Random Thoughts on the Winnipeg Jets for Dec. 22, 2025

December 22, 2025 by

Mitch Kasprick is now the “Westdale Curmudgeon.“ Odds and Ends, Thoughts, and Questions from this past week in Hockey

I am a fan of the Winnipeg Jets, the Manitoba Moose, and all Team Canada Hockey teams.  I am NOT a fan of Gary Bettman, or as I call him, Count Chocula.  I am a big believer in the 7Ps, or is it the 8Ps?  You’ve been warned.

For a more in-depth look at these Random Thoughts, check out the new WHT YouTube channel. https://www.youtube.com/@WpgHockTalk

Host Harley Friesen and Winnipeg Hockey Talk writer Mitch Kasprick discuss his Random Thoughts on the Winnipeg Jets, Manitoba Moose, and the National Hockey League. 

 

1. Jets:  The Winnipeg Jets went 0-2-2 this past week and sit 6 points out of a playoff position.  The good news is they have games in hand on all the teams ahead of them; the bad news is games in hand don’t mean much if you can’t win a hockey game.  

2. Jets:  Although I doubt this could really happen, the Jets are officially in the Gavin McKenna sweepstakes.  

3. Jets:  I haven’t done any in-depth calculations, but I believe the final wildcard position might be had with as few as 88-90 points this season, based on no easy pickings at the bottom of the league.  This year, the bottom-feeders in the standings are not an automatic 2 points.  The Western Conference has much more parity than in years past.

4. Jets:  From the “Put that in your pipe and smoke it” file.  

Sports fans like to analyze what is going wrong, what has gone wrong, and who’s to blame when things go south with their favourite sports teams, and Winnipeg Jets fans are no different.  I have seen a lot of venom being spewed in all sorts of directions, and most are valid for the most part, but I must defend my man, Jonathon Toews.  JT was a risk and a gamble that most fans were excited about, but up until now, it hasn’t worked out exactly as we would have liked.  Fair point, but I don’t think Toews is our biggest problem.

My “blame game” list starts with Kevin Cheveldayoff, who is the architect of this mess.  We have two underachieving forwards that are killing this team, named Gus Nyquist and Cole Perfetti.  We have Dylan DeMelo, who is becoming a liability to his partner, Josh Morrissey, more often than not.  We have Luke Schenn, who does bring some intangibles to the team, but not enough to outweigh his poor analytics.  The inconsistent play of our highest-paid defenceman, Neal Pionk, is concerning and the inconsistency from our best defensive defenceman, the usually reliable Dylan Samberg.  How much of this is on head coach Scott Arniel?  I believe he has to share some of the blame, as he has done some strange things as far as roster decisions, but the man only has the option to play what he has available to him, which brings us back to the top of the food chain.  Mark Chipman and Kevin Cheveldayoff are the ones who are steering this ship, but unfortunately, it is heading straight for an iceberg.  There is still lots of season left and enough time to right the ship, but the boys in charge better get right to it as soon as the Christmas trade freeze is over.  The bottom line is there is plenty of blame to go around, but Jonathon Toews is far, far, far from the biggest problem, so …  Put that in your pipe and smoke it.  

5. Jets:  I don’t consider the Jets a small team, but I’ve never seen a team that loses so many puck battles.   At times, they look incredibly feeble.

6. Jets:  Question for Scott Arniel:  Hey, coach, what were you thinking with your forward choices in overtime vs Ottawa?

1st shift: 81-55-44  2nd shift:  17-14-4  3rd shift: 7-91-54.

Then, to make matters worse, on Sunday night versus Utah, he starts 17  in the OT, where he loses the faceoff, then goes for a big hit and misses, creating a 2 on 1 against and bing, zing, the game is over in a whopping 13 seconds.

Adam Lowry is 51.3% at the dot, and Jonathon Toews is 62.2%.

7. NHL:  FYI:  Reminder: The NHL holiday roster freeze is currently in effect until 11:59 pm ET on December 27th.

8. Moose:  The Manitoba Moose went 1-1 again last week, making their record 15-11-2-0.  The Moose are in 2nd in the Central Division and are in 6th place in the 17-team Western Conference.  The Moose are starting to get a little healthier, which will be important as their schedule gets a little tougher in the new year. 

