Winnipeg Jets - New Challenges

The Winnipeg Jets' first two seasons in the NHL following the franchise's move from Atlanta went about as well as anyone could have hoped, everywhere but on the ice. Fans have packed MTS Centre on a nightly basis since the move in May 2011, turning the NHL's smallest arena into one of the toughest stops for visiting teams. The love affair between the city and the Jets that began two years ago continues unabated; hundreds of fans swarmed the young players at rookie camp last month, looking for photos and autographs. The only fly in the ointment has been that the Jets have come up short of the Stanley Cup Playoffs in the two seasons in their new home. Despite the lack of success on the ice, the Jets spent the summer locking up the core of their team, much of which came with the franchise from Atlanta. Andrew Ladd, Ondrej Pavelec, Evander Kane, Tobias Enstrom, Zach Bogosian, Blake Wheeler and Bryan Little were members of the organization that arrived in Winnipeg; general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff systematically signed all of them to long-term contracts after securing Wheeler, Little and Bogosian this summer. In all, 11 players have contracts that run through at least 2015-16. The Jets have been good enough to compete in the past two seasons, but they haven't been able to get into the playoffs. They're betting that the personnel they have will improve enough to get them to the next level. With that commitment and those contracts comes the need to succeed. The fans who have filled MTS Centre are no longer going to be content merely with having the NHL back in town; they want to see a winning team and Stanley Cup Playoff games. The Jets were ninth in the Eastern Conference in 2012-13 and will make their long-awaited move to the Western Conference this season. The travel will be easier; no more multiple trips to Washington, Carolina and to the two teams in Florida. But the tradeoff is being in a division led by the defending Stanley Cup champion Chicago Blackhawks. For the Jets to make the playoffs for the first time since 2007 and the second in franchise history, they're going to have to do a better job keeping the puck out of their net. Not since 2006-07 has the Jets/Thrashers franchise finished better than 24th in goals allowed. Pavelec, the unquestioned No. 1 goaltender, went 21-20-3 last season with a 2.80 goals-against average and a save percentage of .904; each was among the poorest figures for NHL starters. He played a League-high 44 of 48 games, as coach Claude Noel rode his No. 1 goalie hard; backup Al Montoya re-signed with the team after getting into seven games. The big news on defense was the seven-year, $36 million contract given to Bogosian, the third player taken in the 2008 NHL Draft. The 23-year-old had five goals and 14 points in 33 games in 2012-13 and has never had more than 30 points in his five NHL seasons. The long-term deal was based at least as much on promise as on what he's accomplished thus far. Improvement on the blue line could come from Jacob Trouba, the Jets' first-round pick (No. 9) in the 2012 NHL Draft. He left the University of Michigan after one season; with veteran Ron Hainsey allowed to leave as a free agent, the Jets would be delighted if the 19-year-old could step in. Also bidding for a job will be the No. 7 pick from 2011, Mark Scheifele, a center who has had brief stints with the Jets in each of the past two seasons before being returned to juniors. The Jets were hurt last season by the absence of Enstrom, a playmaking defenseman who missed 26 games with injuries. Dustin Byfuglien (eight goals, 28 points) is one of the NHL's top offensive forces on the blue line. Up front, Wheeler (19 goals, 41 points) and Little (seven goals, 32 points) received long-term contracts that avoided arbitration. They join Ladd (18 goals, team-high 46 points), the captain, and Kane (17 goals, 33 points), an emerging star, to give the Jets a talented offensive nucleus. Cheveldayoff added to that group by bringing in Devin Setoguchi and Michael Frolik from the Minnesota Wild and Blackhawks, respectively. Those additions should make up for the loss of 2010 first-round pick (No. 8) Alexander Burmistrov, who opted to return home to Russia rather than re-sign with the Jets as a restricted free agent. But is that enough to get the Jets into the playoffs? After making huge commitments to Little, Wheeler and Bogosian in an effort to keep the core together, and making relatively few changes to a team that has missed the playoffs for six consecutive seasons.

