Time to bond time to get out of the local spotlight and time to play some butter soft eastern teams, or as others would say about the Jets: their peers.
There’s no real story of interest for the Jets these days. Trouba is back tonight against the Devils since his terrifying neck injury against the Blues many weeks ago. He represents the future of the Jets, what many wish the team could be, but right NOW.
Jets fans are a grumpy bunch these days, all of whom looking for answers to questions that don’t seem to go away of change. Even the coach doesn’t have a clue, answer or hint as to what has to be done with the team. Just look at his press conference on Friday at the Iceplex.
Follow that up with a great dose of post-game joy and bland from Saturday and one can see it’s really, really hard to come up with anything of interest to talk or write about with this team. Even the coach his appearing bored and disinterested and it’s his job to fix this mess.
Tonight the Jets open up a 6 game road trip against teams from the east. It’s a chance to feast on the east like most western teams have, even the Jets who are 4-1-1.
The telling point of this road trip will be to see if the Jets change their game at all as if they are playing the western teams or will they slip into their comfort zone they are now removed from? It’s attack based hockey out east, not the 200 foot game that permeates the west and titans that stand atop the conference. In years past the Jets could compete in an attack-based conference perhaps giving fans and GM a false sense of security as they moved to their rightful spot in the Central Division. What we do know is that this team has played the least amount of games by any western conference team against the east. This is their chance to feast with six straight games against the supposedly ‘weaker division’. Why should they have success?
Rather invisible and somewhat struggling players like Kane and Wheeler rely on the attack process to score and contribute offensively. Guys like Tangradi, Wright and the other bottom six tend to have more time in the east and that style of game and perhaps they would rather play that way.
While GM Chevaldayoff added to pieces of western blood to his roster in Frolik and Setoguchi this past off-season it has not bolstered this team to which he or the fans had hoped. It might be more prudent to add players that are not accessories or placeholders.
Erat
The fact is Mark Scheifele is getting eaten alive in play right now. He needs support and help and this team needs better depth down the lines so why not try for Erat? With news that he wants out of Washington the price got a little cheaper but does the RW bring something the Jets need? He would push Gooch down and provide what might be a more complete line mate for the struggling Kane. More importantly he comes from the school to Trotz, an education style Noel is trying to emulate if not copy.
Forget whether he has had success in doing so, Erat brings all the qualities that this team misses on a regular basis; scoring, 200-foot play, adherence to a system and familiarity with the West. There’s not reason to believe the Jets are looking at him but one would hope with this team’s record that Chevy is at least kicking the tires, especially because the waiver wire is bare.
Game one starts tonight against the Devils: what’s your score?