Post your comments, ratings, reports, rants, etc about the first half of the season. My thoughts to follow. No hate me - these are just my opinion.

In a nutshell we are where we are due to

-Pav's injury

-penalties(and or penalty-killing)

-too many rookies

 

The Bad

 

GM  - Since the draft he re-signed Stafford, signed Matt Fraser and that's it. Possibly has done the least among all GM's. Not a single waiver wire pickup. I think he has been replaced by a clone. Letting UFA Frolik go for nothing hurt but maybe not as much as letting fireplug Stempniak leave.

Lowry - Biggest disappointment this year for me. Thought he would challenge for 2nd line role. Being sent to the minors has saved the season for him but i'm rating him for the first half.

Hutch - I told Hutch I'd put him in the Okay category if he could stop me from posting.

Ladd- Like Lowry he's improved his game a lot in just the last couple of weeks. There's no doubt in my mind he entered the season recovering from surgery. This is a tough one to call. Bad or Okay? I'm putting him in bad for now. Could easily see him rising to good by end of season. Should have signed that contract when he was injured.

Chairot - There are times you just want him to sit and there are times you want him sent to the minors for a stint like Lowry.

 

The Okay

Ehlers - Was expecting him to be our Johnny Denmark. Best I can say about Ehlers is that he might need time like Scheif to age. Scheif added weight to his body though.

Coach Maurice - Tough to rate coaches. I don't like Maurice pulling the goalie quickly and I don't like em pulling the goalie when we're down 2 goals. Wish he'd leave the first 2 lines alone.

Byfuglien - By his own words is having an 'okay' season. Not bad, not good. 7 year/8 million a year good though? Where art thou Angry Buff?

Stuart - Started season like old Stu hitting everything but he's slacked off a bit lately. Teacher's pet.

Trouba - Was playing worse then last year which was worse then the year before. Has picked up game lately. Was almost traded for Hamonic...in my mind.

Pavelec - Been such a long time I almost forgot how he played. Anyone? Anyone? Bueller?

Hellebuyck - Here comes the hate. I know he's our Connor McJesus but i see a goalie who is slow to respond to where the puck is. Clearly will be the most controversial placement in my list.

 

The Good

Burmistrov - Not does score much but very good with the hands. Should be on 4th line though but 3rd line being what is. I'm one of the few who like his play.

Little - Does what he does, does it well with not much spotlight.

Scheif - Come a long way baby.

Stafford - Like Little, Ladd, Perreault he's a streak scorer. Gets some easy/weird goals though.

Thorburn - Having better season then last year. Actually been in some fights. Like Burmi should be on 4th line but...well...3rd line.

Myers - See Little but with spotlight. Needs some Hulk emotions to go with the size.

 

The Great

Perreault - Yet to get into the goal scoring streak he got into last year but one of the few Jets who completes his hits and he's undersized!

Wheeler - The best player + microphone drop.

Enstrom - My most hated dman is among the best the Jets have. Comeback of the year.

 

Not Rated

Armia, Copp, Peluso, Pardy, Postma. Just nothing there to review. Pardy, Postma especially. Why are they here when the Moose are 50 feet away?

 

The Now

This team was bad for the longest time but have picked things up lately still not playing as good as last year.

 

The Future

9 of the next 10 are at home including a much needed all-star break. The season may not end after 82 games. It may end after 51.

 

WTF?

Going into season I thought we would have 6 players scoring 20 or more goals. Still could do that and yet we could miss the playoffs.

Edited January 8, 201610 yr by FrostyWinnipeg

Lol at the old get confidence crap....   such a lame excuse for a players poor play.  

 

11 hours ago, Brandon said:

Lol at the old get confidence crap....   such a lame excuse for a players poor play.  

 

Other than the fact that it's true. 

Sports psychology, including the topic of confidence/self-confidence, is a well studied phenomenon in sports all over the world. I don't know how anybody who has watched any sport, in any version, cannot see that the confidence factor is very real.

So Hutch needs confidence while guys like Ladd just suck? 

Such a bs excuse, how about Hutch was playing behind a better team last season and this year his short comings were brought out since he's facing more challenge.

If he's an emotional guy who needs confidence and a hug then get rid of him asap. No need for a guy who falls apart when he's sad and facing adversity. 

 

 

Hutch was handed the starting job twice and failed.

Send him down.

Trade Ladd.

Get Hamonic.

Sign an UFA Like Okposo or Boedler this summer.

5 minutes ago, Brandon said:

So Hutch needs confidence while guys like Ladd just suck? 

