Shot down again when it matters most and questions linger around Jets.
It wasn't a pretty game for either team but it was an entertaining game and that's what fans of both teams need to hold their hats on as the season winds down. It's unlikely the Jets or the Canucks make the post season and for some fans the preference is that they don't, for the good of each club. That did not mean the game last night at the MTS Centre was not meaningful or entertaining.
Go back to my Twitter Time Line and look at the retweets I did from both sides about the OT period. That may have been some of the best, most entertaining hockey seen this year. What's strange is the NHL wants less of that. Go figure.
The game had a nasty streak in it and an early fight between Peluso and Sestito was only the beginning. In the end the only real casualty was Ryan Kesler who left in the second period ofter a knee on knee collision with Jim Slater. As I said last night I'll give Slater the benefit of the doubt there but he was riding a fine line between levelling a dirty hit.
In the end though the Canucks came back and forced OT plus a shootout which they uncharacteristically won. That's not the issue for Jets fans though and not what many are talking about. It's all about those 'intangible' things, heart, drive, effort, execution, and desire.
Last night I put out a tweet that said
I think for Jets to break through wall of mediocrity management has to open/start hole first then players can proceed. If that makes sense
— Peter Tessier (@Teddier) March 13, 2014
To clarify I added this:
Further to that 'hole' idea I think Jokinen was supposed to be that guy/move- it has to be bolder & bigger next time if attempted
— Peter Tessier (@Teddier) March 13, 2014
To repeat something that has appeared in the space enough already, the Jets are falling when the games get tough, mean more, and become tighter down the stretch as teams fight for a playoff spot. It's now the 3rd consecutive year of this in Winnipeg and it goes back before the arrival from Atlanta. How many more chances does this group get to have, but more importantly how many more chances do the fans want to give them and management?
Forget what you, the fan, want. Ask the harder question: what does this team need to make the post season?
The immediate thought process is to interpret need as a form of acquisition. Need here really means change and change can mean a lot more than acquiring a player. One could argue that Chevy already tried change by allowing Wellwood, Antropov, Burmistrov, and Hainsey to leave with nothing in return. He filled those spots with other players but he has to ice a team- that's a simple necessity. How he is doing it is choice.
What fans are seeing is that the GM is a lot like his team now- has some ups, has some downs but in the end has been pretty average when it comes to producing a winning product on the ice. It's time that Chevy's name came up in conversations, away from only being in the blogs. This team is only emulating what he has done.
If he's done well at drafting the results are yet to be realized and they may be spectacular. If he's done well at making the team a destination point fans should be seeing players signing here and more than a few have with a big one to come- Frolik. If he's building a roster to compete though I think most should be very honest and say it's a mediocre result. Mediocre, just like the team.
That's why, at least in this writer's eyes (and a bit of data) Chevy has to improve his record in hopes of improving this team. He needs to land that player, or combination, that brings enough to allow the team to get, through, over, around or under the wall that keeps them from the post season. It may come through draft and development or it might not- ask Edmonton, Florida or the Islanders fans about that endless cycle.
Jokinen was probably supposed to be that guy, a leader, a veteran a former star who could help put this team in the right space to go beyond it's current position. While at the time signing Jokinen seemed like a solid attempt, however it was not enough and that's said with 20/20 hindsight.
The concern for some fans is that if another attempt is made for such a player will the same results happen, or will management hope the team develops and finds it's own way out of mediocrity? Fans have seen depth challenged with the simple loss of Mark Scheifele. They's seen habits and leadership challenged with the firing of Claude Noel and hiring of Paul Maurice. Fans have seen the roster change in an attempt to form a cohesive identity and style of play and team. The results remain the same and the myriad of explanations still exist but no clear smoking gun for definitive evidence.
What eats the fans right now is that in another 'must-win' game, the effort, leadership, desire, and execution all came up short again. Whether it's luck, lack of skill, variance or other quantifiable reason nothing is changing the perception of the general fan base- they've had enough.
As the team taxi's towards the hangar for another off-season one has to be curious if management and ownership have had enough of the same thing too. Because that's all they're getting for their time and money too, just like the fans.