Mar. 9 Random Thoughts on the Winnipeg Jets

March 9, 2026 by

Please join host Harley Friesen and Winnipeg Hockey Talk owner/writer Mitch Kasprick for a more in-depth discussion of these Random Thoughts on the Winnipeg Jets, Manitoba Moose, and the National Hockey League on our new WHT YouTube channel here >>>> https://www.youtube.com/@WpgHockTalk  LIVE every Monday at 7:00 pm.  

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1. Jets:  The Winnipeg Jets went 3-0-0 this past week and have earned points in all six of their games since the Olympic break.  They now have a record of .500 at 26-26-10, five points out of the playoffs.  The team has now won 3 of their first 8 games on this homestand and is making things a little more interesting in the Western Conference wildcard race.  The Jets have 20 games remaining in the regular season and are still kicking at the cat. 

 2. Jets:  The NHL trade deadline has come and gone, and I’d say Chevy had a pretty good day.  If you break it down into 3 separate deals, it would look like this:

  • Pending Unrestricted Free Agent, Luke Schenn (36) goes to Buffalo for 2nd (Buff) and 4th (best of Buff or Edm) round picks, and Winnipeg retains 50% of Schenn’s salary.
  • defenseman Logan Stanley (27) to Buffalo for pending Restricted Free Agent, forward Isak Rosen (22), the Sabres’ first-round pick (14th overall) in the 2021 NHL Draft and pending Unrestricted Free Agent, defenceman Jacob Bryson (28), a fourth-round pick (99th overall) in the 2017 NHL Draft.
  • Pending Unrestricted Free Agent, Tanner Pearson (33) to Buffalo for their 7th round pick in 2026.

So, the Jets basically got back what they gave up for Schenn exactly a year ago and got to use him for a year for free.  Whether you liked Schenn or not, that’s not a bad ROI.

In the case of Logan Stanley, Chevy got a 22-year-old nugget in Isak Rosen that is on the cusp of breaking out and could be a potential replacement for Nik Ehlers. I said potential replacement, but Rosen has all the tools and the skillset to be a top-6 winger.  The Jets also received diminutive (a nice way of saying Smurf) defenceman Jacob Bryson.  All in all, not a bad haul for three pending UFAs, and the Jets can still revisit talks with “Big Stan” on July 1.

3. Things that make me go hmmm: #1🤔  Ville Heinola deserves better.  I think he has played very well in the games he has dressed since his call-up, and I can’t help but wonder what his evaluators see through their disapproving eyes.  Sorry for using this medical analogy, but this poor kid has been misdiagnosed by a bunch of quacks masquerading as hockey people.        

4. Jets:  Cole Perfetti has been playing pretty good hockey lately, but man, is he snakebit, and after having a good game, he had nothing to show for it until the final minute when he fired a wrister past Hawks goalie, Spencer Knight, to send it to overtime.  The hockey gods must have known they wronged him LOL.

5. Pet peeve:  When the Jets need a big faceoff in the offensive zone late in a period, Scott Arniel calls on Jonathon Toews, but to start overtime, he uses Adam Lowry, who never wins that draw.  WHY?

6. Jets:  All I have to say is Haydn Fleury sure can skate, and his skillset would suggest that after playing 21 games, albeit being spread out all season, due to injuries, you’d think he’d have a better scoring line than 0-0=0.

7. Jets:  Connor Hellebuyck was absolutely terrific last week and gave his team the Vesina style goaltending they’re used to seeing, and his duel with Lightning goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy on Thursday night was something to see until Helle’s teammates solved the big Russian keeper and won it 4-1.

8. Jets:  Question for Scott Arniel:  When you get to overtime, do you forget that you can use Gabe Vilardi, one of your best forwards?

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9. Jets:  Maybe the Logan Stanley era isn’t officially over. 

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

Sometimes I wish the analytics guys would just STFU.  Player on-ice metrics are important but very misleading at times.  It’s hard to quantify size and toughness into analytics, and players like Luke Schenn and Logan Stanley often get chastised for poor metrics.  How do you measure size, reach, and toughness in today’s game?  If you don’t think it’s important, you’ve missed the plot and you don’t know as much about hockey as you think you do.  Players like Schenn and Stanley rarely play behind the top lines, so their Corsi numbers would suffer, especially on this Jets team that isn’t a high-volume shooting team, and the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th lines don’t score a lot.  You need all types of players to win in this league so stop crapping on big, tough players.  Go back in your basement and play with your slide rule and STFU and while you’re at it put that in your pipe and smoke it.

