Random Thoughts On The Winnipeg Jets: Feb. 20

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, Arizona Coyotes, Manitoba Moose, Winnipeg Ice, 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. You’ve been warned.

Watch for the audio version of this article tomorrow. I will delve a little deeper into some of these thoughts and it will be posted tomorrow morning. I will add the link here >>> Audio Version and on Twitter.

1. NHL: The NHL trade deadline is in 10 days at 3 pm ET on Friday, March 3. The charts at the top of the page show the Jets’ current draft currency as well as their projected cap space at the trade deadline. The cap space is fluid so I will update it every week.

2. Jets: The Winnipeg Jets had an awful week going 1-2-0 and their goalscoring has run dry. Their PP is a mess and they have shot themselves in the foot time and again. Most of the goals they have given up are self-inflicted. Despite this poor play over the past few weeks, they are only 3 points behind 1st place Dallas in the Central Division BUT Colorado and Minnesota are now breathing down their necks. Even with all the doom and gloom surrounding the team right now the Jets still have a very respectable record of 34-21-3.

3. Jets: The Jets are getting nothing from their bottom six forwards and you really notice it when they aren’t getting much from their top six.

4. Jets: For a team that’s supposed to have all these elite scorers the Jets sure get goalie’d a lot. By the way, there is no such word as goalie’d, I looked it up.

5. Jets: I think it would be fair to say the lack of a power play cost the Jets in Columbus. They had THREE 5-on-3s and scored one goal as the first one expired.

6. Jets: Jets fans including myself would love to see Chevy take a big swing on or before the NHL Trade Deadline and go after a player like Timo Meier. The Jets have draft picks and prospect currency plus the cap space to go big but I feel like Jets fans are the Charlie Browns of deadline day.

7. Jets: I wish I had a dollar for every time Dan Robertson or Paul Edmonds said a Jets’ shooter missed the net. I’d be a rich man.

8. ICE: The Winnipeg ICE are back in the #1 position in the latest Kia CHL Top-10 Rankings for the 2022-23 season. It looks like it will be Winnipeg and Quebec battling for that #1 spot all season.

Kia CHL Top-10 Rankings – Week 19

as of Feb. 15

1. Winnipeg ICE (40-7-1-0)
2. Quebec Remparts (41-7-1-2)
3. Seattle Thunderbirds (38-9-1-1)
4. Gatineau Olympiques (34-12-4-2)
5. Halifax Mooseheads (36-8-4-3)
6. Sherbrooke Phœnix (35-12-3-2)
7. Kamloops Blazers (33-10-4-2)
8. Ottawa 67’s (36-11-2-2)
9. London Knights 36-13-1-0)
10. Windsor Spitfires (35-12-3-1)

9. Jets: Adam Lowry’s goalless drought is now at 29 games and counting.

10. Jets: I can’t figure out why one of the Jets’ most dynamic forwards is getting 3rd line minutes. Nikolaj “don’t call me Nik” Ehlers played 14:40 against Columbus and versus New Jersey, he had a paltry 12:41. He hasn’t been great since returning from his injury but he missed a lot of time and he is still chipping in the odd assist. Although I like both Cole Perfetti and Blake Wheeler, I don’t think they should play more minutes than Nik.

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11. Jets: I don’t know if Bones was trying to send a message or if he was just over-coaching but his line combinations in New Jersey were a joke. There is no doubt the top six forwards are struggling to score but they aren’t going to be any better playing with a bunch of 3rd and 4th liners. I say play your best players together and let them work it out.

12. Jets: I finally closed the Jets’ most improved defenceman poll and to nobody’s surprise Josh Morrissey was the runaway winner while Neal Pionk finished dead last. Obviously, I’m not the only one to see it.

13. Jets: It’s time to revamp the power play because this current configuration is NOT working! As of Sunday, they are on a 3 for 36 skid and I believe those three were on two-man advantages.

14. Jets: My weekly question for Rick Bowness, Kevin Cheveldayoff, or Mark Chipman.

This is a question for Bones. Why isn’t Nik Ehlers not on the first unit power play? Question for Rick Bowness.

15. Jets: Special Teams: Rule of thumb. Have the two red numbers (PK and PP) total at least 100% when added (as your minimum).

PP: 14th at 21.10% down from 12th last week at 23.80%
PK: 2nd at 84.0% up from 3rd last week at 83.80%
FO: 24th at 48.00% down from 24th last week at 48.40%

16. Jets: Goaltending:

Conner Hellebuyck: 26-16-1 … 2.39 GAA … .926 SV% … 3 shutouts
David Rittich: 9-5-0 … 2.49 GAA … .911 SV%

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

Good: The goaltending was good enough to win last week but the offence has run dry.
Bad: Adam Lowry’s goalless drought.
Ugly: The PP looks lost. It is slow, predictable, and nobody wants to shoot.

18. Jets: I tweeted this during the Jets game versus Columbus and with me it’s a recurring sentiment almost every game. Neal Pionk is way overrated and way overpaid. To be fair I thought he played pretty well versus New Jersey but at $5.875,000 per season, these games are too few and too far between.

OMFG is Pionk awful ffs … please Chevy move him

— Westdale (formerly Motown) Curmudgeon (@WpgSportsTalk) February 17, 2023

19. NHL: As much as I love Patrik Laine and Pierre-Luc Dubois I think Matthew Tkachuk is making a case for being the second-best player in the 2016 NHL Draft.

20. Jets: This is cheating because I shouldn’t be posting this until next week but I finished these “Random Thoughts” just as the Jets game finished Monday night and Connor Hellebuyck’s performance was too brilliant to wait another week. Helle made 50 saves and he looked like he didn’t even break a sweat. He was so calm and locked in it was amazing. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a better performance. This may have been his best.