Random Thoughts On The Winnipeg Jets: Feb. 8

February 8, 2021 by

Mitch Kasprick is the “Motown Curmudgeon” aka “Motown Mitch”

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.

1. Jets:  The Winnipeg Jets had a great week taking 5 out of 6 points in their three games versus the Calgary Flames.  Their record is a tidy 7-3-1 overall for the season, good for 3rd place in the Scotia North Division.

2. Jets:  Tomorrow night is PLD’s debut in a Jets jersey against the Flames in Calgary.  I’m sure he will be chomping at the bit to impress his new teammates and try and help Jets fans move on from fan favourite, Patrik Laine.     

3. Jets:  I think it’s time to put Neal Pionk back on the first unit PP.  I’ve always been a huge Josh Morrissey supporter but his game is off and he looks really shaky quarterbacking the PP.        

4. Jets:  No offence to my American friends but I could really get used to these North Division games with only one anthem.

5. Jets:  Nathan Beaulieu, at times this season has been playing some unspectacular but steady defence for the Winnipeg Jets.  Nate’s signing wasn’t my favourite move Chevy made this offseason but I get why they signed him.  Paul Maurice trusts him and likes the fact that he can kill penalties and add a little bit of physicality to the back end.  So far he has done that but he is a depth guy and doesn’t need to be in the lineup every night.  My problem with NB is the more he plays the worse he gets and I  would like to see Ville Heinola and Dylan Samberg dress a little more and see more rotation in the bottom pairing.  Generally, this sorts itself out with injuries allowing some lineup changes but outside of Tucker Poolman (Covid) the back-end has been pretty healthy.  I don’t like young players on the sidelines not playing.  

6. Jets:  One of my biggest complaints about this Jets team is they don’t shoot enough and pass up too many shooting opportunities in prime scoring areas.  This team still loves looking for the pretty play.    

7. Jets:  Winnipeg Jets winger Nikolaj “don’t call me Nik” Ehlers is turning into a solid 200 ft player and it really showed in the Jets 4-1 win versus Calgary on Thursday night.  Although he was held off the scoresheet he made two outstanding defensive plays that went under the radar but were very important in the Jets’ win.  Ehlers has come a long way defensively since his junior days in Halifax.   

8. Jets:  Mason Appleton’s play has really improved this season and especially the last week to ten days and I think his play in the Jets 4-1 win over Calgary on Thursday night was probably his best game in a Winnipeg uniform.      

9. Jets:  To most fans’ surprise, Logan Stanley is still hanging around and playing some pretty strong hockey in his d-zone.  He has made a lot of nice subtle plays that seem to almost go unnoticed just because of his long reach.  His play is definitely surprising a lot of people.     

10. Jets:  Josh Morrissey has 4 assists in 11 games and he is running the first unit PP while Neal Pionk has 8 assists in 11 games and he is running the second unit PP.  What is wrong with this picture?  (see #3)

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11. NHL:  For me, faceoff percentage is the most useless stat the NHL tracks unless they post the faceoff percentage in each zone.  All faceoff wins aren’t equal and some are definitely more important than others in spite of what the analytics say.  A neutral zone faceoff loss isn’t as critical as a d-zone loss and especially when a team is on the PK.  It seems to me like the Jets lose a high percentage of faceoffs while on the PK and are under pressure right from the get-go.             

12. NHL:  Key dates. 

  • Feb. 1 – Teams may start requesting players waive their NMC for the expansion draft
  • Feb. 11 – Deadline to sign Group II RFAs (usually December 1)
  • Mar. 12 – Players on one-year deals can sign extensions (usually Jan. 1)
  • Apr. 12 – Trade Deadline
  • May 8 – End of the regular season
  • May 11 – Playoffs begin
  • July 15 – The latest the Stanley Cup can be awarded
  • July 17 – Expansion draft protection lists tentatively due
  • July 21 – Expansion draft
  • July 23-24 – 2021 NHL Entry Draft
  • July 28 – Free agency opens

13. Jets:  Adam Lowry is off to his best start offensively in a Jets uniform with 4 goals and 5 assists in 11 games and looks bigger, faster and stronger.  The Jets are going to have a few tough decisions when figuring out the protection list for the Seattle expansion draft.       