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: 24th at 18.50% (net 20th at 16.80%)
  • PK: 17th at 78.80% (net 16th at 81.60%)
  • FO: 14th at 50.60%

12. Jets:  Goaltending:

  • Connor Hellebuyck:  16-16-9 … 2.73 GAA … .902 SV%
  • Eric Comrie:  10-9-1 … 3.01 GAA … .893 SV%

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

  • Good:  Mark Scheifele was terrific in the Jets’ 3 wins last week with 3 goals and 5 assists for 8 points and continues to drive the offence for his team.  What a player.
  • Bad:  The Jets relied on Helle a little too much, but not any more than their opposition in all 3 games last week.  I guess that is today’s game.  
  • Ugly:  No ugly this week unless we talk about some of Scott Arniel’s lineup decisions.  

UPDATE:

14. Jets: Tidbits and FYIs:

  • Gus Nyquist finally got off the schneid on Thursday night versus the Lightning.  YAY!
  • Josh Morrissey sets a new Jets/Thrashers/Winnipeg record for most points by a defenceman (417), passing his mentor, Dustin Byfuglien.
  • The Jets are 4-0-2 since the Olympic break.
  • The Jets have made it to Count Chocula’s bogus .500.
  • The league’s 23-man roster limit has officially expired for the duration of this season, and the only roster requirement from now on is to remain cap compliant.
  • In the Jets’ past six games, they’ve gone to overtime 5 times.

 

Please join host Harley Friesen and Winnipeg Hockey Talk owner/writer Mitch Kasprick for a more in-depth discussion of these Random Thoughts on the Winnipeg Jets, Manitoba Moose, and the National Hockey League on our new WHT YouTube channel here >>>> https://www.youtube.com/@WpgHockTalk   LIVE every Monday at 7:00 pm.  

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Jan. 26 Random Thoughts on the Winnipeg Jets

January 26, 2026 by

Please join host Harley Friesen and Winnipeg Hockey Talk owner/writer Mitch Kasprick for a more in-depth discussion of these Random Thoughts on the Winnipeg Jets, Manitoba Moose, and the National Hockey League on our new WHT YouTube channel here >>>> https://www.youtube.com/@WpgHockTalk  LIVE every Monday at 7:00 pm.  

Program Change:  Harley and Mitch will be LIVE on YouTube at NOON on Monday

1. Jets:  The Winnipeg Jets went 1-2-1 this past week, and their record sits at a very underwhelming 20-24-7, ten points out of the playoffs.  The team now heads out on a 4-game road trip in some tough buildings, NJ, Tampa, Florida, and then Dallas.  Good Luck.

#NHLJets Head Coach Scott Arniel postgame: “That was one of the most embarrassing games for me in the last month” pic.twitter.com/en4A5qRfWK

— Winnipeg Sports Talk (@SportsTalkWPG) January 25, 2026

2. Jets:  As the games get tougher, Kyle Connor doesn’t get tougher, he just gets tougher to watch.  His disappearing acts are getting tiresome to watch.

3. Jets:  Elias Salomonsson looked very poised this past week, and I wonder where he slots in on the Jets’ upcoming 4-game road trip.  You can see his confidence growing game by game.  Salomonsson is starting to jump into the play and create a bit.  He looks good, and although the sample size is small, I’d say his AHL days are numbered, and Chevy can start moving guys out (Schenn).

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

Even though he is one of my all-time faves, explain to me why I’m supposed to give a crap that Buff is playing in the Heritage Classic Alumni Game?  Until I can understand why, he quit on his team at the start of training camp, seemingly out of nowhere, I’m going to remain ambivalent until the truth comes out.  I’m not ready to embrace a player who really screwed his team and his fans, so put that in your pipe and smoke it.

5. Jets:  The drop-off in scoring on the Jets after the “Big Four” is staggering, and it’s no wonder this team is where it is in the standings so far this year.

6. Jets:  It was only 2 games, but Issac Phillips showed me he could compete for or join in the rotation for 5/6, 3rd pair defenceman.  His skating is okay, he makes good reads, makes the simple plays, and adds some size and edge to the backend.

7. Moose:  The Manitoba Moose split a pair of home games last week and their record sits at 20-15-3-0 as they sit comfortably in 3rd place in the 7-team Central Division with a winning percentage of .566.  The good news is that prospect finally scored a big goal as Brad Lambert scored the winner Sunday afternoon in the final minute of the 3rd period.  It looks like the Moose might be Winnipeg’s only playoff hope.

