2014-15 NHL season preview: Winnipeg Jets
This 2014-15 NHL season preview features the Winnipeg Jets.
What was Stanley Cup worthy in 2013-14?
After a 19-23-5 start, the Jets replaced head coach Claude Noel with Paul Maurice. While it wasn’t quite enough to overcome the deficit they put themselves in, Maurice gives the organization reason for hope guiding the team to an 18-12-5 finish.
A big part of that late-season success was Blake Wheeler. He led the Jets with 69 points in 82 games, but 25 of those points came over the final 26 games. Perhaps most impressive is that in the 15 games the Jets played against playoff teams during that span, Wheeler scored 19 points.
Second on the Jets in scoring was Bryan Little, who finished with career-highs in assists (41) and points (64). He was also remarkably consistent, putting up nearly identical numbers at home and on the road and going more than two games without a point just twice all season.
After scoring just 11 goals in 136 games following his trade to the Blackhawks, Michael Frolik had a nice bounce-back season in his first year in Winnipeg. He played over four minutes more per game and made the most of it with 42 points and a +8 in 81 games, his highest point total since 2008-09, his second NHL season with Florida.
Had Mark Scheifele not missed 19 games late in the season, he may have made a run at the Calder Trophy. The 20 year-old scored 34 points in 63 games, a pace that would have put him at about 45 points over a full season, good for fourth in the league among rookies, and that’s without playing on the team’s top powerplay unit.
At just 19 years old, defenseman Jacob Trouba had an excellent first year in the National Hockey League. After suffering a horrific early season injury when he crashed face-first into the boards, he posted 27 points including nine goals in 57 games. Overall, he finished with 29 points and a +4 in 65 games, leading all rookies with 22:26 minutes of ice-time per game. He finished sixth in Calder Trophy voting.
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Jets White Out
What was draft lottery worthy in 2013-14?
Much like the previous iteration of the Winnipeg Jets, mediocrity seemed to reign over this team in almost every aspect of their game. They ranked between 15th and 28th in goals scored (2.67), goals against (2.82), 5-on-5 scoring (0.95), powerplay (15.4%), shots against (30.1) and faceoffs (46.9%).
For the past three seasons, it seems Evander Kane’s name always pops up in Jets trade rumors. Perhaps a reason for that, more-so than some of his off-ice troubles, is that his goals-per-game and points-per-game have decreased in each of those seasons. He finished with 41 points in 63 games last year. The former fourth overall pick has reached a bit of a crossroads in his career. The tools are there for him to be a very good power forward, but many question his ability to focus enough to make that happen.
For the fifth consecutive season, Ondrej Pavelec has been entrusted as the Jets’ starter in goal, and for the fifth consecutive season he’s been unable to take the next step. Granted he does face over 30 shots per game, many of them quality chances, but he simply has to show that he can provide more than the very mediocre .901-.906 save percentage he’s had the last three years.
Defenseman Toby Enstrom had the worst statistical season of his career, posting just 30 points and a -9 in 82 games. Trailing only Dustin Byfuglien on the team with 3:16 per game with the man advantage, Enstrom has to give the Jets more than just 13 points on the powerplay.
So what did they do to get better?
Winnipeg will be relying a lot on growth from their young core this season.
The only significant addition they made was Mathieu Perreault, a talented forward with some upside. He scored 43 points and posted a +13 in 69 games with the Anaheim Ducks last season. Most impressively, he’s managed 70 points in 159 career games despite averaging less than 12 minutes per game. His career shooting percentage is also notably high at 18.9%.
The Jets also took a flier on TJ Galiardi, signing him to a low-risk one-year deal worth $750,000. While he won’t provide much offense (He’s only scored more than 17 points once in his 5 full NHL seasons), he’ll bring grit and energy as well as some penalty killing ability to the bottom six.
Player to watch
Winnipeg needs Evander Kane to “put it all together”, so to speak and become the player many thought he could be when he was drafted fourth overall.
After countless rumors sending him everywhere from Montreal to Vancouver, it’s time for the Jets to get their young power-forward focused on his game and nothing else.
If he gets his head on straight this season, he’s got all the tools to be a top ten goal scorer in the NHL. Look for 35 goals and 65 points, putting an end to all the trade speculation.
"It’s hard to imagine they run through this gauntlet of a division without getting absolutely trampled this year."
They will make the playoffs if…
Kane, Scheifele and Trouba play like they’re five years older than they actually are. Which with these three is actually possible.
They will miss the playoffs if…
Every other Central Division team doesn’t suffer catastrophic injuries.
What should we expect this season?
The Jets have some nice building blocks in place with Kane, Scheifele and Trouba already with the big club and Nicolaj Ehlers, Nicolas Petan and Josh Morrissey in the system.
The problem for this team this season is: Chicago added Brad Richards; St. Louis added Paul Stastny; Colorado added Jarome Iginla and Brad Stuart (although they did lose Stastny); Minnesota added Thomas Vanek; even Nashville added James Neal. The Jets replaced Olli Jokinen and Devin Setoguchi with Mathieu Perreault.
It’s hard to imagine they run through this gauntlet of a division without getting absolutely trampled this year.
Prediction
32-43-7 71 points, 7th in the Central Division, 13th in the Western Conference