Jan. 19 Random Thoughts on the Winnipeg Jets

January 19, 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.  

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.

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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. 

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 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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Random Thoughts on the Winnipeg Jets for Jan. 5, 2026

January 5, 2026 by

Mitch Kasprick is now the “Westdale Curmudgeon.“ Odds and Ends, Thoughts, and Questions from this past week in Hockey

I am a fan of the Winnipeg Jets, the Manitoba Moose, 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, or is it the 8Ps?  You’ve been warned.

For a more in-depth look at these Random Thoughts, check out the new WHT YouTube channel. https://www.youtube.com/@WpgHockTalk

Host Harley Friesen and Winnipeg Hockey Talk writer Mitch Kasprick discuss his Random Thoughts on the Winnipeg Jets, Manitoba Moose, and the National Hockey League. 

 

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.     

2. Jets:  Can you imagine being the GM of a hockey team and trying to explain to your owner how you missed the playoffs with the best goaltender on the planet?  I’d love to be a fly on the wall for that conversation.  

3. Jets:  It’s not just me, folks.

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

Ask me if I was impressed with Gavin McKenna’s 3-goal performance in Canada’s 9-1 victory over Denmark?  NO, I wasn’t!  If you want to impress me, score a couple of goals against a good team like Finland or Team Sweden in a meaningful game.  Padding your stats against the weak sisters doesn’t impress me … So Put that in your pipe and smoke it.  

5. NHL: Olympics:   Team USA announced their roster for the Olympic Games, and to absolutely nobody’s surprise, Winnipeg Jets forward Kyle Connor and goaltender Connor Hellebuyck were named to the team. 

6. Jets:  Question for Scott Arniel:  Why didn’t you pull Comrie … Why didn’t you pull Comrie … Why didn’t you pull Comrie … Why didn’t you pull Comrie … Why didn’t you pull Comrie… WTF is wrong with you?  WTF are you waiting for?  Your season is circling the drain right in front of you, and you’re going to hang your hat on a guy that can’t stop a beachball?  Are you trying to get fired?          

7. NHL: Olympics:  Hockey Canada released their final roster for the Olympic Games, and I guess I have to eat my words as Mark Scheifele did not make the team, even though he is better than Nick Suzuki, Anthony Cirelli, Brandon Hagel, Brayden Point, and maybe even Bo Horvat.  Scheif is still in the Olympic Games’ doping protocol and could end up going if somebody gets injured before the games.  The consensus is that he should have been in the original group.  I don’t usually give a crap about this type of stuff because it doesn’t affect my life, BUT I genuinely feel bad for Scheif.

8. Jets:  The Winnipeg Jets had a guy on their 1st-unit powerplay with 0 goals, and then next game he was a healthy scratch again … I wonder how Brad Lambert would do with that same opportunity?

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9. Jets:  As of Monday morning, the Jets’ chances of making the playoffs are sitting at 9.3%, 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 🤔 Fans are screaming to call up the kids from the Manitoba Moose, and as I pointed out on one of my “playoff odds updates”, why not call up the 3 best players? 

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 19.10% down from 11th at 21.00% last week (net 15th at 17.40%)*
  • PK: 21st at 78.30% down from 16th 80.90% last week (net 18th at 88.20%)*
  • FO: 10th at 51.50% down from 10th at 51.60% last week

12. Jets:  Goaltending:

  • Connor Hellebuyck:  9-11-3 … 2.58 GAA … .905 SV%
  • Eric Comrie:  6-9-1 … 3.49 GAA … .880 SV%

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

  • Good:  Outside of hurt feelings, the team didn’t suffer any major injuries on their 4-game road trip. 
  • Bad:  The team didn’t suffer any major injuries during their 4-game road trip. That seems to be the only way they call up players from the AHL.
  • Ugly:  The Jets were 9-3-0 once upon a time in October, but since then, they have gone 6-18-4. 

 14. Things that make me go hmmm: #2 🤔

It’s been about 22 months since that unnamed player from a Western Conference team called the Winnipeg Jets FRAUDS?

15. Jets:  Kevin Cheveldayoff held his mid-season presser this morning, and nothing earth-shattering was revealed but at least our media guys did ask some tough questions.  If the Jets players could dangle around the ice like Chevy dandles at these pressers, they’d be in 1st place.

