The Winnipeg Jets Need Sean Avery, They Just Don’t Know It

The Winnipeg Jets have never been this good before, in their franchise history. The long-suffering fans finally got a taste of a great team last year, and now, we’re seeing them struggle. It’s okay, but they need a release.

The Winnipeg Jets, more than ever, are stressed. The team, the front office, and most noticeably, the fans. All throughout social media, I see disgruntled fans.

Calls for Patrik Laine. Calls for Paul Maurice’s head. Calls for Joel Armia, which is weird, but whatever, it’s cool. They’re stressed. Everyone needs a little stress relief. The best relief of stress is winning.

Well, I have bad news for you. The Jets are bad at winning right now. They’re just about to start the playoffs, and I have very little faith that they’ll do much winning once they get there. The team is full of high-end talent, but much of it is struggling.

It’s hard to acquire more talent, at this point. So hockey knows one other thing that can galvanize a team: Grit. You hear it all the time. People mourn the loss of Brendan Lemieux, the grittiest Jet.

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?

Could he be useful in this circumstance? Sure. But what they need more than grit is a scapegoat. Patrik Laine is just a kid, and he’s had a hell of a career up until now, and he’s allowed to struggle a bit.

I don’t think it’s fair to villainize him. And while the Jets flaming out early in the playoffs wouldn’t be the end of the world, it would be a disappointing season. Especially to a fan base that’s been perpetually disappointed.

So, we need a scapegoat. A villain. Who better than Sean Avery. You know the guy. This one. Or maybe this? Or maybe the thing that got him his own rule in the NHL. Sean Avery was the biggest pest in the NHL until his retirement at 31.

That was seven years ago. Can he still play? I doubt it, though I’m certain he’s in decent shape. He wasn’t anything special on the ice to begin with, though he could grind and play good defense.

Sean Avery would transform the city of Winnipeg. You want a villain, you got one? Who is Sean Avery? He’s the bad guy. Mark Scheifele and Blake Wheeler are great players and, from what I understand, good leaders.

They’re not super vocal or emotional though. Sean Avery would be a lightningrod. This is a terrible idea, it would never happen, and I’m barely advocating for it. But I would love it more than I’ve loved anything to come to the NHL, probably.

You may hate Sean Avery, but he’s got charisma, there’s no doubt about it. The team might even hate him, but gosh, we really need the team to hate something other than winning. I don’t see any emotion out there.

I’m tired of the calls for Paul Maurice’s job and the crying about the potential first round loss. Yeah, it’s annoying that the Jets are this bad. I’m surprised. I doubt they’ll be this bad forever. The team has a lot of talent, they’ll figure it out next year if they don’t miraculously turn a corner here.

Maurice ain’t getting fired (not this season, but next would be a possibility if they don’t improve). Laine and Connor Hellebuyck aren’t going anywhere. Nic Petan and Joel Armia are not the reason the team is hot trash right now. Just stop. Nobody was praising those two when they were here.

We know the team is searching for answers. I’m giving them one. The wrong one. A bad one. But a fun one. Sean Avery both died the hero and lived long enough to see himself become the villain. Everyone in Winnipeg needs a villain right now.