14. NHL:  The Tkachuk family tag line.

“Pissing off opponents since 1991.”

15. Jets:  Schedule

16. Jets:  I actually liked the Winnipeg Jets reverse retro jerseys.  I’m not sure I want to see them every night but 3-4 times a season is fine by me.  I like them wayyyy better than their Aviator jerseys.    

17. Special Teams: Rule of thumb. Have the two red numbers (PK and PP) total at least 100% when added (as your minimum).  I also base the movement (up or down) on the % and not the NHL ranking.

  • PP: 15th at 20.00% up from 19.40% last week.
  • PK: 12th at 81.30 up from 72.70% last week. 
  • FO: 18th at 49 .70 up from 49.70% last week. 

18. Jets:  I wonder where Sami Niku is now on the Jets defensive depth chart?  I like Niku but I think he is hooped now and especially with Tucker Poolman ready to return soon from his bout with Covid-19.    

19. Goaltending:

  • Conner Hellebuyck:  5-2-1 … 2.48 GAA … .913 SV% 
  • Laurent Brossoit:  2-1-0 … 2.98 GAA … .918 SV%

20. Jets:  Tomorrow night we are going to see something we haven’t seen in Winnipeg since the arrival of Jets 2.0.  The Jets are going to roll out four strong lines like we’ve never seen before.  It may take a few games for them to gel but it sure looks good on paper.  Here is a look at the projected forward lines for Tuesday’s game in Calgary.

Copp-Scheifele-Ehlers

Vesalainen-Stastny-Wheeler

Connor-Dubois-Lewis

Perreault-Lowry-Appleton

I would flip Trevor Lewis and Mason Appleton but it looks like Paul Maurice doesn’t want to split up the Lowry/Appleton tandem.           

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In memory of my friend Darryl Manchulenko.

If you have any questions, please give me a shout. You can use the comment section or use the #ASKWHTPOD hashtag on Twitter.

If you like our new format, let us know in the comment section or hit me on Twitter at WpgSportsTalk or WpgHockTalk

If you are interested in writing for Winnipeg Sports Talk or if you know somebody interested, please contact us at:

winnipeghockeytalk@gmail.com

We are looking for writers to cover the Winnipeg Jets, Manitoba Moose, The Winnipeg ICE, Manitoba Bisons, Winnipeg AAA, MJHL, MMJHL, KIJHL, and Winnipeg High School or any sports team in town.

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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Random Thoughts On The Winnipeg Jets: Christmas Edition

December 23, 2020 by

Mitch Kasprick is the “Motown Curmudgeon” aka “Motown Mitch”

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.

                           MERRY CHRISTMAS

1. NHL:  After a bit of posturing and negotiating from both sides the NHL and NHL Players’ Association reached an agreement to play a 56-game regular season starting Jan. 13, 2021, and ending May 8 giving hockey fans an early Christmas present.

2. NHL:  Key points in the NHL’s return to play

  • Formal training camps will begin on Jan. 3.  There will be no preseason games.  The seven teams that did not participate in the 2019-20 Return to Play will be permitted to open their camps as early as Dec. 31.
  • The Stanley Cup Playoffs will feature 16 teams in a best-of-7, four-round format and conclude around mid-July with the plan of returning to a normal hockey calendar for the 2021-22 season (regular season beginning in October).
  • The top four teams in each division will qualify for the playoffs. The first two rounds will be intradivisional, with the first-place team playing the fourth-place team and the second-place team facing the third-place team in the first round. The four teams that advance from the second round to the Semifinal Round will be seeded by their points total in the regular season (No. 1 vs. No. 4; No. 2 vs. No. 3). 

 3. NHL:  Due to the pandemic and travel restrictions the NHL will have new divisions for the upcoming season and the much talked about Canadian Division is now a reality.  I have a feeling some owners and a couple of Canadian sports networks won’t want to go back to the regular divisions.  Travel could be an issue but not a deal-breaker in my opinion but we all know it will never happen.

NOTE:  At this point (Dec.23), none of the provinces have approved play in the Canadian team’s home rinks.