Watch the WHT YouTube channel live every Monday at 7:00.   Winnipeg Hockey Talk on YouTube

9. Jets:  I don’t usually do Money Puck’s playoff percentage odds until the midway point of the season, but I’ve already had requests, so let’s give the readers what they want.

As of Monday morning, after last night’s game in Utah, the Jets’ chances of making the playoffs are sitting at 24.0%.  As you can see, the percentage fluctuates daily, whether the team plays or not; however, the days following games exhibit larger fluctuations.  

 

10. Things that make me go hmmm: #1 🤔  I don’t disagree with this decision, but are you telling me that Cole Perfetti has been the only player deserving of a benching (3rd period vs Col) all year?

11. Jets:  Special Teams:  Rule of thumb.  Have the power play and penalty kill (PK and PP) numbers total at least 100% when added (as your minimum).

  • PP: 11th at 21.00% up from 12th at 20.10% last week (net 13th at 19.00%)*
  • PK: 16th at 80.90% up from 21st 78.40% last week (net 13th at 84.30%)*
  • FO: 10th at 51.60% up from 12th at 51.30% last week

12. Jets:  Goaltending:

  • Connor Hellebuyck:  9-6-2 … 2.48 GAA … .912 SV%
  • Eric Comrie:  6-8-1 … 3.30 GAA … .886 SV%

13. Jets:  The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly this past week.

  • Good:  Kyle Connor might be getting hot again.
  • Bad:  Until Kyle Connor and Morgan Barron scored in the 3rd period versus Utah, a Jets forward hadn’t scored a goal at 5 on 5 since last Saturday night’s 5-1 win over Washington.  Try wrapping your head around that.       
  • Ugly:  The Jets are 2-7-2 in December and 0-2-2 since the return of Helle. 

14. Jets:  I thought Jonathon Toews showed a few flashes of his former self in Colorado on Friday night. 

15. Things that make me go hmmm: #2 🤔

For a team that lacks footspeed and looks slow most nights, I don’t understand why Scott Arniel continues to make Cole Koepke a healthy scratch.  Tanner Pearson took 2 penalties on Sunday versus Utah basically because of his lack of footspeed.

16. WJHC:  Team Canada World Juniors 2026 Schedule

17. Jets:  Two top Jets prospects to keep an eye on at the U20 WHC.

Alfons Freij, D (Sweden)
Sascha Boumedienne, D (Sweden)

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays To All

Watch the WHT YouTube channel live every Monday at 7:00.  Winnipeg Hockey Talk on YouTube

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Random Thoughts on the Winnipeg Jets for Dec. 15, 2025

December 15, 2025 by

Mitch Kasprick is now the “Westdale Curmudgeon.“ Odds and Ends, Thoughts, and Questions from this past week in Hockey

I am a fan of the Winnipeg Jets, the Manitoba Moose, and all Team Canada Hockey teams.  I am NOT a fan of Gary Bettman, or as I call him, Count Chocula.  I am a big believer in the 7Ps, or is it the 8Ps?  You’ve been warned.

For a more in-depth look at these Random Thoughts, check out the new WHT YouTube channel. https://www.youtube.com/@WpgHockTalk

Host Harley Friesen and Winnipeg Hockey Talk writer Mitch Kasprick discuss his Random Thoughts on the Winnipeg Jets, Manitoba Moose, and the National Hockey League. 

 

1. Jets:  The Winnipeg Jets went 1-2 this past week, but the team did play well enough to win all 3 games but to be blunt, they did not get NHL goaltending.  Their record sits at 15-15-1 and they are 4 points out of the last wildcard position.  They have over half a season left to get their act together, but catching Minny for 3rd place in the Central Division is probably out of the question, so right now the goal is to win some games and see where you are when the dust settles. 

2. Jets:  Some good news and some bad news.

Connor Hellebuyck is back and leads his team to a 5-1 win in his first game back on Saturday night.  Helle in net sure was a sight for sore eyes.

