I find it ironic that Dustin Byfuglien has become a scapegoat for what ails the Jets.  He's an offensive-minded turnover prone defenseman who's capable of playing great hockey. That's not going  to change...

 

Suddenly it's a problem that he doesn't fit into Noel's system?  Who ever thought he was going to change his style of play and 'fit in?'

 

 

If you look at all the goaltenders going to the Olympics, Jonathan Quick is probably the only one capable of carrying a team.

 

By that I mean the way guys like Brodeur, Kiprusoff, and Hasek used to do it.

 

Does anyone else think Brayden Holtby should be on Team Canada?

You have evidently forgotten Ryan Miller carrying his team to a silver medal in 2010. He'd definitely be my choice in net for the Americans. What both Scrivens & Jones did in Quick's absence this season in pretty telling for how much it's LA's team D that contributes to goaltender success there.

 

I'm not sure if you're being serious or not, but no, Holtby should not be on Team Canada.

 

but to be completely fair to LA, Martin Jones absolutely stoned the Wheat Kings in the WHL on more than one occasion. He was the only reason the Hitmen won some of those playoff rounds so him coming into LA and doing the same wasn't really a surprise because I saw him play that way in jrs even though I hate to admit he was any good. 

 

Holtby didn't deserve to be on team canada either. For all people crap on Luongo he's always been a goaltender who can carry a team. He got that rep as a choker but it's not deserved, the entire canucks team are soft chokers. Price wins a ton of games in Montreal on a roster that isn't all that great so to me he's another guy who is capable of carrying a team. Smith I am not sold on but I understand wanting a more veteran guy as their third guy. 

 

 

He's a goaltender who carry a team SOME OF THE TIME.  

 

At other times the team appears to lose confidence in his ability.  The whole Alex Auld saga wasn't just a coaching issue.

I'd say Harding can carry a team...

 

Mr. Meltdown = Luongo.  I just don't have confidence in him as a goaltender.  

 

Holtby has stolen playoff games for the Caps...his SV% is right in line with the three 'tenders chosen for the team.  Similar to Price, he's averaging 30+ shots per game.  Luongo and Fleury 25 - 26.   

 

It's double digits lower than both Price & Luongo.

 

What was the Alex Auld saga?

Buff moving back to forward probably for the best right now.

 

 

Mr. Meltdown = Luongo.  I just don't have confidence in him as a goaltender.  

 

Holtby has stolen playoff games for the Caps...his SV% is right in line with the three 'tenders chosen for the team.  Similar to Price, he's averaging 30+ shots per game.  Luongo and Fleury 25 - 26.   

 

It's double digits lower than both Price & Luongo.

 

What was the Alex Auld saga?

 

 

Price: .928

 

Luongo: .922

 

Smith: .910

 

Holtby: .910

 

Darn it, I don't know why I said Alex Auld, I meant Corey Schneider.

Noel FIRED!!!

Noel FIRED!!!

 

And replaced by Paul Maurice. Pearn's been fired as well.

What happens when the team still can't win and make the playoffs? Worst thing that happened to that team was getting a sniff of a playoff race in a crappy division in a lockout shortened season. Made people actually think they were closer than they are. 

Noel FIRED!!!

 

What happens when the team still can't win and make the playoffs? Worst thing that happened to that team was getting a sniff of a playoff race in a crappy division in a lockout shortened season. Made people actually think they were closer than they are.

I absolutely don't place all the blame on Claude Noel but IMO this is a move that just had to be made. It's obvious the players just weren't responding at all. I definitely don't expect them to suddenly be a playoff team this season but this move sets them up to possibly be a different team next year.

The last two games were the absolute worse I've ever seen them play, and the players had no answer for why.

 

Sorry to see Noel go, but something had to be done.  This team, regardless of where their talent may be, was not playing up to it.

 

It sure is fun being a sports fan in Winnipeg!

Until the guys they drafted get enough experience you can't expect much. Have to remember how terribly this team was run in Atlanta. They sold a ton of assets for peanuts and there wasn't much in the system when they came to Winnipeg and the Jets didn't make any big FA splashes so it was always going to take patience. I think Noel actually got more out of a lot of guys than people realize. Ladd Little and Wheeler should never be a top line but he had them playing well enough to at least pretend they were. Kane has some good skills but he has issues of his own as a player too. The defense is a good offensive group but in terms of defense they are lacking somewhat. Their bottom 2 forward lines aren't terribly impressive at all. I just don't think this team is actually under performing at all, I just think that a lot of people didn't appreciate how much of a grind playing in the west is compared to the east and how it can beat a team down if they start to struggle.

 

Firing the coach now really only appeases the fans. He might not have been the guy long term anyway, but firing him won't change anything except give the fans their sacrificial lamb. 

Ownership giving Cheveldayoff a new long term deal wasn't very smart considering he hasn't done anything to really warrant it other than preach patience to the fans. Drafting & developing takes time & he isn't active in the FA market. All Cheveldayoff did was lock up the core of the old Atlanta Thrashers.

