Odds and Ends on the Winnipeg Jets and the NHL –
Some random facts and a few thoughts about the Winnipeg Jets, the Manitoba Moose, and the National Hockey League.
1. Thank goodness it’s over and thank-you Washington Caps for beating the Vegas Golden Knights.
HEY VEGAS
2. I remember back in the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s when fans and media would call Russian hockey players soulless robots but watching today’s Russian players like OV, Kuznetsov, and Orlov shows you how far removed that old narrative is. Seeing the huge amount of joy on Alex Ovechkin’s face after clinching the Stanley Cup is a far cry from Russian hockey players in the old days.
3. Where was this Marc-Andre Fleury in the Western Conference Finals?
4. It’s always nice to see a fellow Manitoban succeed and especially a guy who has paid his dues like Dauphin’s Barry Trotz. He is now a Stanley Cup winner. Congrats.
5. I can’t believe the amount of satisfaction I felt in watching Vegas loose. I have to admit I’m a poor loser and I do have a major vindictive streak in me. (see #1)
6. Last week I asked if the Winnipeg Jets should be interested in acquiring UFA forward and former Thrasher, Ilya Kovalchuk?
The poll results were …
No – 53%
Yes – 47%
Once again I was in the minority.
7. It’s early in Patrick Laine’s career but he is already being compared to his boyhood idol Alex Ovechkin and especially here in Winnipeg. That is putting a lot of pressure on Laine and it’s not really fair. Our guy still has a way to go yet.
8. FYI: OV ended up winning the Conn Smythe Trophy and I think Kusnetzov and Holtby probably got consideration and if Vegas would have won I’m sure Fleury would have been the slam dunk winner. I know I’m splitting hairs here but as Count Chocula was getting ready to present the Conn Smythe trophy to OV there was a great camera shot of the trophy on tv where it clearly says “Outstanding Player of the Playoffs” but yet Gary announced OV as the “MVP” of the playoffs and that really bugged me. Like I said I’m splitting hairs but I don’t think “Outstanding” and “Most Valuable” are interchangeable.
9. Does anybody remember that Philipp Grubauer actually started the first couple of games in the playoffs for the Washington Capitals?
10. Nick Backstrom had a very quiet 23 points in 20 games during the NHL playoffs centering the Caps second line. That kind of puts things in perspective doesn’t it? You win the Stanley Cup with tandems like Crosby/Malkin, Kusnetzov/Backstrom, and Kopitar/Carter. Get to work Chevy!
11. Thanks to social media we are seeing a lot of Washington Capitals’ celebrations since they won the cup on Thursday night and I think OV is still juiced and will probably still be juiced until their parade on Tuesday. This could be a hangover of epic proportions for him and his teammates.
12. Question for Kevin Cheveldayoff: Will the way the playoffs were officiated have any bearing on how you build your team going forward? As the playoffs got deeper and deeper, the officiating was worse and worse and really impacted the smaller players. I think we all believed those days were over but apparently not. An easy and obvious penalty call in the regular season sure wasn’t a penalty in the playoffs and it got worse every round.
13. Pet Peeve: Hockey in June. Do you realize if the finals went to seven games that game 7 would have been played on June 13? That is too late into the summer GARY! Grab a brain NHL and start the season earlier and STOP having so many days off in between games.
14. If the Jets can’t get a deal done with Paul Stastny I would like to see Chevy go out and target another center whether it is through free agency or trade. I have some thoughts on possible trade targets but I want to wait and see what this year’s salary cap ends up being. (see #10)
15. Key dates:
- NHL Entry Draft: June 22–23 – The 2018 NHL Entry Draft will be held at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas.
- UFA Interview Period: June 24 – Unrestricted free agents may meet and interview with potential new teams from the day after the NHL Entry Draft (but not later than June 25) until June 30.
- The Free Agency Period: July 1 – Free agency begins on the first day of July. UFA players are free to negotiate and sign a contract with any NHL team.
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If you have any thoughts on any of these comments or questions, please let me know. We would love to hear your opinions.
Thanks, Mitch
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