The bad news is Helle hasn’t played for a month, so temper your expectations as this Jets free fall started long before his surgery.

3. Jets:  Even though I said I was going to stop ragging on Dylan DeMelo, it hasn’t stopped others.

4. Jets:  From the “Put that in your pipe and smoke it” file.  

I’m old school, and I have no issue with fighting in the NHL, but I need someone to explain to me the purpose of the fight between Jets Luke Schenn and Bruins Mark Kastelic 3 seconds after the puck dropped on Thursday night.  The only thing more embarrassing than the fight was listening to TSN’s Kevin Sawyer trying to justify it.  The NHL needs to put an end to those meaningless tilts by giving the players automatic game misconducts because they’re a joke, so put that in your pipe and smoke it.  

5. Jets:  The Eric Comrie rollercoaster ride mercifully ended on Thursday last week after losses to Dallas (4-3) and to Boston (6-3 en).  The only thing plummeting faster than the mercury in a thermometer in Manitoba is Comrie’s save percentage.

6. Jets:  Question for Scott Arniel:  Hey, coach, does this make sense?

7. Jets:  I’m not saying Hadyn Fleury is the answer, but he’s got to be better than Logan Stanley or Luke Schenn based just on his skating ability alone.  Wouldn’t it be nice if he were a late, late bloomer, as this former 1st-rounder was such a stud in junior.

8. Moose:  The Manitoba Moose went 1-1 last week, making their record 14-10-2-0.  The Moose are in 2nd in the Central Division and are in a tie for 3rd in the 17-team Western Conference.  The boys still have 4 more in a row at home to finish off the month of December.  The Jets prospects have done didily-squat in the past 2 weekend series versus a very weak Iowa team, and that is very concerning.  Dom DiVincentiis has been sent back down to the Moose with the return of Connor Hellebuyck. 

Watch the WHT YouTube channel live every Monday … we’ll be starting our live show at 6:30 tonight … Winnipeg Hockey Talk on YouTube

9. Jets:  I don’t usually do Money Puck’s playoff percentage odds until the midway point of the season, but I’ve already had requests, so let’s give the readers what they want.

As of Wednesday morning, before the Boston game, the Jets’ chances of making the playoffs were at 35.2%.  As you can see, the percentage fluctuates daily, whether the team plays or not; however, the days following games exhibit larger fluctuations.  After beating Washington on Saturday night, they were at 36.1% and after Sunday’s games settled in at 36.5%.

 

10. Jets:  I see a lot of belly-aching about Logan Stanley on X and in some chat rooms, and I am by no means a Stanley cheerleader, but someone who hasn’t had a problem with him all year.  I look at my expectations of him, how much money he makes, and what he contributes to this team, and the fact that he is still learning and hopefully improving.  Stan is easily earning his $1,250,000, and I’d be way more worried about the ROI (return on investment) the Jets are getting from #2 ($4,900,000) and #4 ($7,000,000).  The Jets’ problem isn’t their #6 defenceman, it’s a little higher up the depth chart.

11. Jets:  Special Teams:  Rule of thumb.  Have the power play and penalty kill (PK and PP) numbers total at least 100% when added (as your minimum).

  • PP: 12th at 20.90% down from 12th at 21.30% last week (net 12th at 18.70%)*
  • PK: 21st at 78.40% down from 14th 81.30% last week (net 20th at 81.40%)*
  • FO: 12th at 51.30% down from 9th at 52.10% last week

12. Jets:  Goaltending:

  • Connor Hellebuyck:  9-6-0 … 2.41 GAA … .916 SV%
  • Eric Comrie:  6-8-1 … 3.30 GAA … .886 SV%

13. Jets:  The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly this past week.

  • Good:  Connor Hellebuyck is back, and without him making a save, the team looked different in front of him from the get-go.
  • Bad:  Special Teams are starting to look a little ragged.  
  • Ugly:  The Jets ended up 3-8-1 post-Helle surgery.

14. Jets: Congrats to Nino on 1000 games in the NHL, the 1st Swiss-born player to do so.  He is one of my favourite Jets.