Such a bs excuse, how about Hutch was playing behind a better team last season and this year his short comings were brought out since he's facing more challenge.

If he's an emotional guy who needs confidence and a hug then get rid of him asap. No need for a guy who falls apart when he's sad and facing adversity. 

 

 

You're making statements as if you can say for sure. None of us are Hutch's or Ladd's psychologist.

If you get rid of every player who goes through a confidence issue or faces emotional or mental adversity tjrn you'd be getting rid of  a lot of players. 

This isn't how you feel playing road hockey with your friends. These are elite athletes playing at the highest levels. Ofcourse there are mental issues just as there are physical ones. 

I don't know of Hutch would benefit from increased playing time at a level he excelled at with the idea of rebuilding his confidence and mental sharpness. But it's a reasonable hypothesis. To pretend it isn't is just silly. 

To dismiss anyone's emotional or mental issues as you did is silly and unfair. Many people go through mental adversity. Why should professional athletes be any different?  Because they have money?  

Ladd and Hutch have a psychologist?

Hutch was never great. He had a good stretch of games but since the all star break last year.... he's been terrible. With that being said I think he still has potential to be a good or better than pavelec nhl goalie. Plus he's younger and is paid less than pav. I don't think it's a confidence issue tho.  He has deserved a better fate some games. I just think the team in front of him... well they just aren't that good. Maybe it's like Cam Talbot. Looked great playing for the NYR who played a very strong defensively sound game but not so much for the Oilers. Somewhere along the way thus team forgot what made them successful last year. Team D isn't the same and it's not cuz 1 or 2 players are different. It's an entire team thing. 

Edited January 10, 201610 yr by Goalie

8 hours ago, The Unknown Poster said:

You're making statements as if you can say for sure. None of us are Hutch's or Ladd's psychologist.

I just find it comical that people think he needs confidence....   if he was making Pavs contract dollars I bet Noeller would change his tune immediately.

 

10 hours ago, Brandon said:

I just find it comical that people think he needs confidence....   if he was making Pavs contract dollars I bet Noeller would change his tune immediately.

 

It doesnt matter if he makes $100 million.  That has little to do with his physical well being.  And little to do with his mental well being, other than perhaps adds pressure to him.  As fans we can get frustrated and wish a player would "just do his job" but this isnt like showing up to the office and making sure you put cover sheets on all the new TPS Reports before they go out.

On 2016-01-09 at 1:31 PM, Noeller said:

Great players don't just suddenly become shitty. What Hutch needs is some time in the A to get his confidence back. When Pav returns, Hutch can do some chores on the farm and get his game back. 

Are you calling Hutchinson a great player, or were you referring to somebody else and forgot to add a paragraph break after changing topics?

This time last year, Hutch was a consensus all-star calibre player (many upset that he wasn't a call up for the ASG last year, when some declined) and was carrying the team.  That's all's I'm sayin'......

Being a former goalie myself, I played AAA and i even played a couple years in the MJHL... Confidence does play somewhat of an issue. I'm not sure exactly how much but... It does play a role, I do think when NHL players say it, It's kind of cliche cuz i mean, just look at your bank account and that should fix your confidence issues but... it does play a role, I personally think it's minor however i will say that if something bad happened, for example, when i was playing for the Sharks (AAA), my grandfather passed away, was the first real time i had to deal with death, outside of a family pet dying and no doubt, it definitely made playing hockey a little more difficult. I remember that pretty well, my grandfather died and 2 days later i played a game, thinking, hey, what better way to get my mind off of this then to play.. Coaches said, you know, you don't have to play right, and i was like but i want 2. Well, i had a pretty crappy game, we lost 4 2 that game, i wouldn't say it was awful but...my head was definitely somewhere else and in hindsight, i probably should have told the coach that i couldn't play. Not sure that's a confidence issue tho as much as it's just dealing with a personal matter. We really have no idea what any of these players deal with in their lives on a daily basis, illness, injury, death... who knows. Maybe Hutch is dealing with an injury or personal matter or who really knows. Confidence? Not sure that's it cuz the guy has played relatively well most games, i guess just at times, the team in front of him folds faster than superman on laundry day and as a goalie, if your team is not strong mentally ( and i feel that the Jets aren't that strong mentally), as a goalie, it does affect you because, you are always thinking to yourself, i can't let in more than 1 or 2 goals a game other we will lose for sure. That does start to get to you a bit. 

