The trade deadline was supposed to bring the fireworks but in the end it brought very little not just for the Winnipeg Jets but the entire NHL. Now for the few teams that have really no chance, and no business, of making the playoffs what matters most for them?
The Jets are that team that while they seem to be an 'on the rise team' they are not rising and the dissection of the reasons why are fairly well publicized. If you haven't seen them here, look back and also look around the web too. However, it does not mean the season is not without interest until it concludes, it's just not as as interesting.
For Winnipeg the question becomes, what matters most for the team and it's players?
A) Development.
The Jets need to make room for players from the Manitoba Moose to come up and play. The coach and management should see who takes advantage of the proverbial 'big league look' and who appears to be ready. Remember the opposition sees games against the Jets as important to their playoff hopes and position.
Let the players feel some diversity and purpose to the games by shifting the line up and with Andrew Ladd leaving, Bryan Little injured and nothing left to play for, head coach Paul Maurice can create some competition by allowing a few opportunities for players he wants to see outside a training camp environment.
B) Draft position.
Ensuring a good draft spot should be something that is a top priority now. How the team goes about doing it is another question. Toronto seems to have mastered the 'develop for the upcoming draft' approach well. But this can be done with purpose and that's by giving the leaders like Wheeler, Buff, Enstrom and Scheifele the motivation to instruct and drive youth even though that youth presents a risk to game success. Be bad, but be honest about the way you do it by taking the risk on your young and inexperienced assets.
C) The Veterans
Do the Jets need to know how guys like Wheeler, Enstrom, Bufyglien, Perreault and Myers will respond when facing another thankless finish? Perhaps it's not about where they finish as how they do it as a group. With speculation that not all change is done in Winnipeg after the trade deadline with more to come this summer, should the vets be observed and measured too?
D) The Finish
Does any of the above matter if the Jets finish outside the bottom 5 of the league? That's what some simply want to happen, if they are going to be bad, be really really bad. Finish strong in a series of 1 goal losses. Finish strong by reinventing the PK and PP units tactics. Finish strong by giving the next wave of goaltenders some looks at the NHL. Finish strong by taking risks that can pay off in the future but not harm the current outlook.
What matters most Jets fans? With so little left to ponder just what should the Jets be pondering as they limp to a 2.0 worst finish this season?