoguchi around the trade deadline, then maybe they would have made the playoffs. Maybe he would have been the difference last year.

That’s in the past, though. The question now is, will he be the difference this year?

Setoguchi will do this season what he would have done last as well: solidify the top six. Will he be enough to make the Jets playoff contenders in a tough conference?

It’s that time of the year again. Training camp—it’s that first real on-ice action before the regular season and preseason. The Winnipeg Jets completed their first day of training camp on Wednesday and will continue grinding it out until the last day on September 30.

Training camp is the perfect time for head coach Claude Noel to evaluate his roster, try different looks and get a feel for his team. With the preseason looming and the regular season just after that, training camp is as important as ever for the Jets.

Training camp is also a time for players to prove themselves—whether it be under-the-radar players, young rookies or veterans looking to show they still got it.

Everyone gets a chance to prove themselves, but which players have the most to prove?

Dustin Byfuglien

After a disastrous year for Dustin Byfuglien, his sole focus the entire offseason was to commit to change. Byfuglien slimmed down in the offseason, which was step one for him. Step two will be how he actually performs on ice.

Usually around this time of the year we’re talking about how Byfuglien is showing up to training camps out of shape. We’re talking about how slow and sluggish he looks on the ice. Will it be the same again this time around?

Or has “Big Buff” turned a new leaf?

A lot of people doubt whether or not Byfuglien can be a leader on the Jets. He’ll get a chance to prove everyone wrong, including his coaches.

Mark Scheifele

It seems like Mark Scheifele always has something to prove to someone every year. There might not be a single player on the Jets roster that has more to prove at training camp than Scheifele himself.

At the same time, Scheifele is one of the most prepared players on the Jets roster. He’s more than ready for the rocky road ahead, but will that be enough for him to succeed?

There are a lot of high hopes and expectations following Scheifele around, but he has yet to reassure anyone that he’s capable of fulfilling those expectations. It’s about time he does or at least attempts to.

The time is now for Scheifele.

Scheifele will be jostling for a top-six spot with Olli Jokinen. If he can beat out Jokinen for a spot in the top six, it will be a huge step in the right direction.

Until then, Scheifele will have to prove to Noel during training camp that he’s more than capable of leading this team. He has to prove that he's ready to handle the big minutes and produce at a considerable pace.

Olli Jokinen

The counterpart to Scheifele would be Olli Jokinen. He has to prove he's still worth something in the NHL. Otherwise, he's taking up a valuable spot on the roster.

Jokinen was awful in his first year with the Jets. Can he be any worse this time around? Or can Jokinen be the point producer he once was with the Florida Panthers.

In any case, Jokinen has to show up at training camp with a chip on his shoulder. His time as a professional hockey player is winding down, and I'm sure he doesn't want to go out with a terrible season under his belt.

The Winnipeg Jets will head into the new season with a very different looking lineup from last year’s.

In the offseason, the Jets lost some players such as Nik Antropov and Ron Hainsey, but quickly filled the void by acquiring the likes of Devin Setoguchi and Michael Frolik—two new faces that should make a major difference this season.

In addition to new offseason acquisitions, we should also see a couple of rookies crack the lineup. Mark Scheifele and Jacob Trouba will have a prime opportunity to make the lineup on opening night. Both of these players are key pieces to the Jets core.

Opposed to the new faces, we’ll see a lot of familiar ones, of course. Some of the lines from last year will remain the same as well.

So how will head coach Claude Noel put together the lineup? Here’s a projection of what we’ll possibly see come October.

Firstly, forward:

The Jets top line will consist of Ladd, Little and Wheeler for yet another season. This line has been intact for almost three years now, and the Jets are expecting big things in the coming year.

Arguably the Jets most dangerous forward, Evander Kane, will be the leader of the second line. Jokinen will most likely start the year in the top-six, but Scheifele could challenge for that spot if Jokinen fails to produce.

The newly acquired Setoguchi will play opposite wing of Kane. The Jets didn’t have the leisure of a second top-six right wing last season, but with Setoguchi in the fold, the second line is more of a legitimate second line.

The bottom six will match up pretty well against opponents. Frolik should fit in well in Winnipeg while Scheifele tries to figure out the NHL. We’ll probably see a lot of adjusting, especially if Scheifele adapts to the NHL quickly.

Now let’s take a look at how the defensive pairings will look:

The Enstrom and Byfuglien pairing has consistently been together for the most part in Winnipeg. Noel usually likes to switch up defensive pairings, but I expect him to start the year out with his go-to pair.

The Jets will probably let Trouba play on the bottom pair as he gets a feel for the NHL level, but I fully expect to see a Trouba and Bogosian pairing and some point during the year. Before then, Bogosian should have a good fit playing alongside Stuart.

And obviously, Ondrej Pavelec will start in net with Al Montoya backing him up.

The Jets have a solid roster, the best they’ve had since returning to Winnipeg. It may not look the best on paper, but they have a lineup that will compete each night.

Led by a legitimate top line and a potential 40-goal scorer in Kane, the Jets have the talent to score with the best of them. And when the rooks hit their stride, the Jets will take off.