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Is there RFA Trouble in Winnipeg? |
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News leaked out this week that Jets goaltender Ondrej Pavelec may have been offered a contract in the KHL similar to the way teammate Alex Burmistrov was rumoured to be offered one. Whether it’s proactive protection against a lockout or just another KHL club attempting to attract top talent, the ramifications could be making Jets fans nervous.
This story even turned up in the ever-popular 30 thoughts penned each week by the CBC’s Elliotte Friedman. Friedman wondered if there might be issues if not an impasse between the two sides and it’s a fair assessment. One could go even further and question the discussions, or lack thereof, between the Jets and the two key RFA players, Kane and Pavelec as there has been absolutely no news or report whatsoever.
This situation should be concerning to fans, if not worrisome. True North is in complete lockdown mode as one media member pointed out to me yesterday. Even in passing conversation with a high-ranking TNSE employee was I told in a polite and relaxed manner “nothing of significance to report.”
Frankly there may be a reason for all of the silence and lack of news. Last year the rumours and innuendo along with the eventual announcement of franchise relocation took place in the heat of the post season, all involving Winnipeg. TNSE may be very sensitive to the NHL’s purported gag orders regarding big news in the playoffs thus are holding off reporting any, just as a few other teams may be doing.
What if they are not?
Fear mongering is never a fun thing to do and in this industry it serves few legitimate purposes, however it’s time for Jets fans to take a cold hard look at reality right now. Since the blowout story of Claude Noel candid conversation over breakfast to a keen fan, there has been all but no news about the Jets. No leaks from Kane’s camp, Pavelec’s, Glass, Slater, or Stapleton’s either. There’s not even a joke about Wellwood being seen at Rae and Jerry’s eating his last pay cheque.
While some have insisted they see a chance of Kane being moved after a tumultuous season away from the ice, would anyone question Pavelec and the adoration for him by Winnipeg fans? Is what many people away from Winnipeg have perhaps hoped for if not predicted come true: that players do not want to choose Winnipeg before knowing their other options? The Jets hold all the power with RFAs and their formidable cap space with strong revenue means there is no reason TNSE will not sign the pair. But if over-paying, and by a large margin, is the only way to retain RFAs no one should be shocked that plans B, C and D might be explored. Add in the unique threat of competing KHL contracts combined with a potential labour war and the Jets may be facing a difficult scenario.
It’s not dire, but now that the Stanley Cup is awarded, with only the draft and UFA period weeks away, news of any kind will eventually become public. Unfortunately for TNSE news needs to be aligned with the interest and expectations set for the team by the fans. These expectations are not small and the interest is not passive.
There may be no trouble at all for the Jets with their key contracts and all this silence and concern could pass quite easily in the coming weeks. Should the news not meet expectations there very well could be trouble but it will come from the fans. There’s no way to gauge how that first bit of public adversity will affect the team, nor is there any way to measure how the fans will trust the players in the future. Exuberant fan passion and interest is a good problem to have but in the complicated world of sports contracts it can have unintended consequences and the Jets may soon be seeing some should contract talks go awry.
Winnipeg Jets Blogger •Winnipeg Jets Writer • 
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