19 hours ago, Ducky said:

Ladd and Hutch have a psychologist?

a lot of players have sports psychologists.  I still remember walking by the visitor's dressing rooms here in Kelowna between periods and Scotty Upshall was out in the hallway getting a pep talk from his own personal sports psychologist.  This is while he's playing in the WHL. 

About Ladd, I think he's fighting an injury still, he has to be. He's looked so bad that it has to  be something. He's not fully recovered from his off-season sports hernia surgery or he has another injury that he playing through. I hope so at least, it's either that or his GAD level is ultra low and he's wanting to be traded cuz no way is the guy on the ice this year worth even close to 6 million a year for 6 years. Honestly, I'm not sure if he would even get that as a UFA seeing as how poorly he has played and how, well, his effort level just seems to be non existent most nights. Is he pouting cuz he hasn't been signed? I hope not, he's a pro and the captain. There has got to be something else going on there, for Ladds sake, i hope it's an injury cuz if it's not and he's just regressed that much in less than a year, not good. He looks almost done most nights. Ladd is seriously making a strong case as to why the NHL's contracts shouldn't be guaranteed, getting paid 4 million plus this year and is awful. Not worth it. Wonder how good hockey would be if these contracts these guys signed weren't guaranteed. 

 

Edited January 11, 201610 yr by Goalie

If Ladd is injured, he needs to take a few weeks off and let it heal.  Better that the spot be filled by someone who is 100% healthy than Ladd at 60% (and that's being generous).

Yeah, he does but he won't. That's not the type of player he is. 

If it isn't an injury and he is re-signed for anywhere approaching 6m per, Chevy should lose his job. He's the captain and he gives this kind of an effort? If it is his hernia, he shouldn't have started the season until it was properly healed.

Well if Perreault is out long term, Sheif is hurt, Ladd is whatever.... we get right back into the lottery race.  As far as the Jets'
 success bubble goes, I say "Burst for First!"

You can't lose to the bottom feeders like Buffalo Edmonton Colorado even (who are above us but still a bottom feeder) and expect to make the play-offs. Especially in the Ultra competitive Central division. Jets play-off hopes are pretty much on life support at the moment. That's fine with me. Didn't think this team was good enough to do some damage anyways, getting swept last year should have shown management that the core isn't good enough and changes need to be made. As for this talk of firing Chevy, He has said all along that this is a draft and develop team, His draft picks have all worked out, Scheif is a stud, Trouba is solid, Helle will be a franchise goalie, Ehlers is 19 years old and when paired with Perreault and Scheif looks like he belongs, Lowry had a rough start but has come around recently and still projects to be that 3rd line shut down center type. Copp has done a damn good job on the 4th line this year. These are all players the Jets have drafted. Trades? Myers has been good, Stafford might be our best goal scorer, Perreault was probably the best signing a GM has made in the last several years, what a bargain at 3 million a year. 

 

The Jets are on the right track and as much as it frustrates me to no end watching them play this year, I half expected them to struggle. I think management and that doesn't include just Chevy but all of them, needs to pick a direction to go in right now. Trade Ladd,Buff, etc and go with the youth and the draft and develop model that is so far working quite nicely or.... sign them and trade prospects and picks for established NHL players and try to win with this core, however after 5 years now and probably only 1 playoff appearance, i think it's time to change things up and I think management does also. 

 

You can't fire a guy because your expectations for the team are ridiculously high, this is a bubble team at best currently, they are good enough to not be a bottom 3 team (or are they?) but not good enough to consistently compete. It takes time to actually build a winner, People can talk about Dallas and all that but Dallas is not Winnipeg and it's easier for a team and city like Dallas to attract players than it is for us too. That's reality. People think we could sign this guy that guy and the other guy and whoever else but reality is... we can't. WE ARE WINNIPEG. Along with Edmonton and some other places we are the destination that players do not want to sign with, why? Because it's cold, because it's small, because it's "crappy". That's the reality, it's a fish bowl, players don't like that, unless you are gonna massively over pay for them and no thanks. This team when ready to compete will be competing with Scheif,Trouba,Morrissey,Ehlers,Connor,Helle,Roslovic, etc...Mathews lol, those are the guys that we will be competitive with. We are in the central, this team currently with it's core is not good enough to compete with Dallas,Chicago,St Louis, Nashville even (unless our goalie stands on his head). 

 

Fire Chevy? Nope, he's done a good job. He's let core get a chance to prove that they can get the job done, this year, they haven't and have regressed big time, outside of Wheeler really. Fire Chevy? Only if he decides to sign ladd and buff to long term big money deals but i doubt that happens. 

