Breaking down the Winnipeg Jets ahead of NHL Free Agency.
Pending free agents
Unrestricted: 12 | Restricted: 6 | See full list
[teamleaders league=”nhl” team=”wpg” season=”2013″]
Jets overview
The Winnipeg Jets finished last season with the worst record (37-35-10) in the Central Division. The team replaced head coach Claude Noel with former Carolina Hurricanes and Toronto Maple Leafs bench boss Paul Maurice after just 47 games. Under Maurice, the Jets ended the year with an 18-12-5 record but the club remains a work in progress despite the late-season promise.
Heading into the off-season, general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff needs to make a splash. The Jets have been a middling club for most of Cheveldayoff’s tenure and he has not done enough to upgrade his roster. Winnipeg has a decent core of players in Andrew Ladd, Evander Kane, Dustin Byfuglien, Bryan Little and Blake Wheeler, but is the group good enough to be a playoff team?
There’s a belief in hockey circles that Kane could be on the trading block this summer. In a sense, it would be selling low for Winnipeg as Kane is coming off a 19-goal season. Moving a player like a Byfuglien — who could offer a team help at forward or defence — or captain Ladd might make more sense for Cheveldayoff.
At some point, just having hockey back in Winnipeg won’t be enough — the team needs to make the playoffs. The Jets haven’t been to the Stanley Cup Playoffs since the franchise relocated from Atlanta three seasons ago. In fact, they haven’t even won more than 37 games in one season during that span. Cheveldayoff can’t afford to stand pat this summer.
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| Click player positions to see depth chart | ||
Areas to address
The Jets did not have an active off-season last year and the most high-profile addition, Devin Setoguchi, made little impact. That won’t be acceptable this year as the Jets’ roster is in need of depth up front and additions to the defensive corps.
Only three teams in the Western Conference allowed more goals than Winnipeg. Jacob Trouba is a nice core piece on the blueline that emerged after the Olympic break. Tobias Enstrom had one of his least productive seasons last year, but is a puck-mover worth holding on to. The big question revolves around Zach Bogosian, who has missed 70 games over the last four years. He has not produced enough after being drafted so high (3rd overall in 2008), but remains a young player with upside.
The most glaring issue may be between the pipes. Ondrej Pavelec hasn’t posted a save percentage better than .906 in the past three seasons and finished with a 3.01 goals-against average last year. For better or worse, the Jets appear comfortable with Pavelec in goal, so perhaps they should consider bringing in a backup who might push him for the starter’s job. A hometown kid like James Reimer would make a lot of sense in that role. He is a restricted free agent, could challenge Pavelec for the No. 1 position and wouldn’t carry too big of a cap hit. There are other intriguing goaltending options on the market as well.
Possible signing targets
Anton Stralman (D): Stralman was one of the Rangers’ most steady defenders during the post-season run. He’d fit in nicely along Trouba, Bogosian and Enstrom.
Kyle Quincey (D): The 28-year-old averaged 20 minutes a game last season and could serve as a cost-effective depth addition.
Jonas Hiller (G): The Ducks have moved on from Hiller, who at 32-years-old still can contribute as either a 1A or in a backup role.