8. Jets:  Is it maybe time to give another Moose forward a look? 

Which Manitoba Moose forward would you like to see next?

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9. Jets:  As of Monday morning, the Jets’ chances of making the playoffs are sitting at a paltry 5.6%, basically slim and none and slim just left town.  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 🤔 Why is it that Cole Koepke always seems to draw the short straw when it comes to lineup decisions by Scott Arniel?  Sitting Nyquist is a given, but I like Koepke’s speed in the game.  It wouldn’t break my heart to see Vlad, or Pearson, or even Nino join the popcorn brigade here and there.  

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: 18th at 19.90%, up from 21st at 19.50% last week (net 15th at 18.40%)*
  • PK: 17th at 79.50%, up from 19th at 78.60% last week (net 14th at 82.70%)*
  • FO: 12th at 50.60%, down from 11th at 50.80% last week

12. Jets:  Goaltending:

  • Connor Hellebuyck:  12-14-6 … 2.69 GAA … .902 SV%
  • Eric Comrie:  8-9-1 … 3.19 GAA … .888 SV%

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

  • Good:  Logan Stanley is playing at a level that no one could have imagined at this time last season.
  • Bad:  The goals at even strength have completely dried up. 
  • Ugly:  The Jets played 4 games this past week, and they scored TWO goals at even strength.  TWO in 12 periods of hockey.  

14. Jets:  Old adage time: This week’s old adage is very pertinent concerning the Winnipeg Jets.  “One game at a time.”

15. Things that make me go hmmm: #2 🤔 I often wonder why trading pending UFAs or trading at the trade deadline seems to trigger a narrative that a team is either a buyer (bulking up for a playoff run) or a seller (basically giving up on the season).  Why can’t you be both?  Example:  If the Jets trade pending free agents Luke Schenn and/or Logan Stanley, what do you think it means?  Are they giving up on the season?  

Please join host Harley Friesen and Winnipeg Hockey Talk owner/writer Mitch Kasprick for a more in-depth discussion of these Random Thoughts on the Winnipeg Jets, Manitoba Moose, and the National Hockey League on our new WHT YouTube channel here >>>> https://www.youtube.com/@WpgHockTalk   LIVE every Monday at 7:00 pm.  

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Random Thoughts On The Winnipeg Jets: Oct. 24

October 24, 2022 by

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.

1. Jets:  The Winnipeg Jets didn’t have a great week going 1-3 but they did play some good hockey in every game but just not for 60 minutes.  They have gone stretches playing the type of game Rick Bowness wants but it hasn’t been consistent although encouraging.  The Jets have another tough week with four games with three on the road.  Their record currently sits at 2-3-0. 

2. Jets:  On one of the Avalanche goals Wednesday night the puck was just inside the Jets’ blueline and Scheif couldn’t quite get it out but instead of KC being there to help he blew the zone and the puck ended up in our net.  You just can’t do that crap after a long shift and especially against the Nathan MacKinnon line.  KC should have been there to help get the puck out and live to fight another shift.  These are the little things the Jets need to be better at.        

3. Jets:  I’ve really liked the Jets play 5v5, for the most part this season but it is like watching a bad re-run the way the special teams are killing them.  It is early in the season but the Jets are in the bottom third in both categories in the NHL.

4. Jets:  There is never a good time to be without one of your top players but there couldn’t be a worse time to be without Nikolaj “don’t call me Nik” Ehlers right now for the Jets?  With the team having a new coach, a new system, a tough opening schedule, and trying to win back the fans they’ve lost, the Ehlers injury doesn’t help.    

5. Jets:  If I was being honest right now I’d rather have Jacob Trouba instead of Neil Pionk and Ville Heinola.

Who would you rather have right now?

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6. Moose:  The Manitoba Moose are off to a nice start with a 4-0-1-0 record after 5 games.  Janzen Harkins is playing well and the Moose are getting contributions up and down the lineup.  Like I said a couple of weeks ago, they will be a fun team to watch this season.

7. Jets:  I like the options the Winnipeg Jets now have on their 4th line, it took 12 years to figure it out but I believe the Jets have finally got it right.

8. ICE:  The Canadian Hockey League announced their Week 1 edition of the Kia CHL Top-10 Rankings for the 2022-23 season.  The Winnipeg ICE are still ranked #1 in the CHL with an 11-1-0 record.  The ICE have one more road game left after having to play their first thirteen games on the road.  The ICE are off to a very impressive start to their season and are on a mission. 