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Random Thoughts on the Winnipeg Jets for Dec. 22, 2025

December 22, 2025 by

Mitch Kasprick is now the “Westdale Curmudgeon.“ Odds and Ends, Thoughts, and Questions from this past week in Hockey

I am a fan of the Winnipeg Jets, the Manitoba Moose, 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, or is it the 8Ps?  You’ve been warned.

For a more in-depth look at these Random Thoughts, check out the new WHT YouTube channel. https://www.youtube.com/@WpgHockTalk

Host Harley Friesen and Winnipeg Hockey Talk writer Mitch Kasprick discuss his Random Thoughts on the Winnipeg Jets, Manitoba Moose, and the National Hockey League. 

 

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.  

2. Jets:  Although I doubt this could really happen, the Jets are officially in the Gavin McKenna sweepstakes.  

3. Jets:  I haven’t done any in-depth calculations, but I believe the final wildcard position might be had with as few as 88-90 points this season, based on no easy pickings at the bottom of the league.  This year, the bottom-feeders in the standings are not an automatic 2 points.  The Western Conference has much more parity than in years past.

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

Sports fans like to analyze what is going wrong, what has gone wrong, and who’s to blame when things go south with their favourite sports teams, and Winnipeg Jets fans are no different.  I have seen a lot of venom being spewed in all sorts of directions, and most are valid for the most part, but I must defend my man, Jonathon Toews.  JT was a risk and a gamble that most fans were excited about, but up until now, it hasn’t worked out exactly as we would have liked.  Fair point, but I don’t think Toews is our biggest problem.

My “blame game” list starts with Kevin Cheveldayoff, who is the architect of this mess.  We have two underachieving forwards that are killing this team, named Gus Nyquist and Cole Perfetti.  We have Dylan DeMelo, who is becoming a liability to his partner, Josh Morrissey, more often than not.  We have Luke Schenn, who does bring some intangibles to the team, but not enough to outweigh his poor analytics.  The inconsistent play of our highest-paid defenceman, Neal Pionk, is concerning and the inconsistency from our best defensive defenceman, the usually reliable Dylan Samberg.  How much of this is on head coach Scott Arniel?  I believe he has to share some of the blame, as he has done some strange things as far as roster decisions, but the man only has the option to play what he has available to him, which brings us back to the top of the food chain.  Mark Chipman and Kevin Cheveldayoff are the ones who are steering this ship, but unfortunately, it is heading straight for an iceberg.  There is still lots of season left and enough time to right the ship, but the boys in charge better get right to it as soon as the Christmas trade freeze is over.  The bottom line is there is plenty of blame to go around, but Jonathon Toews is far, far, far from the biggest problem, so …  Put that in your pipe and smoke it.  

5. Jets:  I don’t consider the Jets a small team, but I’ve never seen a team that loses so many puck battles.   At times, they look incredibly feeble.

6. Jets:  Question for Scott Arniel:  Hey, coach, what were you thinking with your forward choices in overtime vs Ottawa?

1st shift: 81-55-44  2nd shift:  17-14-4  3rd shift: 7-91-54.

Then, to make matters worse, on Sunday night versus Utah, he starts 17  in the OT, where he loses the faceoff, then goes for a big hit and misses, creating a 2 on 1 against and bing, zing, the game is over in a whopping 13 seconds.

Adam Lowry is 51.3% at the dot, and Jonathon Toews is 62.2%.

7. NHL:  FYI:  Reminder: The NHL holiday roster freeze is currently in effect until 11:59 pm ET on December 27th.

8. Moose:  The Manitoba Moose went 1-1 again last week, making their record 15-11-2-0.  The Moose are in 2nd in the Central Division and are in 6th place in the 17-team Western Conference.  The Moose are starting to get a little healthier, which will be important as their schedule gets a little tougher in the new year. 

Watch the WHT YouTube channel live every Monday at 7:00.   Winnipeg Hockey Talk on YouTube

9. Jets:  I don’t usually do Money Puck’s playoff percentage odds until the midway point of the season, but I’ve already had requests, so let’s give the readers what they want.

