Mitch Kasprick is now the “Westdale Curmudgeon.”
Odds and Ends, Thoughts, and Questions from this past week in Hockey –
Just so there’s no confusion when I’m spewing my bias, I am a fan of the Winnipeg Jets, 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.
1. Jets: The Winnipeg Jets look to be a solid regular-season team again, probably top 3 in the Central Division, but did they improve enough to push back harder and go on a deeper playoff run? I guess we’ll find out next spring!
2. Jets: Pet peeve: Paying NHL prices to watch glorified AHL rosters in NHL pre-season games.
3. Jets Injury Update: Adam Lowry is still training and working out on his own with JP Vigier. It appears like he is still a couple of weeks away from joining the team, BUT the captain could/should be ready for game action by late October or early November.
4. Jets: There will be a new look at center ice for the Winnipeg Jets, and I’m not talking about on their roster, but a new logo commemorating JETS 2.0’s 15th season back in The Peg.
5. Jets: Just because they were traded for each other, don’t base your expectations of Brayden Yager on what Rutger McGroarty does in Pittsburgh. Yager is a year younger and was drafted a year later (2023) than McGroarty (2023), with both players being at different stages of their development.
6. NHL: The NHL has published a list of their ” Top 16 Goalie Tandems,” and the Winnipeg Jets’ Connor Hellebuyck and Eric Comrie came in at the #1 position on most of the voters’ ballots. The consensus has Winnipeg, Dallas, NYR, Washington, and New Jersey as the top 5. I still don’t understand the love affair with Igor and Jonathan and their #15 ranking from last season.
Please send me your thoughts on the list in the comment section.
7. Jets: Poll question: I’m very curious to see which of the youngsters make a hard push for a roster spot. What are your thoughts? You may select a maximum of 3 players in our poll.
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8. Jets: I can’t help but wonder what’s in store for Winnipeg and other small-market teams with the salary cap at $95,500,000 this season and projected to rise for the next few seasons. (see #10)
9. Jets: Elias Salomonsson looked very good in both games in “The Prospects Showdown” in Montreal. I’m not sure if he makes the big club this season, but I would think he should see a couple of games in the NHL this year.
10. NHL: From the “Put that in your pipe and smoke it” file.
In 2011-12, the year the Jets returned to the NHL, the salary cap was $64,300,000, and this year the salary cap floor is $70,600,000. Put that in your pipe and smoke it.
11. Jets: I wonder where Tanner Pearson fits into this Jets’ lineup? He has a history of playing with Mark Scheifele on the Barrie Colts top line in junior, but I don’t think that at this stage of his career, he is top-line material, although I’m sure Scott Arniel gives them a look.
Connor – Scheifele – Pearson
Perfetti – Toews – Vilardi
Niedereider – Namestnikov – Chibrikov/Nyqvist
Iafallo – Barron – Gustafsson
12. Jets: I’m a big fan of young goaltender Domenic DiVincentis, and he didn’t disappoint in the Jets’ 4-3 win over Montreal’s top prospects this past weekend. Danny Zilkin was excellent (in both games), and Habs’ future stud Ivan Demidov stood out like a sore thumb.
13. Jets: Dates of note:
Sept. 18 – Training camp begins on Thursday, Sept. 18, and continues to Friday, Oct. 3, at Hockey For All Centre.
Sept. 20 – Jets Fan Fest on Saturday, Sept. 20, with an intra-squad scrimmage at 10:50 a.m.
Oct. 1 – My next Random Thoughts.
Oct. 9 – Season opener/home opener vs Dallas
Apr. 16 – Olympic break
Winnipeg Jets 2025-26 Season Giveaway Nights and Theme Nights… click here.
14. NHL: Earlier this month, a hockey legend, Ken Dryden, passed away at the age of 78 from cancer. Dryden was a Hall of Fame goalie and won the Stanley Cup SIX times in the 1970s with the Montreal Canadiens and was a big part of Team Canada in the 1972 Summit Series. Dryden was very accomplished after his playing career as well, later becoming an author, television analyst, hockey executive and a member of Canada’s Parliament.
The iconic Ken Dryden pose
15. Things that make me go hmmm: All five of Hockey Canada players from the 2018 U20 team were acquitted of any legal wrongdoing over the summer and have been reinstated by the NHL. Michael McLeod, Carter Hart, Dillon Dube, Cal Foote, and Alex Formenton can sign NHL contracts starting on Oct. 15, but they’ll have to continue serving a suspension until Dec. 1 before dressing in a game. This makes no sense to me.
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