The Winnipeg Jets took off last season. They breezed to the NHL’s second-highest point total, and outlasted the team that finished ahead of them in the playoffs. But competition is a little tougher in the West these days.
The Winnipeg Jets did not take drastic steps to improve their roster. They didn’t really need to, and any attempt at doing so would have looked a bit desperate considering the landscape.
After failing to retain Paul Stastny, there just wasn’t much to do outside of the trade market, and you never really know what’s available.
I’ve already pined for the Jets to trade for a few players that have been moved this off-season. Max Pacioretty was one, and he went to Vegas. Jeff Skinner was another, and he was given away to Buffalo.
I never really advocated for, nor did I wish against, the Jets trading for Erik Karlsson. I knew after a certain point, that it wasn’t going to happen. But of course Ottawa wants him out of the Eastern Conference, so here we are.
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Max Pacioretty, who has been a thorn in my side during his entire career, is on the Vegas Golden Knights. You know, the team that eliminated your precious Jets. Oh, and they signed Paul Stastny, who was on the Jets during that series.
Not great. I’ve been underrating Vegas this whole time, but it looks like they’ve legitimately improved. If their breakouts last season were for real, this team is trouble.
That was bad enough. Then, just the other day, Erik Karlsson gets moved. To the San Jose Sharks. Which is odd, but hey, it’s never a bad idea to add Erik Karlsson.
This means they can trot out both of the best offensive defensemen in the NHL, theoretically on two separate pairings. Brent Burns is back there, and Marc-Edouard Vlasic is a premium NHL defenseman.
I don’t know if this whole group outclasses what the Predators have built on their blueline, but it definitely has more star power and offensive potential. Three Norris trophies on their mantels and nearly a point per game out of each of them. It’s obscene.
Point is, the Jets will have trouble if they run into Vegas again. We knew that. The Predators aren’t exactly getting worse, so there’s that. We knew who was tough. Vegas got tougher, theoretically, although I’m still not sold on them.
But Pacioretty, Stastny and MAF is a good enough core, anyway. Even if the rest falls apart, they’ll probably still make the playoffs. And the Sharks. They didn’t bother the Jets last season, and now they’re going to try and bother the whole NHL.
The West is tougher. They added a couple of captains to already good teams. That doesn’t bode well for Winnipeg. But hey, somebody has to lose, right? Let’s just hope its someone else.