The Winnipeg Jets' franchise hasn't made the Stanley Cup Playoffs since 2007, when the team was based in Atlanta. The Jets have been competitive in their first two seasons since moving to Winnipeg, but the fans who have packed MTS Centre are moving past the stage when simply having the NHL back in town is enough; they want to see a playoff team. Ownership has committed to keeping the core of this team together; 11 players are signed through the 2015-16 season after Zach Bogosian, Blake Wheeler and Bryan Little signed long-term contract extensions this summer. General manager Kevin Cheveldayoff is hoping the players he's committed to are ready to help the team take the next step and end its six-year absence from the postseason. The Jets kept the core of their team intact, but they have high hopes that the addition of first-round picks from 2012 (Jacob Trouba) and 2011 (Mark Scheifele) will be enough to push them into the postseason. Trouba, a defenseman, signed with Winnipeg after a spectacular season at the University of Michigan that included a gold medal with the United States at the 2013 IIHF World Junior Championship. Scheifele, a center, failed to stick with the Jets in each of the past two seasons. But he became an offensive force with Barrie of the Ontario Hockey League, scoring 39 goals and finishing with 79 points in 45 games last season before putting up 15 goals and 41 points in 21 playoff games. Cheveldayoff and ownership have obviously decided the Jets are still on the way up. They signed 23-year-old defenseman Bogosian, 25-year-old center Little and soon-to-be 27-year-old right wing Wheeler to long-term contracts this summer. Also signed through at least the 2015-16 season are forwards Evander Kane and Andrew Ladd along with goaltender Ondrej Pavelec and defensemen Tobias Enstrom, Dustin Byfuglien and Grant Clitsome. That's nine members of a non-playoff team who don't figure to be going anywhere. The challenge is for that group to prove it can be the nucleus of a winning team. Bogosian, for one, is ready. Pavelec was the busiest goaltender in the NHL last season, starting 43 of Winnipeg's 48 games and appearing in a League-high 44. His 21-20-3 record wasn't awful, but his 2.80 goals-against was 37th among qualifying goaltenders and his .905 save percentage was 34th. The Jets haven't been better than 24th in goals allowed in any of their past six seasons, and Pavelec has never had a GAA better than 2.73. With three seasons after this one remaining on his contract, Pavelec is not going anywhere. So he will have to step up his game if the Jets have any hopes of returning to the postseason. But the Jets will have to play a lot better in front of him. Arguably the Jets forward most likely to emerge as an NHL star, Evander Kane underwent surgery in June to remove pressure from a nerve in his left foot. He also finished last season with a wrist injury and has been sidelined by foot and knee problems. Kane was back on the ice during development camp in July and said he expects to be ready to go when training camp starts in September. He has to be at full strength for the Jets to compete for a playoff berth. Of the Jets' core group, he's the one with the most upside, and they need him to become the All-Star power forward they hoped he would become when they drafted him at No. 4 in 2009. The Jets signed Olli Jokinen to a two-year contract before last season, then saw him score seven goals and finish with 14 points and a minus-19 rating despite finishing fifth among Winnipeg forwards in ice time (17:07). At age 34, Jokinen is five years removed from the last of his three consecutive 30-goal seasons, but he had 23 goals and 61 points in 2011-12 for the Calgary Flames. The Jets need him to at least approach those numbers if they hope to make the playoffs. After playing their first two seasons in the Southeast Division and enduring a challenging travel schedule, the Jets are finally where they wanted to be all along: in the Western Conference. After realignment, Winnipeg is part of a Central Division that contains one team (the Colorado Avalanche) outside its time zone. The bad news is the Jets are moving from the NHL's weakest division in the old alignment (the Southeast) into one headed by the Stanley Cup champion Chicago Blackhawks. Two playoff teams from last season, the St. Louis Blues and Minnesota Wild, also are in the Central Division, as are the improved Dallas Stars and Avalanche, and the rebounding Nashville Predators. Considering the competition, the Jets might need 95 points, a total reached once in franchise history, to make the postseason.