An
added bonus for one of the NHL's smaller groups of centers is that
Jokinen is 6-foot-3 and 210 pounds, meaning he adds size as well as
skill. "His size comes to the forefront," Cheveldayoff
said. "He's difficult to handle when he gets moving and he does
move very well. He likes to shoot the puck and he's not afraid to do
that, and there are lots of opportunities for him to score and
opportunities for other players to score off of rebounds and create
plays." The Jets also added Ponikarovsky, a valuable forward in
the New Jersey
Devils' run to the Stanley Cup Final. He should be a solid
third-liner, he's scored 20 or more goals four times in his career
and had 14 goals and 33 points with the Carolina
Hurricanes and New Jersey last season despite minimal power-play
time. The Jets are hopeful Ponikarovsky will provide a spark to
former Toronto
Maple Leafs teammate Nik
Antropov, whose production has dropped from 24 goals and 67
points in 2009-10 to 15 and 35 last season. Jokinen's arrival should
take some of the pressure off Antropov, who found himself on the
fourth line at times. While the middle has been a muddle, the Jets do
have some talent on the wings. Evander
Kane had 30 goals in his third NHL season, up from 14 and 19 in
his first two, and all indications are he'll be a star. Blake
Wheeler led the Jets with 47 assists and 61 points, and captain
Andrew Ladd
scored 28 times while providing leadership for a group of players
that had to relocate from Atlanta to Winnipeg in a short amount of
time.
There's
also plenty of offense from the blue line. Dustin
Byfuglien's 53 points tied him for second among NHL defensemen,
and Tobias
Enstrom and Zach
Bogosian each finished with at least 30 points. They were part of
the reason the Jets were second in the NHL in power-play success at
home (22.0 percent) and 12th overall (17.9 percent). The Jets used
their first-round pick on USNTDP defenseman Jacob
Trouba, who for now is headed to the University of Michigan. The
Jets took Trouba because most of their problems are in their own
zone, their 242 non-shootout goals allowed were 26th in the 30-team
NHL. Most of those came on the road, where the Jets were 14-22-5. The
defense has to give more help to goaltender Ondrej
Pavelec, whose 2.91 goals-against average and .906 save
percentage in 68 appearances weren't helped by seeing more than 34
shots per 60 minutes of playing time. Al
Montoya, who played with the New
York Islanders last season, was signed to back up Pavelec, who
received a new five-year deal this offseason. Aside from the addition
of Jokinen, the Jets seem determined to improve mostly from within,
by letting young players Kane, Bogosian and Mark
Scheifele grow into their roles. Cheveldayoff is hopeful the
addition of Jokinen will speed up the maturation process, but the GM
seems determined to go for steady progress rather than splashy
signings.
The
Jets chased a playoff berth last season without a whole lot of
production at center. That should change now that they've signed
Olli
Jokinen to a two-year deal. While the 33-year-old may not be
the offensive force he was a few years ago (91 points in 2006-07),
he's a huge upgrade for the Jets, Winnipeg's top four scorers last
season were wings or defensemen. Jokinen also is used to the
pressure of playing in Canada, a consideration he doesn't take
lightly. "Very excited about joining the Winnipeg
Jets and getting a chance to play in front of the loudest fans
in Canada!," he said via his Twitter account after the
signing. Jokinen isn't going to make anyone forget Wayne
Gretzky. But he's been remarkably durable (1,042 games and at
least 76 in every season since 1998-99) and consistent (292 goals,
391 assists, seven 20-goal seasons and at least 50 points in nine
straight seasons). He put up 23 goals and 61 points with the
Calgary Flames
in 2011-12, in contrast, no Jets center managed 50 points. There's
no doubt he makes the Jets a better team. "When you do have
the ability to upgrade in any facet of the center position, you
have to take a good, long look at it," Jets general manager
Kevin
Cheveldayoff said after signing Jokinen. "We believe
strength down the middle will give you a lot of success in the
long run." At 6-foot-2, 210 pounds, Jokinen provides more
muscle up the middle on a team that didn't have much size at
center. "We're excited about the opportunity to bring a
front-line player, a top-six player into the organization,"
Cheveldayoff said. "His size comes to the forefront right
now; he’s difficult to handle. When he gets moving, he does move
very well. He likes to shoot the puck and he’s not afraid to do
that." Cheveldayoff will also look to Jokinen for leadership
among the Jets' roster, as well as helping to increase production
among their young forwards, including 30-goal scorer Evander
Kane. Jokinen's arrival also means the Jets won't have to rush
their top prospect, 2011 first-round pick Mark
Scheifele. "Any time you can add a player of this
stature, a player that has abilities to make plays and to score,
it creates other opportunities for players like Evander,"
Cheveldayoff said of Jokinen. "You have to respect players
like Olli when they're on the ice all the time, and I think that
attention helps other players to play their game as well."
