Here it is your Winnipeg Jets 'Stretch Drive' Roster
Ladd Little Frolik Tslusty Scheifele Stafford O'Dell Lowry Thorburn Peluso, Slater, Klingberg
Enstrom Myers Stuart Trouba Harrison Byfuglien
Not that this is how it will stay but that is the patchwork quilt of players that will face the St. Louis Blues tonight at the MTS Centre. Blake Wheeler was put on IR and will not be able to return until March 3rd as he recovers from a lower body injury.
In a perfect world the Jets will look a bit different soon if they make the playoffs and when Mathieu Perreault returns. With both Wheeler and Perreault back the Jets forwards could look like this:
Ladd Little Wheeler Perreault Scheifele Stafford Tlusty Lowry Frolik Thorburn Slater Peluso
That top nine, without legitimate superstars, is a solid group which can provide coach Paul Maurice options and diversity for many circumstance and opposition, but they have to get their first.
That's begins with tonight's task against the Blues. A team the Jets have not beat in their last 5 tries. In fact this game is the first of 4 against the Blues down the stretch. In fact, 16 of the next 18 games are against teams in or contending for a playoff spot. This road is is far from smooth and easy and that's why many have concerns about the team.
Regardless of who is in net for the Jets the play in front seems to be broken, affected, and/or indifferent to the goalies. In this space and across the blogosphere there were many reasons to back Hutchinson because his numbers were better. The counter argument was that the Jets played better in front of Hutch than when Pav was in net but for the lat 10-15 games that has not been the case it's been a fire drill for everyone.
The question is what makes the Jets look more like their defensive selves from November to December? Well through November 18th to January 31st the Jets had 16 wins against team who were not in the top 8 of either conference. They were beating the weaker teams which is exactly what they are supposed to be doing but they also have to get wins against tougher opposition too as that's how the post season works if you want success.
That has happened but it's been tough and there have been some ugly results along the way. But as the team moves closer to the post season in the standings and the regular season ending it appears they are having a harder time in their own zone and neutral zone. This would suggest that impact of losing possession players like Kane and Perreault is taking its toll and also that teams are exploiting something against the Jets.
The first observation that should be made is on defense as one could say teams are moving the puck well against a slower yet large group. If a team can get Stuart to try and stand up at the blue line they have with near certainty created a mismatch if they can get by. One thing that has not been exorcised from Jets teams past is the recovery, or lack thereof, from play breakdowns. Teams can make the Jets a mess in their own end and it takes too much time for the Jets to recover, regroup and regain possession. Will Tlusty help? Maybe but not in the same way Perreault and Kane did.
Kane is gone and so is Perreault for the time being and it's on this group to figure out what teams are doing against them. That also falls on the coach and he too has to realize adjustments must come, especially with the calibre of opposition the Jets will play down that stretch and that starts tonight.