The Winnipeg Jets: Four Things that went Right this Season
The Winnipeg Jets made the Western Conference Finals, as you may have heard. There’s just one problem: They lost. But to get there, they needed a few things to go right. What were they?
The Winnipeg Jets had 114 regular season points, second in the NHL. They were second in the NHL in goals scored, and fifth in goals allowed. That’s absurdly impressive. It’s often understated how good this team was. .
They just wore down in the end. But they don’t get here without some surprises from their top players and some breakouts from their young guns. I don’t want to do too deep a dive on the players mentioned ahead, as we’ll be doing an entire season review series, but just a quick mention of how Winnipeg got so good, so fast.
Connor Hellebuyck‘s Emergence
Big surprise here, right? When you’re not projected to be the starter of a team and then you manage to set a record for wins by an American and get nominated for the Vezina, you did something real well.
Steve Mason was originally signed to be the starter, but Steve Mason was just awful. He was, however, never a particularly great goltender. Yes, he won the Calder in his opening season, but never replicated that success in the NHL, with Columbus or Philadelphia.
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It was thought that maybe in a good world, Hellebuyck and Mason would split time as the youngster learned to take over at the end of Mason’s contract, which runs just one more season.
That…didn’t happen. Mason was awful, Hellebuyck was great, and then Mason was hurt. It took about a week for everyone to assume Connor would be the starter the rest of the season. And what a great goaltender he is.
Patrik Laine‘s Continued Dominance
Patrik Laine scored 36 goals in his rookie season, leading the team and garnering a second place finish in the Calder race. First, that’s fantastic. Thirty six goals is a lot. So is 44, the number Laine scored in his second season. Second, that’s his age 19 (!!) season.
It’s easy to forget how young these elite players can be. A lot of them just pop into the league at 18 and never look back. Sidney Crosby just wrapped up his thirteenth season, which is obscene to think about, and he’s just thirty years old.
The youngster continued to build on his rookie season, using his size more often to get into position, both on offense and defense. His 20 powerplay goals led the league. Laine is never going to be a burner, but his size allows him to get into and keep position. Also he has a cannon of a shot.
Another thing not to overlook, since the goals are very wonderful and we all love them, his Corsi% improved from 48.7 to 50.2. Yes, his team improved, but improving that old shot differential is key to a good line. And the mix of him, Paul Stastny / Bryan Little, and Nikolaj Ehlers were a great group this season. Look forward to 50 goals in the future.
Kyle Connor and the Breakout
Kyle Connor emerged as a top line forward in his rookie campaign. The former 17th overall pick scored 31 goals, which is impressive for a non-Patrik Laine. Keep in mind that total would have led teams such as the Chicago Blackhawks, the New York Rangers, the Ottawa Senators and the Detroit Red Wings.
He stayed with the big team the whole year and gave them no reason to send him down. A blazing fast skater with a sniper shot, he blends the abilities of Nikolaj Ehlers with Patrik Laine, just a lesser version of each’s skill.
Keep in mind, this man could hit forty goals in the near future. He’s just 21. Although, I mean, guys like Anders Lee and Eric Staal hit forty this year. If they can do it, anyone can (I kid).
But still, it’s no small feat. Kyle Connor will look to improve in the future and hey, even if he stalls out and is what he is, that’s a pretty valuable top six forward.
The Captain Calls
Or answers the call. The man who leads the team of up and coming stars and enviable depth pieces, Blake Wheeler, was exactly what Paul Maurice needed him to be. Looking over the Winnipeg Jets, what’s their greatest ability?
Speed is up there, but so is goal scoring. Ehlers, Laine, Connor, Mark Scheifele. But someone’s gotta be setting up all these goals, you can’t do it all yourself.
And the Jets had the league’s top assist man sitting on their top line in Blake Wheeler. Sixty eight assists! He was actually tied with Claude Giroux, but nobody likes Philadelphia (and especially Giroux), so Blake Wheeler it is. The NHL’s most likable assist leader.
Wheeler coupled his lowest goal total since the 2012 lockout with the best point total of his career. This was likely the best team he’s ever played on, and he’s in charge of it. Knowing you have a bevy of teammates with incredible scoring touch helps.
And Wheeler took advantage and passed on shots to give his teammates chances, ones they cashed in more often than most. Maybe that wasn’t it, who knows. His shot attempts weren’t down considerably from past seasons. His shooting percentage was, a bit.
But hey, 91 points and captaining a young team to the Western Conference Finals? Great season, Blake.
Next: Remembering the Jets' Run
These are just some of the reasons why the Winnipeg Jets turned things up a notch and accelerated their rebuild. But hey, when things go that well, there’s not going to be a lack of reasons why. Point is, it was a great season. And those guys above were the catalysts.