UPDATE: Dec. 24  

UPDATE: Dec.24 

     

4. Jets:  The more I think about it, the more pissed off I get that Kevin Cheveldayoff signed Nathan Beaulieu and Luka Sbisa on the first day of free agency.  If I was going to bring back any defenceman from that train wreck of a blueline from last year it would have been Dmitry Kulikov and I wouldn’t have been in any hurry to do that.  Chevy’s penchant for bargain-basement depth players is getting tiresome.  It wouldn’t bother me as much if these players spent most of their time in the press box BUT Paul Maurice always feels obligated to play these guys ahead of the younger guys.  Chevy’s lustre wore off for me long ago, he is a marginal GM at best and in my opinion, he has overstayed his welcome.    

5. Jets:  The Winnipeg Jets are a cap team with one of the worst bluelines in the league, at least on paper. How is this even possible?  This could change if Dylan Samberg and/or Ville Heinola pan out and become top-four defencemen (as rookies) but this is a tremendous leap of faith made by the organisation. 

6. Jets:  I don’t know about you but the Patrik Laine trade rumours are getting a little old.  I know they say where there’s smoke there’s fire but he is still a Winnipeg Jets player last time I checked.  I have never for one moment thought he was going anywhere.  Chevy was probably getting calls on him every day and probably would have traded him if he got an offer he couldn’t refuse. 

Embed from Getty Images

7. NHL:  For this season only the NHL will be allowing advertising on the player’s helmets.  Considering the lack of HRR (hockey-related revenue) floating around, this makes sense to me.    

8. NHL:  I wonder how many NHL players are anti-vaccine because I have no doubt when the time comes that vaccinations will be made mandatory in the league.  NHL players are a microcosm of society and there is always a percentage of people that are anti-something.    

9. Jets:  Every ounce of backbone this Winnipeg Jets team had left when Dustin Byfuglien retired with the exception of Adam Lowry.  I fear for this team in heavy games and there will be lots of those with this new division and the number of back-to-back games versus the same team. 

10. Jets:  I wonder what Patrik Laine’s agent Mike Liut thinks his market value is?  I think his agent is trying to overprice him and I’m not sure he will ever get the big money his agent thinks and especially now with a flat cap for probably 2-3 more seasons.  This is what I think is a fair offer for Laine.  How about an eight-year deal worth $70,000,000 with an AAV of $8,750,000. Two years at 8, two years at 8.5, two years at, 9 and two years at 9.5.  I think this is more than fair. 

11. Jets:  Winnipeg Jets fans will have three prospects to watch at this year’s U20 WHC.  Jets 2020 1st round pick Cole Perfetti (10th overall) will suit it up for Team Canada, and a pair of 2019 draft picks Ville Heinola (20th overall) and Henri Nikkanen (113th overall) should pique our interest for a couple of weeks.  I am especially looking forward to seeing fourth-rounder Henri Nikkanen.  The big left-winger was a projected first-rounder but injuries saw his stock plummet all the way down to the fourth round.  The prevailing opinion after the draft was the Winnipeg Jets got away with highway robbery getting him in the fourth round.  Time will tell.

12. NHL:  Revised dates.

  • Dec. 24 – Deadline for players that weren’t in the bubble (7 teams) to opt-out of the 2021 season
  • Dec. 27 – Deadline for players that played in the re-start (24 teams) to opt-out of the 2021 season
  • Dec. 28 – Waiver period begins
  • Dec. 30 – The 7 teams that didn’t play this summer can open training camp
  • Jan. 3 – Remaining 24 teams open training camp
  • Jan. 13 – Season opener
  • Feb. 1 – Teams may start requesting players waive their NMC for the expansion draft
  • Feb. 11 – Deadline to sign Group II RFAs (usually December 1)
  • Mar. 12 – Players on one-year deals can sign extensions (usually Jan. 1)
  • Apr. 12 – Trade Deadline
  • May 8 – End of the regular season
  • May 11 – Playoffs begin
  • July 15 – The latest the Stanley Cup can be awarded
  • July 17 – Expansion draft protection lists tentatively due
  • July 21 – Expansion draft
  • July 23-24 – 2021 NHL Entry Draft
  • July 28 – Free agency opens

Dec. 24 and 27 are the deadlines for NHL players to opt-out of the season due to Covid concerns …. what happens if a player decides he wants to opt-out on Jan. 3?