Jokinen, tiurned 34 in December, is an experienced guy on a young
team. Cheveldayoff said the Jets' youth was one of the things that
attracted the veteran to Winnipeg. "He's very excited about
being at the forefront of a group that has young players, that has
a chance to continue to grow and get better and he's really
looking forward to contributing in that regard," the GM said.
Though
the Winnipeg Jets
didn’t make the playoffs, they were one of the NHL's feel-good
stories of 2011-12. The return of hockey to Winnipeg was greeted by a
packed house every night, and the Jets dominated the local sports
scene in a way they never did while playing as the Atlanta Thrashers.
But the novelty of having a hockey team back in Winnipeg has faded,
and the fans who welcomed the Jets so warmly a year ago are going to
want to see more progress from a franchise that hasn't made the
Stanley Cup Playoffs since 2007, and has qualified for the
postseason once in its history.
Evander
Kane emerged as a 30-goal scorer in his third NHL season, showing the
combination of skill and power the franchise envisioned when he was
taken by the Thrashers with the fourth pick in the 2009 NHL Draft. At
21 years old, the restricted free agent looks like he's capable of
more. The Jets are trying to secure him with a long-term contract,
meaning they think he's headed for bigger things, but he has yet to
sign, leading to all kinds of speculation. As the top goal-scorer on
the Jets, he's the player they want to build around, so getting him
to agree to a multiyear deal is a must.
General
manager Kevin
Cheveldayoff gave the 25-year-old Czech goalie, Ondrej Pavelec, a
lucrative five-year deal after a season in which his goals-against
average went up (to 2.91, from 2.73) and his save percentage went
down (to .906, from .914). Pavelec didn't get a lot of help from his
teammates, he faced more than 34 shots per 60 minutes of ice time, a
horrendous total in this era, but he's going to have to take a few
steps forward to give the Jets the kind of goaltending they'll need
to be a playoff team.
The
Jets' biggest offseason acquisition had 61 points with the Calgary
Flames last season; Winnipeg didn't have a 50-point center on its
roster. Jokinen undoubtedly will get top-six ice time; he could wind
up on the first line if Bryan
Little proves he's not up to the job. The Jets are optimistic
Jokinen will be at least as good as he was last season. They're
banking on him to provide size and leadership as well as offense. If
he does, they could take several steps forward. If not, the Jets
figure to be grounded again.
The
Jets did not address one of their biggest failings last season: the
inability to kill penalties. Winnipeg allowed 58 power-play goals,
more than all but two teams; gave opponents 292 power-play chances,
seventh-most in the NHL; and managed three shorthanded goals (the
League low was two). Neither of the two forwards acquired this summer
(Jokinen and Alexei
Ponikarovsky) figures to spend a lot of time on the PK, so the
Jets will have to get better from within, using largely the same cast
that struggled last year.
