Jets keep winning but decisions coming for Chevy
Rather than look at each individual game and give a recap sometimes it’s a bit more interesting to look at games, and the team, in longer segments. This won’t be all the time but after the Dallas game the Jets took off for two games on the road before the matinee game Sunday against Los Angeles.
The Dallas game was an outpouring of offence for the Jets with Laine getting another hat trick but the good times continued on in Arizona. What is interesting about that game is the score sheet. Go back to the Dallas game and notice that Dano and Petan and Copp all had goals and two of them had assists as well. In Arizona Copp and Petan both found themselves on the score sheet again helping the Jets to a 3-2 win in a game that was not as close as that score sounded.
The game in Colorado, the next night, was a typical night in back-to-back games for the Jets with the Avalanche out-shooting the Jets by a considerable margin. The fact that the Jets managed to take it to OT was impressive given the circumstances and play. The unfortunate end to the game should not go without recognizing that the coach, Paul Maurice had faith in Ehlers to put him in that situation.
Now on Sunday, against LA in a matinee game, ones that the Jets have always struggled with, who came through for them? Petan and Dano with third year Jets centre Adam Lowry. While the game ended in a tie and nothing was solved by OT the Jets call-ups made another impact contribution in a game and this can’t be going unnoticed by the coach or the general manager.
The intriguing part about this scenario is that this depth of skill and production, something the Jets have never had before since moving from Atlanta, allows for space and opportunity for the ‘big guns’ to step up. That’s what happened in the shootout with both Laine and Scheifele scoring to give the Jets the extra point.
Remember, this is a team that was missing Myers, Stafford, Perreault, Armia and Little. Now, consider this, not once has Jacob Trouba been mentioned. How does one even measure his impact for the past three games since his return to the team?
Where this leads to is this question: how long can the Jets manage this level of talent before they have to make moves involving the roster? In this case the issue is not about sending players down to the AHL Manitoba Moose when others get healthy it’s about asset management. The Jets cannot keep good talent in the minors forever and it should be obvious now the Jets have talent and it may be needed in Winnipeg, or beyond.
This depth, this new found contribution from the draft and develop model, is what is holding the Jets up and even allowing them to take flight. Should the management take notice of this reality and make decisions to move to the status quo as the roster presents right now?
To do so means moving not just one player but perhaps more but where would they be going?
Consensus amongst many in the Twittersphere and social media seems that trading Stafford would be a smart move and a viable option. The same can probably be said with Burmistrov albeit I don’t think the return would be drastically different. The other pieces that would have to go would of course be stalwart Jets players Mark Stuart and Chris Thorburn. In this scenario it’s likely that Thorburn still has some value within the league but Stuart not so much. Stuart would likely be sent to the Manitoba Moose and the question becomes do the Jets want over six million in salary playing in the AHL?
While this scenario is the concept of ‘should’ versus ‘likely to’, the strategic and developmental strategies of the Jets must be a discussion point for coach and GM. The question to be answered is this: are Petan and Dano, and Copp again, ready to be regular NHL players?
What measurements and metrics are being reviewed to decide when these players are ready? Conversely are the Jets measuring the team with some of those replaceable players and comparing?
With the youth movement that started this past off season are the Jets prepared to go even further or have they decided to abide by timelines based on existing expiring contracts?
Right now the Jets find themselves in the top 8 in the west but have played more games than any other team. There’s time for the gap to close with those other teams like Colorado who have played 4 less games.
The other aspect to the recent reversal of fortune for the Jets is goaltending. Hellebuyck has posted a .928 in his last three starts and that has made a huge difference compared to earlier in the season. Has the good work by these call-ups been magnified by the return to average level goaltending? The goaltending scenario is something to ponder because it’s often one aspect of the game that coaches, managers and fans overvalue or at the very least misunderstand.
While the Jets are playing better and there is much to feel positive about for Winnipeg fans, some sort of change is coming based solely on the return to health by injured players. While there may be desires to bring players such as Petan, Dano and Copp into regular, active duty do the Jets need to do so?
Seeing as the team has not been fully healthy this season it would make sense that both Maurice and Cheveldayoff want to see what this roster does when healthy. It may never get there in totality but that does not mean management won’t plan to see it. That’s the bad news for the call-ups but in the long term it’s better for them to keep doing what they have been doing which is playing smart, effective hockey.
It’s clear that there will be a a ‘decision time’ for Cheveldayoff, but when that happens will be decided by a few variables, injuries being the most obvious one. Another variable will be teams wanting to take a piece of the Jets riches off their hands. With expiring contracts like Stafford’s and Burmistrov’s the desperate teams may want to strike sooner than wait for the trade deadline. Moves are coming, that we know, but how Cheveldayoff manages his new found spoil of riches will be an indicator as to what the Jets see for the future in this season and beyond.