Failure To Launch

By: Mike Rifkin

In 2018 the Winnipeg Jets lost to the Vegas Golden Knights in five games in the Western Conference Finals. This year, the Jets again lost in the first round of the playoffs when the Golden Knights dispatched them in five games. Since their appearance in the Western Conference Finals, the Jets have won one playoff series, and that was in the 2020-21 season, where they played in the all-Canada division. 

Head Coach Rick Bowness was asked about his overall thoughts on the series and said, “I’m so disappointed and disgusted right now. There was no pushback. It’s the same crap we saw in February.” Bowness then went after his top players, saying, “We’ve got to push back. There’s got to be a pushback. There has to be pride. You’ve got to push back when things aren’t going your way. Their best players were better in the regular season, and they were better in the series.” The Jet’s best player all year was goalie Connor Hellebuyck, nominated for the Vezina Trophy. In the series against Vegas, Hellebuyck had a 3.44 Goals Against Average and a .886 save percentage. Hellebuyck had a 2.49 GAA and a .920 save percentage in the regular season. 

According to multiple reports, the Jets are willing to listen to trade offers on Hellebuyck and Centers Pierre – Luc Dubois and Mark Scheifele, all entering the final year of their respective contracts. According to the same reports, the Jets don’t intend to have a full-scale rebuild. Now as someone who genuinely likes the nucleus of this team, I understand that there has to be some form of change because it can’t always be the coach. That being said, if I was in Kevin Cheveldayoff’s shoes, there’s one of the three that I wouldn’t move unless I had to. I would keep Hellebuyck. I know he had a bad series against Vegas, but the Jets only had a successful season because of how good he was. Hellebuyck is in the upper echelon of goalies in the NHL. While the return would be substantial, I am still determining how you can give up the most important player on the team and claim that this is not a rebuild. If you want to give up Scheifele or Dubois, that’s fine. A Center will also get you an excellent return, especially if they sign a deal with the team acquiring them and can be replaced. I don’t know how you replace one of the best goalies in the league when the solution is not out there. Then there’s another factor here; the Jets could consider this a rebuild and blow this core up. They could consider a rebuild because of how tough the Central Division is and will be. The Stars, Avalanche, and Wild are all great teams. The Blues and Predators should be improved with busy off-seasons. The Blackhawks won the Connor Bedard sweepstakes, and the Coyotes have some talent. 

The Jets might be the most compelling team to watch this summer. Connor Hellebuyck is the key to the Jets’ offseason, and whatever they do with him is the direction the team will go in. But if it were me, I’d be holding the star goalie.