15.  Things that make me go hmmm:🤔 Josh Morrissey is a virtual lock for the Canadian Olympic Team, and Mark Scheifele is a frontrunner for a spot, but there are a few late contenders that could make it interesting.

Watch the WHT YouTube channel live every Monday … we’ll be starting our live show at 6:30 tonight … Winnipeg Hockey Talk on YouTube

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Random Thoughts on the Winnipeg Jets for Dec. 8, 2025

December 8, 2025 by

Mitch Kasprick is now the “Westdale Curmudgeon.“ Odds and Ends, Thoughts, and Questions from this past week in Hockey

I am a fan of the Winnipeg Jets, the Manitoba Moose, and all Team Canada Hockey teams.  I am NOT a fan of Gary Bettman, or as I call him, Count Chocula.  I am a big believer in the 7Ps, or is it the 8Ps?  You’ve been warned.

For a more in-depth look at these Random Thoughts, check out the new WHT YouTube channel. https://www.youtube.com/@WpgHockTalk

Host Harley Friesen and Winnipeg Hockey Talk writer Mitch Kasprick discuss his Random Thoughts on the Winnipeg Jets, Manitoba Moose, and the National Hockey League. 

1. Jets:  The Winnipeg Jets finished their 5-game road trip with a disappointing 1-3-1 record, and after a week where they went 1-2-1, their record of 14-13-1 still has them hovering around the wildcard position.  The good guys now have 4 in a row at home and need to start banking some points.

2. Jets:  The lack of scoring, and by that I mean scoring from the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th lines, is a much bigger problem than the lack of Helle.  The good news is that the 4th line has scored in the last 2 games, but the bad news is that the 2nd and 3rd lines have completely gone dry.

3. Jets:  Adam Lowry and Dylan Samberg are not playing their best hockey right now.  I think missing games to start the season has impacted both of them more than we would have expected.  You can add Cole Perfetti to this list as well and while I’m at it, let’s add Jonathon Toews, who hasn’t played in a couple of years.  I’m looking forward to a big second half from all 4 of these players because we’re going to need it.  I just hope it’s not too late.

4. Jets:  From the “Put that in your pipe and smoke it” file.  

I’m not a Chevy hater nor a Chevy apologist, but at what point does the GM have to take responsibility for the fiasco he has created?  Under Chevy’s tenure, the Winnipeg Jets have only won 4 playoff rounds in 14 years, and year 15 isn’t looking very promising.  It’s time to start holding his feet to the fire, as he is the architect of this old, slow team, so put that in your pipe and smoke it.  

5. Jets:  After being very hard on Eric Comrie last week, he was incredible on Wednesday night in Montreal.  I also thought he was excellent versus Buffalo on Friday night.

6. Jets:  Question for Scott Arniel:  With your team having to go to Edmonton on a back-to-back, your big roster move was to sit Elias Salomonsson and dress Luke Schenn?

7. Jets:  Logan Stanley, Neal Pionk, and Dylan Samberg were taking turns serving up free pizzas in Montreal on Wednesday night.

8. Moose:  The Manitoba Moose went 2-1 last week, making their record 13-9-2-0.  The Moose are in 2nd in the Central Division and are in a tie for 3rd in the 17-team Western Conference.  The boys now have 6 in a row at home to finish off the month of December.  The part that frustrates me about the Moose is that I want to see Brad Lambert and Nikita Chibrikov get called up to the Jets, but if I were being honest, the way they are playing at the AHL level, they don’t deserve a promotion. 

Update:  Thomas Milic down to the Moose, Dom DiVincentiis up to the Jets. 

Watch the WHT YouTube channel live every Monday at 7 pm … @WpgHockTalk

9. Jets:  Elias Salomonsson played in two games last week, and his overall play actually looked pretty solid.  It will be interesting to see what happens when Haydn Fleury is ready to return.  IMHO, he would not be my choice to come out of the Jets lineup.

10. Jets:  The NHL has announced that the Winnipeg Jets and Montreal Canadiens will play in an outdoor game in the 2026 “Tim Hortons NHL Heritage Classic” at Princess Auto Stadium in Winnipeg.  The game will be played on Sunday, Oct. 25, 2026, and I’m guessing it won’t be an afternoon game where the sun can play havoc like the last time in 2016.