As of Monday morning, after last night’s game in Utah, the Jets’ chances of making the playoffs are sitting at 24.0%.  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 🤔  I don’t disagree with this decision, but are you telling me that Cole Perfetti has been the only player deserving of a benching (3rd period vs Col) all year?

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: 11th at 21.00% up from 12th at 20.10% last week (net 13th at 19.00%)*
  • PK: 16th at 80.90% up from 21st 78.40% last week (net 13th at 84.30%)*
  • FO: 10th at 51.60% up from 12th at 51.30% last week

12. Jets:  Goaltending:

  • Connor Hellebuyck:  9-6-2 … 2.48 GAA … .912 SV%
  • Eric Comrie:  6-8-1 … 3.30 GAA … .886 SV%

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

  • Good:  Kyle Connor might be getting hot again.
  • Bad:  Until Kyle Connor and Morgan Barron scored in the 3rd period versus Utah, a Jets forward hadn’t scored a goal at 5 on 5 since last Saturday night’s 5-1 win over Washington.  Try wrapping your head around that.       
  • Ugly:  The Jets are 2-7-2 in December and 0-2-2 since the return of Helle. 

14. Jets:  I thought Jonathon Toews showed a few flashes of his former self in Colorado on Friday night. 

15. Things that make me go hmmm: #2 🤔

For a team that lacks footspeed and looks slow most nights, I don’t understand why Scott Arniel continues to make Cole Koepke a healthy scratch.  Tanner Pearson took 2 penalties on Sunday versus Utah basically because of his lack of footspeed.

16. WJHC:  Team Canada World Juniors 2026 Schedule

17. Jets:  Two top Jets prospects to keep an eye on at the U20 WHC.

Alfons Freij, D (Sweden)
Sascha Boumedienne, D (Sweden)

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays To All

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Random Thoughts on the Winnipeg Jets for Dec. 8, 2025

December 8, 2025 by

Mitch Kasprick is now the “Westdale Curmudgeon.“ Odds and Ends, Thoughts, and Questions from this past week in Hockey

I am a fan of the Winnipeg Jets, the Manitoba Moose, 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, or is it the 8Ps?  You’ve been warned.

For a more in-depth look at these Random Thoughts, check out the new WHT YouTube channel. https://www.youtube.com/@WpgHockTalk

Host Harley Friesen and Winnipeg Hockey Talk writer Mitch Kasprick discuss his Random Thoughts on the Winnipeg Jets, Manitoba Moose, and the National Hockey League. 

1. Jets:  The Winnipeg Jets finished their 5-game road trip with a disappointing 1-3-1 record, and after a week where they went 1-2-1, their record of 14-13-1 still has them hovering around the wildcard position.  The good guys now have 4 in a row at home and need to start banking some points.

2. Jets:  The lack of scoring, and by that I mean scoring from the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th lines, is a much bigger problem than the lack of Helle.  The good news is that the 4th line has scored in the last 2 games, but the bad news is that the 2nd and 3rd lines have completely gone dry.

3. Jets:  Adam Lowry and Dylan Samberg are not playing their best hockey right now.  I think missing games to start the season has impacted both of them more than we would have expected.  You can add Cole Perfetti to this list as well and while I’m at it, let’s add Jonathon Toews, who hasn’t played in a couple of years.  I’m looking forward to a big second half from all 4 of these players because we’re going to need it.  I just hope it’s not too late.

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

I’m not a Chevy hater nor a Chevy apologist, but at what point does the GM have to take responsibility for the fiasco he has created?  Under Chevy’s tenure, the Winnipeg Jets have only won 4 playoff rounds in 14 years, and year 15 isn’t looking very promising.  It’s time to start holding his feet to the fire, as he is the architect of this old, slow team, so put that in your pipe and smoke it.  

5. Jets:  After being very hard on Eric Comrie last week, he was incredible on Wednesday night in Montreal.  I also thought he was excellent versus Buffalo on Friday night.

6. Jets:  Question for Scott Arniel:  With your team having to go to Edmonton on a back-to-back, your big roster move was to sit Elias Salomonsson and dress Luke Schenn?

7. Jets:  Logan Stanley, Neal Pionk, and Dylan Samberg were taking turns serving up free pizzas in Montreal on Wednesday night.