 

13. Jets:  With every game being played within the division it is even more important to get off to a good start.  Every game is a 4-pointer AND it is basically like a playoff game every night.  This is going to be an interesting season.

14 Jets:  It has been reported that Henri Nikkanen was clocked skating at 39.31 km/hr.  I’m guessing that is pretty fast. (see #11)

15. Jets:  I really like the hiring of Dave Lowry as an assistant coach.  I always like hiring coaches that have played in the league and especially a player that was a very good defensive forward.  This is exactly what the doctor order for this current crop of Winnipeg Jets forwards who are one of the worst in the entire NHL in my opinion.

16. Jets:  Welcome back Marko Dano.  I’ve always like Dano, he is the type of player that can help you up and down the lineup.  A nice depth piece.

17. WHT:  I would like to wish all of our readers and all Winnipeg Jets hockey fans a safe and Merry Christmas.  Keep the faith, better days are on the horizon.  We now have a couple of approved vaccines (Phizer and Moderna) with a couple more on the way and they are starting to be administered and before you know it our normal way of life will be back.  Please, please stay vigilant and respect the protocols set in place to help flatten the curve and take the strain off of our health care workers.  As much as we love our hockey heroes these tireless workers have been the real heroes during this pandemic.  Even though the end is in sight, we still have several months of hard work to go.  THANK-YOU, THANK-YOU to our healthcare workers for your dedication and hard work.

18. WHT:  I would also like to thank all the people that help to make our lives as normal as possible.  The cashiers at our stores, the delivery drivers, the postal workers, the gas station attendants, the long-distance drivers that keep providing our stores with product etc etc.  THANK-YOU ALL.

Last and certainly not least I would like to thank these people and merchants in MORRIS.  Thank-you to Morris Bigway for picking and delivering our groceries when needed, Valley Pharmacy for dropping off our prescriptions when we couldn’t get there, the Morris Post Office, Integra Tire for picking up and dropping off our car after getting new tires, George’s Burgers for our weekly Fat Boy and poutine or fries, Subway, Tim Horton’s, Co-op Gas Station, and to our neighbours … Randy, Mary-Jane, and Vicky and our other neighbour, Andy.  During this pandemic, these people have been there in one form or another to make our lives better.  THANK-YOU, THANK-YOU, THANK-YOU.

And finally a huge thanks to our daughters, Maureen and Tara for looking after us when PK (Phyllis Kasprick) broke her ankle, we would have been lost without them … AND THANK-YOU TO PK WHO IS THE BEST. 

     Merry Christmas and GO JETS GO

 

In memory of my friend Darryl Manchulenko.

If you have any questions, please give me a shout. You can use the comment section or use the #ASKWHTPOD hashtag on Twitter.

If you like our new format, let us know in the comment section or hit me on Twitter at WpgSportsTalk or WpgHockTalk

If you are interested in writing for Winnipeg Sports Talk or if you know somebody interested, please contact us at:

winnipeghockeytalk@gmail.com

We are looking for writers to cover the Winnipeg Jets, Manitoba Moose, The Winnipeg ICE, Manitoba Bisons, Winnipeg AAA, MJHL, MMJHL, KIJHL, and Winnipeg High School or any sports team in town.

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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Random Thoughts On The Winnipeg Jets: Aug. 10

August 10, 2020 by

Mitch Kasprick is the “Motown Curmudgeon” aka “Motown Mitch”

Odds and Ends, Thoughts and Questions, from this past week in hockey –

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Random Thoughts On The Winnipeg Jets: July 27

July 27, 2020 by

Mitch Kasprick is the “Motown Curmudgeon” aka “Motown Mitch”

Odds and Ends, Thoughts and Questions, from this past week in hockey –

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Random Thoughts On The Winnipeg Jets: Mar. 9

March 9, 2020 by

Mitch Kasprick is the “Motown Curmudgeon” aka “Motown Mitch”

Odds and Ends, Thoughts and Questions, from this past week in sports –

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