11. Jets:  WHT Poll

If the price is right should Chevy look into acquiring Steve Stamkos?

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12. Jets:  Special Teams:  Rule of thumb.  Have the power play and penalty kill (PK and PP) numbers total at least 100% when added (as your minimum).

  • PP: 12th at 21.30% down from 11th at 22.70% last week (net 12th at 18.80%)*
  • PK: 14th at 81.30% down from 6th 84.50% last week (net 12th at 84.60%)*
  • FO: 9th at 52.10% down from 6th at 53.00% last week

13. Jets:  Goaltending:

  • Connor Hellebuyck:  8-6-0 … 2.51 GAA … .913 SV%
  • Eric Comrie:  6-6-0 … 3.08 GAA … .898 SV%
  • Thomas Milic:  0-1-0 … 3.56 … .871 SV%
  • Domenic DiVincentiis:  6-7-0–0 … 2.49 GAA … .915 SV%  (Manitoba Moose)

14. Jets:  The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly this past week.

  • Good:  The 3rd period versus Buffalo on Friday night looked like last year’s Jets.
  • Bad:  Adam Lowry should be embarrassed by being outmuscled by the much smaller Matt Savoie on Edmonton’s 3rd goal on Saturday night.  
  • Ugly:  The Jets are 3-6-1 post-Helle surgery.

15.  Things that make me go hmmm:🤔  

I’ve already heard a lot of Jets fans griping about Montreal being the Jets’ opponent for the Heritage Classic, when Minnesota is our closest rival in proximity and our biggest rival, period.  I totally concur, but I don’t know what the criteria are for choosing an opponent.  Is it about Canadian Heritage and not necessarily rivalries?  I wonder?

16.  WHT Poll

Who would you prefer to see in the Tim Hortons Heritage Classic?

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17.  WHT Poll

Should Chevy look into Laurent Brossoit?

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18. Jets:  Cole Koepke has NHL speed, but he has AHL hands.  If Cole had better hands, he’d have 3 or 4 more goals this season.  I love the way he takes the puck to the net and doesn’t live on the perimeter like some of his teammates. 

19. Jets:  I like Vladdy, but I’m sorry, you can’t have a guy with 0 goals and 1 assist in his last 15 games playing on the 2nd line and second unit powerplay.  He’s okay in a pinch, but he is a bottom-six guy on most teams.

20. Jets:  Kevin Cheveldayoff’s scorecard has a lot of birdies on it as well as a lot of bogies.  He also has a couple of eagles and a few double-bogies too, but after you add up his scorecard, he is a par golfer at best, and par golfers never win a golf tournament and rarely even make the cut.  It’s time for Mark Chipman to find a new golfer to back.  

Watch the WHT YouTube channel live at 7 pm on Monday nights … @WpgHockTalk

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Random Thoughts on the Winnipeg Jets for Dec. 1, 2025

December 1, 2025 by

Mitch Kasprick is now the “Westdale Curmudgeon.“ Odds and Ends, Thoughts, and Questions from this past week in Hockey

I am a fan of the Winnipeg Jets, the Manitoba Moose, and all Team Canada Hockey teams.  I am NOT a fan of Gary Bettman, or as I call him, Count Chocula.  I am a big believer in the 7Ps, or is it the 8Ps?  You’ve been warned.

For a more in-depth look at these Random Thoughts, check out the new WHT YouTube channel. https://www.youtube.com/@WpgHockTalk

Host Harley Friesen and Winnipeg Hockey Talk writer Mitch Kasprick discuss his Random Thoughts on the Winnipeg Jets, Manitoba Moose, and the National Hockey League.

Watch WHT’s YouTube show here >>> at 7 pm every Monday.

1.  Jets: The Winnipeg Jets finished the first 3 games of their 5-game road trip with a 1-2 record and finally stopped their losing streak at 4 games.  Their record of 13-11-0 still has them hovering around the wildcard position, even though the team is going through one of its roughest patches in quite a few years. 

