Jets face critical off-season questions after 'emotional' playoff exit

It would be reasonable to look at the similarities between the way this year and last season ended for the Winnipeg Jets and assume lots of overlap.

In 2023, the Jets bowed out in five first-round games to a Vegas Golden Knights club that, soon thereafter, proved itself Stanley Cup-worthy. This time out, it was a five-game loss to a Colorado Avalanche squad that won a title just two years ago and could very conceivably win another six weeks from now.

Despite the apparent parallels, according to Rick Bowness, there’s a different feeling today than there was 12 months ago, when the Jets coach basically put his team on blast and questioned their character following the loss to Vegas.

“If you compare the two years, Game 5 in Vegas was a no-show,” Bowness said on Thursday afternoon as the team held its year-end media availability. “This year, we were down a goal, we fought back; down a goal, we fought back. We kept fighting back, so there’s growth there.”

Still, both Bowness and GM Kevin Cheveldayoff expressed no shortage of disappointment over the loss to Colorado after the Jets — who racked up 110 regular season points and made bold, all-in moves ahead of the trade deadline — lost four consecutive matches following a Game 1 victory and allowed 5.6 goals-per-game against in the series.

“It hurts,” Cheveldayoff said. “I can’t tell you it didn’t get emotional after the series. I’m not B.S.-ing you; this group cared, this group gave it every single day. But at the end of the day you’ve got to find more.”

And now the off-season questions begin in earnest.

First and foremost, the club has an option to pick up the final year remaining on Bowness’ three-year contract. Cheveldayoff said he hasn’t yet had a chance to speak with any of the coaches following Tuesday’s final defeat at the hands of the Avs, but endorsed their efforts this year.

“I think they did a great job,” he said, while placing no firm timetable on the decision to bring Bowness back.

For his part, the oldest coach in the league — Bowness turned 69 in January — made it pretty clear he’s more than game to try and finish the task at hand. And that’s even after a very difficult season, personally, as Bowness had to step away from the club temporarily after his wife, Judy, suffered a seizure in the fall.

“I know what I’m going to do, I know what I want to do,” he said. “But that will come out. We’ll let you know.”

Of course, the questions are in no way limited to the bench. The Jets have two key unrestricted free agents on defence in Dylan DeMelo and Brenden Dillon. Up front, the two big acquisitions Winnipeg made before the deadline — winger Tyler Toffoli and centre Sean Monahan — are also eligible to hit the open market.

Cheveldayoff said the club would love to retain both DeMelo and Dillion and while he didn’t close any doors with regard to the forwards, he did acknowledge certain realities that made it easier to incorporate them under the salary cap this season relative to how things could look come next year — especially with twin, $60-million extensions kicking in for centre Mark Scheifele and goalie Connor Hellebuyck.

“We were able to get Toffoli with 50 per cent retention (on his 2023-24 cap hit) and obviously [Monahan’s] contract, he was coming off a unique situation and circumstances [a string of very limiting injuries] where it was an undervalued contract for what he brings to the table,” Cheveldayoff said.

Looking even further out, Nikolaj Ehlers is eligible for a contract extension this coming summer ahead of what will be the final season on his current seven-year pact. Ehlers — who could become a UFA in 2025 — said he has yet to put any real thought into a new deal and that his agent has yet to have meaningful conversations with the Jets.

The bottom line, as Cheveldayoff noted, is that change is inevitable every off-season. And while the Jets will certainly head into the break feeling a least a bit better than they did last year when the off-season saw them buyout former captain Blake Wheeler and trade away disgruntled forward Pierre-Luc Dubois, this team still has miles to go before being satisfied.

“You’ve done nothing,” Cheveldayoff said, describing the feeling of falling short in any capacity. “Until you’re the team standing there at the end, you’ve done nothing.”