Shortly after posting it was announced that the Jets have acquired Jay Harrison from the Hurricanes in exchange for a 6th round pick. It is believed that Carolina retains 25 or 30% of the 1.5 million salary. Paul Maurice is familiar with Harrison having coached him in one of his stints in Carolina.
In the end the Jets filled a hole. The question is how big a hole and how well was it filled. Expecting more from Harrison than anything other than bottom pairing service is unrealistic but it was clear something had to be done.
Chevy took action and that's what matters most. It is expected that Harrison will be in Winnipeg for the game against Boston on Friday.
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The Winnipeg Jets will be without their complete top 4 defense until at least mid-February. The rumours started circling last night when Stuart was not seen on the ice for the Jets skills competition. He was not at practice this morning and now it has been said he will miss approximately 2 months of play until about mid-February. That leaves the Jets without Bogosian, Trouba, Enstrom and Stuart, their starting 4 in October, as a complete group until then. Bogosian and Enstrom are due back in January but Trouba shares the same timeline with Stuart.
Stuuuuuuuuuuuupid
That's what fans should have been bellowing at the MTS Centre after Stuart engaged in a 3rd period fight up 4-1 and the team on cruise control. It's not that the merits for standing up, in the NHL's antiquated way, weren't honourable- they were, it's the risk versus reward. The risk as it turns out was hardly worth the reward. Sources have said that it appears Stuart has injured a hand and possibly a leg from the altercation or course of play.
Trouba has a wrist injury, Bogosian is in a walking boot. Expand the photo below:
Left foot, left foot “@NHLJets: .@BogosianZach & a few team mates are at Children's Rehab Centre today for a visit! pic.twitter.com/kzl8itSHI4…
— Peter Tessier (@Teddier) December 15, 2014And Enstrom is believed to have lower back injury that is either good or bad depending on which doctor gives Jets PR news. Remember that like Trouba, Enstrom was day-to-day and at practice before being shelved for some time after being suggested as probable.
So what's going on now?
Buff Chariot Clitsome Broulleitte Pardy Postma
This is your Jets starting six defenders at the moment. Doesn't leave a lot of room for error does it? The problem is what if something else happens?
That something else is the Bruins, the one team that would be most likely to antagonize a situation like this. They come to town on Friday and will be licking their chops at the thought of this depleted defense corps. To further that challenge in front of the Jets is that David Kreijci might make his return to action. Oh the joy!
You can run whatever narrative you want about players stepping up, getting opportunities, doing more with less, but it matters not. What will guide the Jets through these turbulent winds of change is following Paul Maurice's flight plan. (enough metaphors?)
That was the case a bit on Tuesday night when the loss of Trouba altered the lineup. What it did to the Jets play was kept it simple, almost more simple than seen thus far this season. Instead of controlled zone entries there were more dumps-ins and recoveries, at least by my eyes. The effectiveness worked, at least against a tired team and there's no reason to not try it against the Bruins. Hey when Thorburn scores something is going well.
The KISS method (keep it simple stupid) might be the best plan for the Jets because it helps the team adhere to system but also allows for capitalizing on opportunities, which they did. It might not make for exciting hockey but it might make for successful hockey and that's all the Jets can ask for. They can't afford anyone else being so stuuuuuuuuuuupid on the ice.