2. Jets:  While most Jets fans are lamenting the loss of Connor Hellebuyck, I am actually more concerned about the lack of scoring.  Up until Saturday night in Nashville, the Jets have not had any secondary scoring since their last win, 5 games ago, versus Columbus.   

3. Jets:  The Jets aren’t scoring enough goals to constantly be chasing the game.  They are such a different team when they score the first goal.  Saturday night was a perfect example; they scored the first 3 goals and won 5-2.

4. NHL:  From the “Put that in your pipe and smoke it” file. 

I wrote this after the second period of the Caps game on Wednesday night, with the Jets trailing 3-2.  Two of the three goals that Eric Comrie let in were muffins that were very low-level scoring chances.  When the goalie plays poorly, the narrative is that “it’s a team game, BUT in a 4-3 loss, those 2 goals were the difference, and yes, you can blame the goaltending, so put that in your pipe and smoke it.

5. Jets:  The DeMelo Files: The truth is out there.

I think Dylan DeMelo looked like his normal self last week, and although he still takes penalties due to his lack of speed, his overall play was solid.

6. Jets:  Question for Scott Arniel:  WHY … WHY … WHY

7. Jets:  Looking at SOG metrics is meaningless when you watch a Winnipeg Jets game.  In some games, they shoot the puck, and in some games, they don’t.  It doesn’t matter if they are in a good scoring position or not.  Let’s just say they have been known to overpass.  Trying to guess the score by the SOG in a Jets game is almost impossible. 

8. Moose:  The Manitoba Moose went 2-2 last week, making their record 11-8-2-0.  The Moose are still in a tie for 2nd in the Central Division and are in a tie for 6th in the 17-team Western Conference.  The boys now head out on the road for 3 games next week.  This Moose team also has a hard time scoring, which doesn’t bode well for prospects looking for a call-up.

Watch the WHT YouTube channel live every Monday at 7 pm.

9. Jets:  Elias Salomonsson (RD) and Thomas Milic (G) both made their NHL debuts last week to mixed reviews, but the only ones that matter are the ones here, and they were both good IMHO.  If you want to hear my reviews, watch us live tonight at 7 PM on YouTube or anytime after it’s uploaded.

10. Jets:  Memory Lane:  Ulf  Nilsson is my favourite Jets player of all-time.  Who is yours?

11. Jets:  WHT Poll

If the price is right should Chevy look into acquiring Steve Stamkos?

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12. Jets:  Special Teams:  Rule of thumb.  Have the power play and penalty kill (PK and PP) numbers total at least 100% when added (as your minimum).

  • PP: 11th at 22.70% down from 8th at 23.30% last week
  • PK: 6th at 84.50% up from 6th 83.80% last week
  • FO: 6th at 53.00% down from 5th at 53.01% last week

13. Jets:  Goaltending:

  • Connor Hellebuyck:  8-6-0 … 2.51 GAA … .913 SV%
  • Eric Comrie:  5-4-0 … 2.91 GAA … .898 SV%
  • Thomas Milic:  0-1-0 … 4.09 … .882 SV%

14. Jets:  The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly this past week.

  • Good:  Perfetti has been a disappointment so far this season, but maybe scoring a goal versus Nashville on Saturday night will get him going. 
  • Bad:  I don’t like how easily the Jets are giving up their blueline and backing up into their goalie.
  • Ugly:  1-4 post Helle.

15. Things that make me go hmmm:🤔  One of my favourite Jets is Vladdy Namestnikov, but I still haven’t really figured out what he is.  He’s a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma.”  His scoring output doesn’t align with his skill set.  

16. Things that make me go hmmm:🤔Part 2.  Hmmm Chevy! 

It looks like Laurent Brossoit is a man without a home.  He hasn’t played for Chicago since signing a two-year contract with them on July 1, 2024.

During “Saturday Headlines” on Hockey Night in Canada, Elliotte Friedman reported the Blackhawks have given other teams permission to speak with Laurent Brossoit’s camp about trading for him, as the Blackhawks don’t have room for his $3,300,000 cap hit.  Spencer Knight is currently their starting netminder with Arvid Soderblom serving as his backup.