Ownership giving Cheveldayoff a new long term deal wasn't very smart considering he hasn't done anything to really warrant it other than preach patience to the fans. Drafting & developing takes time & he isn't active in the FA market. All Cheveldayoff did was lock up the core of the old Atlanta Thrashers.

and draft Trouba - he's going to be a good one. Reminds me of Dave Ellett but with the toughness of Dave Babych.

True but like I  said drafting & developing takes time. It's going to be years before  we  know how good or bad Chevy drafted. Meanwhile, the team isn't getting any better short term. We don't sign free agents or trade actively so the mantra is patience. Yet Noel gets fired coaching with the talent he had now. Mixed message. 

True but like I  said drafting & developing takes time. It's going to be years before  we  know how good or bad Chevy drafted. Meanwhile, the team isn't getting any better short term. We don't sign free agents or trade actively so the mantra is patience. Yet Noel gets fired coaching with the talent he had now. Mixed message. 

and that's what they said was going to happen when the team was brought back! They said this is going to take time. FA isn't a magic bullet and a lot times getting the big ticket guys can hurt you in the long run because you're sinking a lot of money into a guy who maybe isn't worth it. 

 

Firing the coach is done to appease the fans nothing more nothing less. 

If Maurice is here, Tom Barasso can't be far behind...  Heard Carolina is shopping their goalies - maybe Cam Ward will be in net for us by March...

Noel was simply over his head,  the guy can be a decent AHL coach and probably a solid assistant coach in the NHL,  but the guy simply wouldn't be able to motivate a bunch of young guys.   The move was inevitable and maybe this will shake things up for the rest of the year.

 

The team is moving in the right direction and hopefully next year they can hire a coach who can actually pull the team up.   It's to bad they couldn't of had Vigneault....

Noel was simply over his head,  the guy can be a decent AHL coach and probably a solid assistant coach in the NHL,  but the guy simply wouldn't be able to motivate a bunch of young guys.   The move was inevitable and maybe this will shake things up for the rest of the year.

 

The team is moving in the right direction and hopefully next year they can hire a coach who can actually pull the team up.   It's to bad they couldn't of had Vigneault....

Can you honestly say that this Jets roster is capable of much more than they are doing though? Look at the rest of the western conference and honestly see where the Jets roster stacks up, it's not favourable.

Too bad we don't play in the old Smythe Division with Calgary & Edmonton.

I think playing a weak division for two years has too many fans thinking this team is a playoff team. It's not close.

Still have too many Thrashers.

Cheveldayoff signed every one of the Thrasher FA's before the lockout & last summer to big long term contracts. Look where that got us. Chipman was so impressed he did the same thing to Kevin giving him a new 5 year deal. And so here we stand. In a box of sand. Team stuck & going nowhere with current management & core players in it for the long haul.

Cheveldayoff signed every one of the Thrasher FA's before the lockout & last summer to big long term contracts. Look where that got us. Chipman was so impressed he did the same thing to Kevin giving him a new 5 year deal. And so here we stand. In a box of sand. Team stuck & going nowhere with current management & core players in it for the long haul.

 

What's wrong with most of the guys he signed?  Guys like Bogosian, Kane, Wheeler can look fantastic some nights and then awful on others....   I find it to coincidental that this team can play fantastic some nights and then awful on others.   The team clearly has enough talent to beat the better teams in this league yet somehow the next night can't beat a crap team like Buffalo.    To me that screams of bad coaching / preparation.    

 

With the Blue it was a train wreck from the start (with the offense) they never showed up any night so clearly it was talent (on top of the bad coaching).  

 

If you actually watched the games you would see that the key problem with this team is lazyness , sloppy play,  and some guys phoning it in.  That to me is lack of motivation and spoiled brats getting away with being lazy.     

 

In years past we could blame the problems on guys like Antropov who clearly could not skate and lacked the skill to really do anything .....  the fat we shed were non NHL caliber guys.... the guys we have now have the skills but they simply are not playing to potential.   

 

Mr Owl Man Noel  was way over his head,  the dude is not a NHL caliber coach and time to move on.  

 

Noel was simply over his head,  the guy can be a decent AHL coach and probably a solid assistant coach in the NHL,  but the guy simply wouldn't be able to motivate a bunch of young guys.   The move was inevitable and maybe this will shake things up for the rest of the year.

 

The team is moving in the right direction and hopefully next year they can hire a coach who can actually pull the team up.   It's to bad they couldn't of had Vigneault....

Can you honestly say that this Jets roster is capable of much more than they are doing though? Look at the rest of the western conference and honestly see where the Jets roster stacks up, it's not favourable.

 

 

The answer is yes... how can they beat teams like Colorado and then simply roll over against crap teams like Florida and Buffalo.   

 

This team if properly coached should of had at least 5 - 10 more wins.    So many gimmies they gave away.    I don't think this team could compete for the Cup by any means... but we definitely are way below what we should be at.

I guess this debate will rage until we see how this group of players do with Maurice an NHL veteran head coach. We'll see if it is talent or coaching.