There's
no question Byfuglien is one of the NHL's most productive defensemen
when it comes to generating offense, his 53 points in 66 games were
tied for second in the League. His booming shot is a weapon,
especially on the power play. But Byfuglien isn't nearly as good in
his own zone, he's been a minus player in each of the past three
seasons, including back-to-back years when he's put up 53 points.
Byfuglien is an offensive force, but he's got to pay more attention
to defending for the Jets to be able to turn more of those points
into wins.
Having
NHL hockey again was enough for fans last season. They began cheering
during warm-ups on opening day and didn't stop until the final horn
on April 7. The Jets responded to the support by going 23-13-5 in
front of the home folks as opposed to 14-22-5 on the road. But for
all the love and support they received, the first-year Jets were only
four points better than the 2010-11 edition of the Atlanta Thrashers
and came up short of a playoff berth again. The 15,004 fans who pack
MTS Centre every night, and the thousands more who live and die with
the team, are going to want more this season than merely having the
NHL back in town. Missing the playoffs a second time could do a lot
to take the bloom off the rose of this love story.
The
first season with NHL hockey back in Winnipeg was a big, successful
party. Fans flocked to see the new Jets, turning MTS Centre into the
closest thing the NHL has to a college atmosphere, complete with
creative chants and wonderful spurts of near-deafening noise. There
were November nights in Manitoba that sounded like other NHL arenas
in the postseason. The Jets were a significantly better team at home
than on the road, and the crowd played a role in that (though tough
travel, both for the Jets on the road and teams coming to MTS, also
was assuredly a factor). General manager Kevin
Cheveldayoff made one big addition and a secondary one to help
his club's forward group. He also added a new backup goaltender, and
locked up the franchise guy in net. Whether or not the improvements
are enough to make the Jets a playoff contender remains to be seen,
they are still in the Southeast Division, which significantly
improved, thanks to major moves by the Carolina
Hurricanes and Tampa
Bay Lightning.
Forwards
Andrew
Ladd - Olli
Jokinen - Blake
Wheeler
Evander
Kane - Bryan
Little - Alexander
Burmistrov
Nik
Antropov - Jim
Slater - Kyle
Wellwood
Alexei
Ponikarovsky - Patrice
Cormier - Chris
Thorburn
Antti
Miettinen
Defensemen
Tobias
Enstrom - Dustin
Byfuglien
Ron
Hainsey - Zach
Bogosian
Grant
Clitsome - Mark
Stuart
Paul
Postma
Goaltenders
Ondrej
Pavelec
Al
Montoya
NOTES:
Jokinen, signed as a free agent, likely gets a chance to replace
Little on the top line to start the season. Ladd, Wheeler and Kane
are locks to be top-six wings, but that fourth spot, not to mention
the two slots on the third line flanking the team's top faceoff guy
(Slater) could go in a number of different directions. Burmistrov is
still young and oozes potential, so he deserves a chance to play with
skilled linemates. Top prospect Mark
Scheifele could force his way onto to the team, either in
Little's place in the middle or landing next to him on the second
line. Antropov, Ponikarovsky and Wellwood are possibilities to play
on the other side of Kane. Ponikarovsky has 19 goals in the past two
seasons and four in 65 career postseason contests, so don't be
surprised if he's the odd-man out from the top nine. Antropov would
be on high alert if Scheifele has a strong camp. Though Burmistrov
deserves a long look in the top six during camp, he, too, could get
shuffled to the back of the pack. The first four of the defense corps
looks set, though there could be a bit more to come from Bogosian.
Postma is on a one-way contract, so expect him to stick over Derek
Meech, who has a two-way deal. Pavelec has a big contract and an
offseason arrest to add to the pressure already on a goalie who sees
a ton of rubber every night. He has games when he looks like a future
Vezina candidate, but the overall numbers are still not at an elite
level. Those statistics need to get there for him to be worth his new
deal and for Winnipeg to be a playoff contender. Montoya had some
moments with the New
York Islanders and could be a quality backup.
No comments:
Post a Comment