The good news is he can probably be had at a bargain basement price, AND Chicago has two salary retention slots still available and could retain a portion of Brossoit’s contract if the price is right.

Brossoit is set to start playing in a conditioning stint in the American Hockey League this week.

17. Jets:  WHT Poll

Should Chevy look into Laurent Brossoit?

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18. NHL:  Pet Peeve:

Hockey announcers who base a player’s play on their points.  On Saturday night, Garry Galley was gushing about a certain player because he had 2 assists in the game, even though he was a tire fire most of the night.

19.  Jets:  From the “You want the truth, you can’t handle the truth“ file.

Maybe last year was the outlier, and this is the real Jets.

20. Jets:  I’m not sure Brad Lambert or Nikita Chibrikov earned their way onto the Jets roster coming out of training camp this year, or not, as I didn’t attend camp this year.  They did make the roster because of injuries to Adam Lowry and Dylan Samberg though.  What I can say now, after 24 games, is that I would prefer any combination of Lambert, Chibrikov, and Salomonsson in the lineup. 

I’m not sure what criteria are being used to justify the icetime and roster positions occupied by Tanner Pearson, Gus Nyquist, or Luke Schenn, but I’m not buying whatever it is.  I have 2 eyes.  

  

Watch the WHT YouTube channel live at 7 pm on Monday nights.

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Random Thoughts on the Winnipeg Jets for Nov. 24, 2025

November 24, 2025 by

Mitch Kasprick is now the “Westdale Curmudgeon.“ Odds and Ends, Thoughts, and Questions from this past week in Hockey

I am a fan of the Winnipeg Jets, the Manitoba Moose, and all Team Canada Hockey teams.  I am NOT a fan of Gary Bettman, or as I call him, Count Chocula.  I am a big believer in the 7Ps, or is it the 8Ps?  You’ve been warned.

For a more in-depth look at these Random Thoughts, check out the new WHT YouTube channel. https://www.youtube.com/@WpgHockTalk

Host Harley Friesen and Winnipeg Hockey Talk writer Mitch Kasprick discuss his Random Thoughts on the Winnipeg Jets, Manitoba Moose, and the National Hockey League.

Watch WHT’s YouTube show here >>> https://youtu.be/gsFpDc79Kxw  at 7 pm every Monday.

1. Jets:  Friday night versus the Carolina Hurricanes, four to six weeks of life without goaltender Connor Hellebuyck officially started for the Winnipeg Jets. 

It was probably smart to have the surgery now and rehab through the Christmas break so he won’t miss as many games. 

2. Jets:  The Winnipeg Jets finished their 3-game homestand with a 1-2-0 record and sit in 5th place in the Central Division, just a couple of points outside of a wildcard spot.  The boys now head back out on the road for 5 games visiting Washington, Carolina, Nashville, Buffalo, and Montreal.  I have a very bad feeling about this trip.

3. Jets:  Some good news if you’re an Adam Lowry fan. 

4. NHL:  From the “Put that in your pipe and smoke it” file. 

Nikolaj “don’t call me Nik” Ehlers, who was one of my favourite players as a Winnipeg Jet.  Nik played in his first game as a Carolina Hurricane versus his old team for the first time in Winnipeg on Friday night, and apparently, I was supposed to give a crap.  I’m glad he got a warm ovation during his video tribute, but I find it hard to feel warm and fuzzy about a player who left us high and dry.  He is gone and I don’t give a #&%! about him, so put that in your pipe and smoke it.

5. Jets:  The DeMelo Files: The truth is out there.

Tuesday night versus Columbus, Miles Wood blew past him like he was standing still and tied the game 1-1 after the Jets dominated the 1st period.

Friday night against Carolina, DD made a terrific breakout pass (got an assist) to Scheif that led to a goal by Josh Morrissey.

Later in that period, he saved a sure goal by swatting a puck out of mid-air that was on its way into an open net.

Sunday afternoon, versus Minnesota, he took an interference penalty that I thought was a weak call, but he lost body position, and the official got fooled.

I rag on DD quite a bit, but overall, I think he had a decent week.

