Winnipeg Jets 2019 Outlook: Don’t Look Back
With the bells of 2018 ringing in, it’s time for the Winnipeg Jets to look forward to a new year and potentially a look to become this year’s Stanley Cup Champion.
2018 was a bit of a storybook year for the Jets that just didn’t end quite right. The experience of making the Western Conference Finals will no doubt be a boon for all the players who made it there, but leadership on the team needs to make sure no complacency steps in. The NHL standings can turn quick and in a bunched up Western Conference playoff hockey essentially starts now.
Last year the Winnipeg Jets had a chip on their shoulder and you can’t blame them. Who would want to pick the Jets to go far given this franchises current and past history (Atlanta Thrashers/Winnipeg Jets 1.0)? Not many, unless they were going for clickbait before the season started. Though those in Winnipeg knew they had the pieces to begin to compete.
Last year the Jets were a model of consistency in the regular season from start to finish. This year, not so much. Good news is the Jets haven’t been great and they still sit near the top of the Western Conference standings. Though that doesn’t mean they aren’t frustrating at times.
Blake Wheeler continues to be the consummate pro and leader while Mark Scheifele is blossoming into a true star in the NHL. Scheifele was on this path last year and just needs to (knock on wood) stay healthy for the majority of the season to move into the upper echelon of players. Josh Morrisey and Jacob Trouba have been solid on the back-end this year and Byfuglien was on pace for career highs before injuring his ankle on December 29 vs the Wild.
In his brief absence so far the Jets are now 3-1 with wins in Edmonton on NYE and in Winnipeg Sunday afternoon vs the Stars and Tuesday vs the Colorado Avalanche. Overall the Jets are 8-1-1 in 10 games without Big Buff. Between those wins the Jets got whalloped by the Penguins 4-0 in Pittsburgh.
A common theme for the Jets this season has been they play very well against teams below them in the standings and not so hot vs teams who are equal to and above them. This is not a trend that can continue if the Jets have deep playoff run hopes. Beating bottom-feeders maybe help get you in, but that’s about it.
The Jets were thoroughly outshot Tuesday night 41-21 but they made their moments count going 3 for 4 on the Power Play. Blake Wheeler and Mark Scheifele once again led the way and the second and third lines provided secondary scoring. It was a wide-open game and these tend to go the Jets way given their skill and how they like to enter the offensive zone.
With Byfuglien hurt Morrisey, Trouba and Tyler Myers will be given extra minutes. All are capable and Tyler Myers actually looks better the more responsibility and time he gets. Myers was very impressive most of the playoffs last year and that grit and skating ability needs to be showcased through January now.
The Jets are in need of a second line scorer much like what Paul Stastny was for them last season. Bryan Little has been a good player for a long time, but he’s a tough guy to count on at times for scoring. Though it was nice to see him add a Power Play goal in Monday’s win. More of that will be needed going forward.
That’s not the only issue on the Jets second line, another would be the inconsistent play of Patrik Laine. His shot is out of this world, but his explosiveness and puck control can be lacking at times. It would be nice to see him create some of his own chances going forward. We all know he can put it away when it’s on a tee. All in all it could be worse, he does have 24 goals in 42 games after all. But being -12 on a team that is +26 in goal differential is getting tough to swallow.
Related Story. Winnipeg Jets Potent Scoring Keeping Thin Blueline Afloat. light
Last but not least we have the back stop in Connor Hellebuyck. This has not been the season many envisioned for Connor but he’s battling and you can see the effort is there. Things just don’t seem to be coming so easily and it looks like the game has sped up a bit on him this year. Given the overall inconsistency of the Jets this season, fans should still be excited, you have a top 5-10 team in the league in a first half that has seen both sides of the spectrum. Given their inconsistency, the Jets still have not lost 3 games in a row this season.
It’s 2019 now, 2018 is gone and any patting on the back the Jets and their fans did this last year should be over. Winning teams keep moving with a real sense of determination. The Winnipeg Jets seem like a team that takes accountability and that will need to be prevalent going forward. They’re a team not without question marks, but the good news is their pipeline is deep and either some young players (Nic Petan, Brendan Lemieux, Sami Niku, Jack Roslovic) will need to step up, or someone may be shipped out at some point to try to bring in a piece to win now.
RELATED PRODUCT
Winnipeg Jets Womens Family Holiday Pajamas - XL
Buy Now!
Buy Now!
Next. Winnipeg Jets Should Capitalize On Rangers Yardsale And Acquire Assets. dark
The window to win is open for the Winnipeg Jets right now. With certain key players approaching restricted free agency you never know exactly how things will turn out. The Jets still have a lot to prove in 2019, but Winnipeg fans should not take this time in history for granted.