Kia CHL Top-10 Rankings – Week 3

as of Oct. 19 

1. Winnipeg ICE
2. Sherbrooke Phoenix
3. Quebec Remparts
4. Seattle Thunderbirds
5. Portland Winterhawks
6. Gatineau Olympiques
7. Kamloops Blazers
8. Mississauga Steelheads
9. Ottawa 67’s
10. Red Deer Rebels
HM. Windsor Spitfires
HM. Halifax Mooseheads
HM. Everett Silvertips

9. Jets:  The play that Cole Perfetti made on PLD’s goal on Saturday night was a glimpse into the future of his game.  Perfetti is going to put up huge assist numbers if he doesn’t end up in a body bag from all the hits from behind he takes. 

10. Jets:  Brendan Dillon is slowly becoming my favourite defenceman on the Jets.  He is a better skater and puck handler than I remember when he was with Washington and San Jose and he makes a lot of punishing hits without taking himself out of the play and he’ll drop the gloves.  My kind of player.

Embed from Getty Images

  

11. Jets:  This week’s Random Thoughts got hijacked by my hatred of NHL officiating and the Toronto Maple Leafs.  I know it’s low-hanging fruit but they both make it so easy.  

12. Jets:  I would like to see Jets PP#1 try Adam Lowry as their net-front presence and encourage more shots from the point, no matter who the defenceman is.  They all shoot the puck well enough to make it work.  I’m already sick of the over-passing.  The Jets need more traffic in front of the eyes of opposing goaltenders.

13. Jets:  It only took me 3 weeks into the season to start venting about the NHL officiating.  The interference call on Josh Saturday night was a real weak and the Leafs getting a PP after Perfetti gets hit from behind was a joke.  At times, NHL officiating can take the enjoyment out of watching their games.  If I didn’t bet on games or wasn’t involved in hockey pools or have this website,  I’m not sure I’d watch as much as I do.  NHL officiating is getting worse instead of better and it’s not just me that sees it.

This is PLD’s way of saying the officiating was dog shit without getting fined.


14. Jets:  I don’t usually pay attention to the broadcast crew on most nights BUT Craig Simpson made me want to puke during the HNIC broadcast Saturday night.  He has his head so far up the Leafs nation’s ass that it was embarrassing. 

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

Cole Perfetti was hit from behind AGAIN and I believe that is 4 times in 5 games.  I’m wondering if it is time to start complaining to the league and lobbying for suspensions on these hits.  At this rate, Perfetti won’t last till American Thanksgiving. 

16. Jets:  Saturday night’s Jets game made me wonder how Toronto would react to playing in the Central Division with teams like Dallas, St. Louis or Minny.  The Leafs actually called up Wayne Simmonds and Kyle Clifford from the AHL so they could have them in their lineup versus the big, bad, Jets.  News flash, the Jets haven’t been big or bad for quite some time. 

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

  • Good:  A glimpse of what they are going to be under Rick Bowness.  
  • Bad:  Broken record but the PP and PK.   
  • Ugly:  David Rittich’s free pizza to Jack Eichel on Thursday night.  

18. Jets: Neil Pionk is turning into a mini version of Dustin Byfuglien, an adventure in both ends of the ice.  Pionk has started off the season very well offensively and if he can continue to put up decent numbers in the o-zone maybe we can forgive some of his lapses in the d-zone.  That ripper in OT versus Colorado was a thing of beauty but his play in front of HELLE was butt ugly.   

19. Goaltending:

  • Conner Hellebuyck:  2-2-0 … 2.75 GAA … .915 SV%  
  • David Rittich:  0-1-0 … 4.23 GAA … .871 SV%

 20. Jets:  Logan Stanley watch:  Since big Stan seems to be a lightning rod in this market so I think I’ll keep a closer eye on him early on this season.  I  didn’t notice glaring mistakes last week and I thought he played fairly well in the Toronto game.     

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Random Thoughts On The Winnipeg Jets: May 9

May 9, 2022 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:  I hope Paul Maurice applies for his old job just so I can laugh my ass off at all his haters losing their shit.  Yes, I have a twisted sense of humour but that’s why they call me a curmudgeon.   

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Random Thoughts On The Winnipeg Jets: May 2

May 2, 2022 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 played three games this past week and won all three giving them a record of 39-32-11 on the season.  It took them all year but they finally put together a 4-game winning streak.  Mercifully this frustrating season is over.   

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