 

There is no quick fix and i feel some people expected that, But in reality, in order to be good, you have to be bad first pretty much. Guess what, we aren't even that bad yet, we are a .500 team, definition of a middle of the pack team, not bad enough to get a high draft pick but not good enough to make the playoffs consistently. Time for change and i'm pretty sure the people with the power realize it too. Otherwise Ladd and Buff would be signed by now, you wouldn't hear of Toby Enstrom being shopped rumors. The people in charge have more knowledge than all of us combined and i think it's about time some actually admitted it. It is what it is. We are fans, they are the people in charge. 

 

Fire Chevy? Why and hire who? and how is this new guy gonna make things better? Draft and Develop is the name of the game in Winnipeg and it's time to accept it. It takes time to build via draft and develop but the pieces are there and coming, it just takes time... You can say that the current core is just there so the guys they do draft and develop can take over one day. That's what this is all about, The current core are just place holders until the drafted and developed guys are ready. And they will be ready soon, it just takes time. The lack of patience shown by some is just crazy actually.... Realize a couple things and then step back. 

 

1. WE ARE WINNIPEG - <--- that is a major one. Realize what that means

2. We are a draft and develop team <--- goes hand in hand with #1 because big name FA'S won't ever sign here, EVER. 

Edited January 11, 201610 yr by Goalie

Chevy's biggest test will be handling the UFA's.  He's done a good job.  Scouting has been good.  Drafting has been good.  The deals he has made have been unoffensive (waiver wire pick ups etc) and the one blockbuster deal he made looks great.  His contract negotiations have been mostly a win, perhaps Enstrom (his first) was a bit too too much, but he locked up the core long term.  Even the contract he got Kane under was good especially considering Kane wanted out of Winnipeg and he still locked him up long term.

As far as looking at the Jets and management after five years, the UFA contracts and even the RFA's this year because they are 3-4 "future core" guys could be the deciding factor as to whether its been a win or a loss.

Ask Oiler fans or Leaf Fans or Panthers FAN (yup) how they feel about their teams and what they have done the last 5 6 7 10 years in some cases, It takes time... ask Blackhawk fans what it was like b4 Kane and Toews showed up, It takes time.... I think last year was a fluke and i think fans expectations were raised for some reason because of it. 

 

This team isn't gonna compete just yet but when they are ready, just like Florida appears to be ready right now (it took many years of sucking to get there tho first), They will be good. What do people want? A team that makes the playoffs only to be swept or lose in the first round? Or a team that makes the playoffs year in year out and actually has a chance to win it all, Cuz if you want the chance to win it all, It takes time to build your team to get to that point. Like i said, Ask Chicago, Ask Edmonton, Flordia, NYI for that matter, Washington for that matter also, Hell Pittsburgh even. It doesn't happen over night or in 2 or 3 years, face it 2011 was a wash, and to an extent so was 2013 because it was a lockout shortened season. 

 

Last year was fun but it was probably the worst thing to happen to the Jets organization so far because it gave the fans this false sense that this team was actually good enough to compete. 

 

What do you need to be competitive tho..

 

A franchise Goalie (Helle looks like he is the guy), A Franchise d man (Trouba??), and a Franchise Center man (Scheif??) but ideally Mathews

 

Little is good but he's not an elite #1 center... Scheif might not be that #1 center either but.... at worst he's a above average number 2 guy. 

Edited January 11, 201610 yr by Goalie

1 hour ago, Goalie said:

Ask Oiler fans or Leaf Fans or Panthers FAN (yup) how they feel about their teams and what they have done the last 5 6 7 10 years in some cases, It takes time... ask Blackhawk fans what it was like b4 Kane and Toews showed up, It takes time.... I think last year was a fluke and i think fans expectations were raised for some reason because of it. 

 

You mean before Tallon/Bowman showed up...  they built that franchise - Chevy learned from them - I'll wait it out.

Jets played tighter last year when all our D was injured - that was the difference...  this year its back to run and gun.

That being said, if your lines are

Ladd-Little-Wheeler

Perrault-Scheifele-Stafford

Frolik-Lowry-Burmistrov

Thorburn-Copp-Stempniak

(Armia-Ehlers)

That's probably the difference to be 3-4 games above 500, or at least get into OT more often

 

I'd have Stempy on the 3rd not 4th line based on this season.

I don't want to give them an excuse but, they have had a **** schedule this year and (it gets way worse in March-April) lots of players started off really slow.

If something isn't affecting Ladd's game (injury?) he needs to be traded ASAP before he diminishes further. He isn't worth 4.5m this year never mind the numbers he must want.