8. Moose:  The Manitoba Moose went 2-1 last week, making their record 13-9-2-0.  The Moose are in 2nd in the Central Division and are in a tie for 3rd in the 17-team Western Conference.  The boys now have 6 in a row at home to finish off the month of December.  The part that frustrates me about the Moose is that I want to see Brad Lambert and Nikita Chibrikov get called up to the Jets, but if I were being honest, the way they are playing at the AHL level, they don’t deserve a promotion. 

Update:  Thomas Milic down to the Moose, Dom DiVincentiis up to the Jets. 

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9. Jets:  Elias Salomonsson played in two games last week, and his overall play actually looked pretty solid.  It will be interesting to see what happens when Haydn Fleury is ready to return.  IMHO, he would not be my choice to come out of the Jets lineup.

10. Jets:  The NHL has announced that the Winnipeg Jets and Montreal Canadiens will play in an outdoor game in the 2026 “Tim Hortons NHL Heritage Classic” at Princess Auto Stadium in Winnipeg.  The game will be played on Sunday, Oct. 25, 2026, and I’m guessing it won’t be an afternoon game where the sun can play havoc like the last time in 2016.

11. Jets:  WHT Poll

If the price is right should Chevy look into acquiring Steve Stamkos?

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12. 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: 12th at 21.30% down from 11th at 22.70% last week (net 12th at 18.80%)*
  • PK: 14th at 81.30% down from 6th 84.50% last week (net 12th at 84.60%)*
  • FO: 9th at 52.10% down from 6th at 53.00% last week

13. Jets:  Goaltending:

  • Connor Hellebuyck:  8-6-0 … 2.51 GAA … .913 SV%
  • Eric Comrie:  6-6-0 … 3.08 GAA … .898 SV%
  • Thomas Milic:  0-1-0 … 3.56 … .871 SV%
  • Domenic DiVincentiis:  6-7-0–0 … 2.49 GAA … .915 SV%  (Manitoba Moose)

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

  • Good:  The 3rd period versus Buffalo on Friday night looked like last year’s Jets.
  • Bad:  Adam Lowry should be embarrassed by being outmuscled by the much smaller Matt Savoie on Edmonton’s 3rd goal on Saturday night.  
  • Ugly:  The Jets are 3-6-1 post-Helle surgery.

15.  Things that make me go hmmm:🤔  

I’ve already heard a lot of Jets fans griping about Montreal being the Jets’ opponent for the Heritage Classic, when Minnesota is our closest rival in proximity and our biggest rival, period.  I totally concur, but I don’t know what the criteria are for choosing an opponent.  Is it about Canadian Heritage and not necessarily rivalries?  I wonder?

16.  WHT Poll

Who would you prefer to see in the Tim Hortons Heritage Classic?

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17.  WHT Poll

Should Chevy look into Laurent Brossoit?

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18. Jets:  Cole Koepke has NHL speed, but he has AHL hands.  If Cole had better hands, he’d have 3 or 4 more goals this season.  I love the way he takes the puck to the net and doesn’t live on the perimeter like some of his teammates. 

19. Jets:  I like Vladdy, but I’m sorry, you can’t have a guy with 0 goals and 1 assist in his last 15 games playing on the 2nd line and second unit powerplay.  He’s okay in a pinch, but he is a bottom-six guy on most teams.

20. Jets:  Kevin Cheveldayoff’s scorecard has a lot of birdies on it as well as a lot of bogies.  He also has a couple of eagles and a few double-bogies too, but after you add up his scorecard, he is a par golfer at best, and par golfers never win a golf tournament and rarely even make the cut.  It’s time for Mark Chipman to find a new golfer to back.  

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Random Thoughts on the Winnipeg Jets for Nov. 10 2025

November 10, 2025 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, Manitoba Moose, 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, or is it the 8Ps?  You’ve been warned.

For a more in-depth look at these Random Thoughts, check out the new WHT YouTube channel.

https://www.youtube.com/@WpgHockTalk

Host Harley Friesen and Winnipeg Hockey Talk writer Mitch Kasprick discuss his Random Thoughts on the Winnipeg Jets, Manitoba Moose, and the National Hockey League.

