The Jets start a 4 game road trip tonight in Nashville but they will be without Dustin Byfuglien and Bryan Little. Byfuglien is expected to miss 2-4 weeks with an arm injury in what some believe is a severe hyperextension while Little took a shot on the shoulder versus the Senators and is out 5-7 days.
This is not a good scenario for the Jets who are also without Mathieu Perreault and are fighting to hang on to a wild car spot with the surging Wild, Kings and Sharks. While Byfuglien garners most of the attention in regards to loss and probably due to the time he will be away- the effect of losing Little should not be underestimated.
Little was on a 30 goal pace, could arguably be called the team's MVP and perhaps one of the top centres in the league. What many fans and some media believe is that Little is the straw that stirs the drink on the Jets top line and is one of the most underrated centres in the league. By comparison to others he is certainly a bargain in terms of contract value.
This will be a true a test for the Jets as Little has been one of the more durable Jets in his tenure in Winnipeg. The test is compounded by the loss of Byfuglien who is also having another great year on defense with some believing he is a Norris candidate.
That campaign ends now with his injury but it does not change how the Jets must weather his absence. With Trouba and Myers ready to eat up more minutes as the top 2 RHD the options fall back to Postma and Pardy for the third pairing and yesterday Postma was dressed as a forward. Eric O'Dell has been recalled form St. John's but it remains to be seen where he fits in.
Would likes such as the following be what is seen tonight in Nashville?
Ladd Tlusty Wheeler Stafford Scheifele Frolik Stempniak, Lowry Postma Thorburn Slater Peluso
While no GM plans for injuries around what they acquire they all need to have an insurance policy and Chevy is looking reasonably well covered with his trio of Stafford, Stempniak and Tlusty. The issue is that the Jets need to win, they have to keep pace with the teams challenging them and earn points. Can they do so in another injury-plagued session this late in the season with the playoff race so tight?
There was an article in the Winnipeg Free Press today explaining that the Jets may have to move the Ice Caps to Winnipeg as a temporary measure. It appears the group in St. John's used the extension allowed by TNSE as time to attract the Habs farm team from Hamilton. The question remains is can the Jets and Manitoba Moose 2.0 live harmoniously under one roof?
The city could probably support the two teams short term but it seems more than likely that TNSE will hope to find a location in the future AHL Pacific Division for their farm team. According to the Free Press the project in Thunder Bay where the Ice Caps could be relocated is no more than an idea as funding has not been secured. That may not be a bad thing long term for the Jets as the new AHL Pacific Division would likely be a better home for the Jets farm team anyway.
Tough road trip ahead for the Jets but in the past they have risen to the adversity- does that trend continue?