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.
1. Jets: The Winnipeg Jets went 2-0-1 at home this past week. The boys let one slip away on Saturday vs Toronto, but still managed 5 of 6 points on the week, so not too bad. Their record has improved to 19-22-6, seven points out of the playoffs.
2. Jets: The Jets have 9 games left before the mini trade deadline (Feb. 4), four at home and five on the road, and this will probably determine whether they are buyers or sellers when the actual trade deadline rolls around on Mar. 6.
3. Jets: It took a couple of injuries, but Elias Salomonsson has received a second call-up, and he looks like a veteran now. Sometimes, the biggest compliment you can pay a player is that you didn’t really notice him on the ice. Salomonsson has looked very solid. He should/could be here to stay.
4. Jets: From the “Put that in your pipe and smoke it” file.
Lately, I’ve been extremely disappointed in the play of Adam Lowry. On the upside, he looks much more dangerous offensively, but on the downside, he’s been poor defensively. More often than not, he has been responsible for blown coverages in the defensive zone or being a step or a second late covering his man. I can’t remember the last time Lowry has won a key faceoff. Lowry never cheats the game, but he is definitely off his game, and this Jets team needs their captain to step up. I don’t take great pleasure in criticizing the captain, but I’m not a cheerleader either, so if you can’t handle the truth, put that in your pipe and smoke it
5. Jets: I have to admit that since the lines seem to have sorted themselves out, I like what Tanner Pearson brings to the 4th line. He was never the fastest guy, and he has definitely lost a step, but he knows where to go on the ice. A perfect example was his goal against Minnesota on Thursday in St. Paul. I’ll discuss this more on the LIVE show tonight.
6. Jets: Jonathan Toews will be visiting Chicago tonight for the first time since his return to the NHL. There should be a lot of emotions in his first game back at the United Center. Let’s hope JT puts on a show.
7. Moose: The Manitoba Moose are 4-2-1-0 since the calendar has flipped to 2026 and now have an overall record of 19-14-3-0. They sit comfortably in 3rd place in the 7-team Central Division with a winning percentage of .569. The good news is that the team is very competitive, but the bad news is that they don’t score a lot. Right now, the Jets’ best prospects seem to be on the blueline and in goal, although some of their forward prospects are playing much better. One of my faves, goaltender Thomas Milic, has been selected to play in the 2026 AHL All-Star Classic in Rockford, Illinois.
8. Jets: I think we’ve seen enough of Danny Zhilkin for now, and maybe it’s time to give another Moose forward a look.
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9. Jets: As of Monday morning, the Jets’ chances of making the playoffs are sitting at 14.3%, 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 🤔 Considering the Jets traded up to draft Logan Stanley and they’ve dealt with the ups and downs of his development, plus his injuries, can you see them letting him walk to free agency just when he’s just starting to look like the dman they had envisioned? This creates an interesting situation. It has been reported in the past that “Big Stan” has asked for a trade, and considering he is a pending UFA, I can’t help but wonder what is going on behind the scenes.
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: 21st at 19.50%, up from 19th at 18.70% last week (net 18th at 18.00%)*
- PK: 19th at 78.60%, up from 22nd at 77.70% last week (net 15th at 82.10%)*
- FO: 11th at 50.80%, down from 9th at 51.20% last week
12. Jets: Goaltending:
- Connor Hellebuyck: 12-12-5 … 2.76 GAA … .901 SV%
- Eric Comrie: 7-9-1 … 3.33 GAA … .884 SV%
13. Jets: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly this past week.
- Good: Getting points in 6 of the last 7 games.
- Bad: The leads the boys keep giving up.
- Ugly: I don’t think Morgan Barron or Adam Lowry has won a faceoff while the Jets were short-handed.
14. Jets: I’ve watched Jonathon Toews long enough not to doubt my belief that he could still be an effective piece in this Winnipeg Jets puzzle. My evaluation of JT is based on what I was seeing him do and not looking at his points or linemates. He is doing basically the same now as he was earlier on, but now working with a Cole Perfetti who has come out of hibernation and a legitimate top-6 forward like Gabe Vilardi, it’s not surprising to see the positive results. It also helped when Scott Arniel stopped treating JT like a 4th liner. We are still seeing the odd blown coverage and too many careless penalties, but those are correctable. I’m hoping for a big second half of the season for JT.
15. Jets: I’m worried because the Jets are on back-to-back, tonight (in Chicago) and tomorrow at home (St.L), and that means Eric Comrie gets a start. Although he played okay in his last outing versus the LA Kings, that was a low-event game that our ECHL goalies would have won, with all due respect to Winnipegger Isaac Poulter, who tends the net for the Norfolk Admials.
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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Hi, I am Mitch Kasprick, also known as the “Westdale Curmudgeon
1. Jets: The Winnipeg Jets went 0-4-0 this past week and extended their losing streak to nine games. I believe the 6-5 loss in Toronto officially broke them. They have hit rock bottom. Their record is currently 15-21-4. 
1. Jets: The Winnipeg Jets only had 1 game last week, but once again, the NHL’s incompetence reared its ugly head again and turned what should have been a hard-earned Jets win into an excruciating OT loss. Their record now sits at 15-17-4. 
1. Jets: The Winnipeg Jets went 0-2-2 this past week and sit 6 points out of a playoff position. The good news is they have games in hand on all the teams ahead of them; the bad news is games in hand don’t mean much if you can’t win a hockey game. 