Watch WHT’s YouTube show here >>> https://youtu.be/gsFpDc79Kxw

1. Jets:  The Winnipeg Jets are halfway through their six-game Western road trip and went 0 for California and looked like crap doing it.  The only way they can salvage this road trip is by winning the last 3 games.  That won’t happen, only scoring 2 goals in 3 games.

2. Jets:  Adam Lowry returned to the lineup on Thursday night vs LA, and Cole Perfetti drew back in against Anaheim last night, but they will probably need a few more games to be difference-makers.  The player this team needs back desperately is Dylan Samberg.

3. Jets:  It is really frustrating staying up late and watching your team crap the bed, scoring only 2 goals in 3 games, plus I really hate going to bed pissed off. 

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

Josh Morrissey has been a little off in his own end lately, but he’s actually playing decently.  That’ll happen when you have to play both positions on defence.  Obviously, I’m not happy with the play of Dylan DeMelo, and I haven’t been for a long time.  I’m tired of hearing about his good plus/minus or his positive Corsi numbers.  You could put a chimp with Josh, and he’d have positive numbers.  Right now, he is an anchor in that top pairing.  I’m not buying into the DeMelo rhetoric anymore; it was warranted at one time, but not anymore, so put that in your pipe and smoke it.

5. Jets:  Connor Hellebuyck’s wandering and poor puck handling are starting to rear their ugly head again.

6. Jets:  Question for Kevin Cheveldayoff:   How much of Steven Stamkos’ 3 x $8,000,000 contract would Nashville have to eat for you to take him off their hands?  His talents are just rotting away there.  He sure would look good alongside Jonathan Toews and Cole Perfetti.

7. Jets:  Games against young, skating teams like the San Jose Sharks and Anaheim Ducks can really expose slower players like Dylan DeMelo, Luke Schenn, and Logan Stanley. DeMelo was beyond awful in both of those games.

8. Moose:  The Manitoba Moose are 4-6-2-0 after their first dozen games and are in 14th place in the 17-team Western Conference.  Their biggest issue is a lack of scoring.  Ville Heinola only has 2 points, and is the runaway leader with a -14 plus/minus.  Wow, how the mighty have fallen.

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9. Jets:  I posted this in the 3rd period during the Sharks game on Friday night.

10. Jets:  I can’t imagine how I would react if the Jets lost a home game 9-1.  Oiler fans and Conner McDavid were livid after being thumped 9-1 by the visiting Colorado Avalanche on Saturday night. 

11. Jets:  WHT Poll

If the price is right should Chevy look into acquiring Steve Stamkos?

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12. 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: 13th at 20.00% down from 8th at 21.60% 
  • PK: 6th at 86.90% down from 5th 89.40%
  • FO: 8th at 52.70% down from 6th at 53.10%

13. Jets:  Goaltending:

  • Connor Hellebuyck:  6-5-0 … 2.30 GAA … .922 SV%
  • Eric Comrie:  3-1-0 … 2.75 GAA … .908 SV%

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

  • Good:  Jonathon Toews is looking better and better every game, but needs some help; hopefully, Cole Perfetti is the answer. 
  • Bad:  Helle is starting to make poor decisions with the puck again, causing angst amongst his defencemen.  (see #5)
  • Ugly:  Four 2-on-1s in one period!!!! UGLY!!!!

15. Things that make me go hmmm:

With the Winter Olympics fast approaching, many are wondering what the Russian athletes and/or teams will be called.   In 1992, they were called the Unified Team.  In 2018, they were called the “Olympic Athletes from Russia” (OAR).  At the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, Russian athletes competed under the name of the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) and at the 2024 Summer Games in Paris, these athletes were referred to as Individual Neutral Athletes (AIN).  Whether you like the Russians or not, I miss them in International competitions, even though those commies are rotten, cheating, bastards.  LOL

16. PWHL:  The Professional Women’s Hockey League announced that Canada Life Centre will host one of the 16 neutral-site games in the expanded 2025-26 “PWHL Takeover Tour”.  The Winnipeg game will feature the MONTRÉAL VICTOIRE and the OTTAWA CHARGE on Sunday, March 22 at 6 p.m.

This tour brings many of the top women’s hockey players in the world to cities across North America, giving fans a chance to experience the competitiveness of the PWHL’s regular season in their own communities.

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