Fans have had time to digest the state of affairs for the Jets since the season ended and they have seen who has reach the conference finals and who those teams were built and coached. The NHL is a 'copycat' league and the Jets could take away something from the four teams currently sitting there, now two teams actually.

While they will not be the Penguins with two generational talents and other great pieces, nor will the be the Senators with the generation Karlsson and the goaltending of Anderson. However, the team they have tried to emulate, the Nashville Predators, is probably a great look to copy.

While it's no secret that the Jets ownership have reached out to Nashville, before and after they purchased the Thrashers, are they paying attention more closely.

This tweet last night from Arctic Ice hockey raised a good point about how the roster was built:

Arvidsson: Round 4
Johansen: Trade
Forsberg: Trade
Josi: Round 2
Fisher: Trade
Neal: Trade
Jarnkrok: Trade
Ekholm: Round 4

— Arctic Ice Hockey (@arcticicehockey) May 23, 2017

If you look at the Jets how do they compare?

Wheeler- Trade
Little- Round 1
Scheifele- Round 1
Ehlers- Round 1
Laine- Round 1
Morrissey- Round 1
Trouba Round 1
Byfuglien- Trade
Perreault- UFA
Myers- Trade
Lowry- Round 3


That's a reasonable sample but here's where the difference is- unless the Jets are drafing at the top they don't have a ton to show for their results unless you go back to Enstrom taken in round 7 under a total different regime.

The point that is worth considering is how Nashville has filled our their roster but not only drafting well but by drafting well in other rounds than the first, using assets to make key trades, and building a well rounded team.

The Jets are top heavy in prospects in forwards, light in defence but all have come closer to the top of the draft than spread throughout it. The other aspect that is different is trades. I added in Wheeler simply because that's how he was acquired but that again is a different regime. Other than trading Kane and Bogosian there's not much to show on the trade front. A few pieces going out but not much coming back. Oh Setoguchi.

The fact that Cheveldayoff has limited his action plan to basically drafting and developing is leaving the fan base somewhat frustrated and asking a few questions. If it will take nearly 20 years for the Jets to make a conference final, let alone the Stanley Cup final it seems more than a few fans in Winnipeg will be losing their minds.

So what can Chevy do to speed up the process?

First be honest about what we know about Winnipeg in the general NHL market- it’s hard to attract players there via trade or as a UFA. Nashville more than likely looks like a destination for players now, that’s a stark difference for what Winnipeg is but hey winning cures everything right?

So how do the Jets become a winning team that has players wanting to go there? They have to fix some holes and the main one is between the pipes. If you look at the Nashville/Poile approach the Jets would have to beef up their scouting for the draft to find more players that step into the roster for ‘free’ and one other thing… They have to be prepared to trade assets.

Subban did not show up for nothing, nor did Forsberg…oops bad example. However Johansen cost the Preds Seth Jones and remember the Preds lost Suter and Hamhuis without a whiff of consolation. Are the Jets prepared to take this next step and find those opportunities?

One could argue that Frolik mimicked the Suter and Hamhuis situation but that’s a stretch. However what is true now is that the Jets have the assets to make a move or two if necessary and again we look between the pipes or the left side defence.

Frankly the problems and solutions are so obvious it is almost painful and the repetition of presenting them is almost just as painful. That being said, does Chevy have the chutzpah to pull off a move to make the next step? He’s close enough that the time to be bold and strike is here or very near but will he and the owner see it? The Preds finally realizing this level of success should be a motivator and more so because that franchise started with nothing unlike the Jets.

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