30-in-30 The Veterans
The Winnipeg Jets are a veteran team. They may be a draft and develop program model as an organization but this a veteran loaded team. 13 of the starting 18 are all over 25 and have logged significant NHL time. While not an old team, there is not a shortage of experience and it is that type of ‘intangible’ that the team needs to rely upon.
An intangible is something that cannot be quantified or measured and while experience can be noted in years or games played in the NHL it does not have a significant or specific value. For example a player could be 32 years old but have played less than 400 games in that time as opposed to a player who is 32 and closing in on 1000 games.
One way you can grade experience or put a value you to it is recognize that a player who has logged more game by certain age has been either durable or better than his age peers. After that you could assign point rates and possession rates but you would still have to consider the effects of teams as not all players play one team for their careers.
The bigger point here is that weighing experience becomes a bit problematic but teams, in particular GMs, place a value on it. Do the Jets have the right balance of experience within their veterans?
Only Chris Thorburn, he of 604 NHL games played and 111 points, is over age 30 at age 32 amongst existing Jets forwards. He also only has 4 playoff games under his belt, all from last year. The essence of the forward group is Ladd, Little, Wheeler, and Stafford and Perreault, they have an average age of 28.2 years amongst them.
The reason to single them out is they all fit the criteria I’ve used for veterans on this team. They play the most minutes, and bring the most experience as well. While players like Scheifele and Lowry are key players for the team, one is entering his 3rd season and the other came off his rookie year.
5 players of 12 is 41.6% of the roster. Even if you add in Thorburn the vets only make up 50% of the starting 12 group. So maybe the Jet are not as veteran laden as surmised or believed.
One interesting thing to note is that with Frolik and Slater leaving, the Jets lose a players who would fit in their veteran core- this is important to note. Also remember that Cheveldayoff added Stafford and Stempniak and Tlusty. The Jets got older and gained experience in an effort to make the playoffs, now they have jettisoned it- pun intended.
Among the defence the veterans would include Stuart, Byfuglien, Engstrom, Clitsome, Pardy, and Harrison. If looking at it by starters it’s a minimum 50% of the defence and could be more based on coach’s decision or injuries.
One other thing to consider is that while the Jets have added depth experience, 3 seasons ago they were a younger team with only the likes of Jokinen, Antopov, Wellwood, Miettinen, Ponikarovsky and Hainsey all of whom were 29 years or older, anchoring the 26 year old Ladd, 25 year old Wheeler, 24 year old Little, 27 year old Byfuglien.
The bigger picture shows that while Jets have had older players and an older team by average age before, they are shifting where that age is and what the talent level at that age is.
Byfuglien, Enstrom, Little, Ladd, Wheeler, Perreault, Stafford are a better top end talent group than Jokinen, Wellwood, Miettinen, Ponikarovksy and Hainsey. While the Jets would not be considered a premier talent pool of vets based on the rest of the league it’s come a long way towards being better than it ever was.
The bigger picture may also shed light to what is obviously about to become a key moment for the Jets in their history. Their core group has aged but replaces a lessor group from seasons before. What comes in now to be the youth and compliment the veterans is going to be fascinating to watch and that’s what we’ll look at next.