6. Jets:  Question for Scott Arniel:  You’ve been juggling the lines a lot lately in 3rd periods when you’re behind or looking for more offence.  Why not try some new lines and attempt to bolster the 2nd line on a more permanent basis?

7. Jets:  There is a current trend that’s been going on for quite some time, that if you’re in a playoff position on American Thanksgiving, you will indeed make the playoffs.  This Thursday is American Thanksgiving, and I have a bad feeling Friday will show the Jets on the outside looking in.

8. Moose:  The Manitoba Moose won both of their games this week to make it 6 in a row, improving their record to 9-6-2-0.  The Moose are now in a tie for 2nd in the Central Division and are in a tie for 5th in the 17-team Western Conference.  The boys have 4 home games this coming week.  Three up, one down as the Moose got three players ( Brad Lambert,  Parker Ford, and Nikita Chibrikov) back from the parent club, while losing one ( Thomas Milic) to the Jets. 

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9. Jets:  This is getting really old. 

10. Jets:  I think it’s time to give some props to Alex Iafallo.  AI is the new Mathieu Perrault type of Swiss Army Knife.  Play him on any line, use him in any role, and he just keeps on chugging and never complains.  He is definitely one of my favourite Jets.

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11. Jets:  WHT Poll

If the price is right should Chevy look into acquiring Steve Stamkos?

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12. Jets:  Special Teams:  Rule of thumb.  Have the power play and penalty kill (PK and PP) numbers total at least 100% when added (as your minimum).

  • PP: 8th at 23.30% down from 8th at 24.10% last week
  • PK: 6th at 83.80% down from 6th 84.10% last week
  • FO: 5th at 53.01% up from 7th at 53.00% last week

13. Jets:  Goaltending:

  • Connor Hellebuyck:  8-6-0 … 2.51 GAA … .913 SV%
  • Eric Comrie:  4-3-0 … 2.87 GAA … .899 SV%

14. Jets:  The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly this past week.

  • Good:  I thought the Jets played pretty well last week, but got nothing to show for it.
  • Bad:  No puck-luck.  
  • Ugly:  0-2 post Helle.

15. Things that make me go hmmm:🤔

In the grand scheme of things, it doesn’t matter, but I was wondering why Frank Seravalli broke the news about Brad Lambert’s trade request, and Darren Dreger broke the story about Helle’s surgery and not one of our local guys.

16. Things that make me go hmmm:🤔Part 2.  

I wonder if it pisses off our local guys?

17. Jets: From the “You want the truth, you can’t handle the truth” file.

We are at the 1/4 pole of the season, and I have to ask myself to put aside my Jonathon Toews bias and ask myself the question.  Is JT working out?  I’m going to ignore the question for now because I might not like the answer.

18. NHL:  Pet Peave:  “The lacrosse line change.”

The lacrosse line change in hockey happens when the team skating from their offensive zone back towards their defensive zone have 2 players jump into the back gate of their players’ bench, while 2 players jump onto the ice out of the front gate, and gain the length of their players’ bench plus the 2-3 steps grace they’re allowed.  The problem is that the 2-3 step grace at both ends has turned into 3-4 steps, then 4-5 steps.  Do you see where I’m going with this?

Friday night in the 3rd period versus Carolina, the Jets had a 2-on-1 developing coming out of their defensive zone when 2 Hurricanes jumped out of the far end of their box while the 2 players they were replacing were still 6 feet away, basically turning a 2-on-1 into a 2-on-3, and it pisses me off even more when the announcers don’t mention it.

Give ’em an inch, and they’ll take a mile, and you know for sure that Count Chocula’s minions will call the first “too many men on the ice” penalty on a lacrosse change in 5 years against the Jets on their upcoming 6-game road trip.  

19. Jets:  Kyle Connor is starting to let some of his old bad habits creep back into his game, and it really showed on the 2 short-handed goals that were scored against the Jets in both their losses this weekend.  I’m not saying the shorties were his fault, but the sight of him dogging it on the backcheck wasn’t a good look. 

20. Jets:  Neal Pionk left the game after his 2nd shift in the 1st period and did not return.  Pionk is day-to-day with the injury, but there will be an update after the team practices on Monday afternoon.

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