The Winnipeg Jets and Navigating a Confusing Western Conference

The season started off a bit rocky for the Winnipeg Jets, and I have to admit, I barely noticed what was going on around the league. Things are not what they would appear.

The Winnipeg Jets have eased into second place in the Central Division, which is predominantly where they’ve been the past year or so. So I’m going to give you some notes from around the NHL standings.

The Central looked so normal, standings-wise, that I didn’t notice the east at all. My buddy told me the other day that the Pens looked bad. They’re in last place, behind the Devils. We saw how bad the Devils looked.

Sidney Crosby is hurt and Matt Murray is doing his best Steve Mason impression. Still, this core is just one year removed from two consecutive Stanley Cup wins. The Rangers are in second place, ahead of the Washington Capitals.

I mean, just look at this.  Tell me that looks normal. Sure, the Central looks normal aside from the Blues being awful, but more on that later.

More from Editorials

• Winnipeg Jets vs. Blackhawks Round 3: 5 Things We learned
• Winnipeg Jets’ Connor Hellebuyck is the Best Goalie of the Last 5 Years
• A Patrik Laine Trade Redux Prior to Winnipeg Jets vs. Columbus
• Winnipeg Jets Doppelgangers: Look-A-Likes PART II
• Can Josh Morrissey of the Winnipeg Jets Actually Win the Norris?

Vegas and LA are in the basement in the Pacific, behind Arizona and Edmonton, who just fired their coach. I guess LA fired their head coach, too. As did Chicago with Joel Quenneville.

Oh, and Mike Yeo of the Blues got fired, somehow almost a full month after literally saying “My job should be in question right now”. I know it was early in just his second season, but, uh, you can’t do that.

And you know, not get fired. It was only a matter of time. It was a surprising amount of time, but still.

The Predators look poised to run away with the division again, and possibly the President’s Trophy. No worries, we saw how that went last year. As a matter of fact, the last PT winner to go onto the Cup (not counting the lockout shortened season, in which Chicago did it) was Detroit in 07-08.

The point is, we focus so much on Winnipeg here (duh) that sometimes it’s easy to forget what’s going on in the league.  It’s a crazy year. A year in which I have to look at every team the Jets are playing to see who is good and who isn’t. You can’t assume anymore.

Half the Rangers are rookies and that team is somehow in second place? And yet, when I watch their games, they look bad. I guess Winnipeg has looked bad for stretches of the season.

The highest goal differential in the Pacific belongs to Calgary, in second place, at +6. San Jose, who leads the division, is at +3.  Arizona is +1 and everyone else is negative. The Kings are -20.

The Canucks, who didn’t look bad the other day, have more regulation losses than total wins (11 to 10), and they’re in third place and in a playoff spot. Heck, even the Rangers differential is -2 and somehow they’re 11-8-2 and in second place.

The Pens have the same differential and it’s bought them a 7-8-4 record. Hey, I guess trading for  Henrik Lundqvist is probably out of the question now? (Not like it was truly feasible to begin with).

The Sabres have the fourth most points in the NHL. And they’re third in the Atlantic, behind the Leafs and Lightning. Needless to say, the Atlantic looks fierce, despite the presence of Florida, Ottawa and Detroit, who are all hot garbage.

Lots of NHL teams are looking for answers this season. The Rangers and Sabres are overachieving, the Kings, Knights and Pens are all trying to figure out what went wrong. Four coaches have been fired.

The Winnipeg Jets were looking for answers, but they seem to have found them. Paul Maurice again has this team looking like slam-dunk contenders. They’ve floated above that middle of the pack.

You want my short power rankings? Nashville, Tampa, Toronto, Winnipeg, Buffalo. I’m buying the Sabres over teams like San Jose. They’re making more of their roster right now. That’s what I’m looking for.

Paul Maurice has been making the most of his roster, lately, and with Winnipeg’s talent, that’s really something. Let’s hope they can keep it going and navigate a weird year in the NHL.