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Scouting the Central - 2019 - Winnipeg + Preseason Notes - UPDATED

September 23, 2019, 8:27 AM ET [4 Comments]
Paul McCann
Nashville Predators Blogger •Predators Radio Network • RSSArchiveCONTACT
UPDATE - 12:15pm - Six more from the training camp roster have been sent to Milwaukee as of 11:44am today... forwards Colin Blackwell, Laurent Dauphin and Anthony Richard; defensemen Alexandre Carrier and Matt Donovan; and goaltender Troy Grosenick.



Before we get to my post... a reminder that SlapShot Radio is back tonight! Our season premier will air at 8pm on 102.5 the Game. and now... the last of my annual Scouting the Central series, a look at the Central Division team-by-team, what they have done (or not done) to improve themselves (or not) in the offseason starting at the bottom of the division, we’ve done the Minnesota Wild, Chicago Blackhawks, Colorado Avalanche, Dallas Stars, and St. Louis Blues, it’s time now for the team that has gone through a lot of changes in the offseason… and continues as preseason proceeds, the Winnipeg Jets.

Last Season – 47-30-5 – 99 points, good for 2nd in the Central Division and 4th in the Western Conference, capturing the 4 seed in the Stanley Cup playoffs where they went down in the first round to the eventual Stanley Cup champs, the St. Louis Blues.

Key stat from last season – +27 – That’s the goal differential for this team in 2018-19. A high-powered offense and a lock down defense with solid goaltending made this team a favorite heading into the playoffs last season.

Subtractions - Kevin Hayes, Jacob Trouba, Brandon Tanev, Tyler Myers, Ben Chiarot, Matt Hendricks

Additions - Anthony Bitetto, Gabriel Bourque, Andrew Copp, Mark Letestu, Neil Pionk

The BIG Question - It’s hard to nail it down to one… we could talk about RFA’s… Dustin Byfuglien, Cap jail… This Jets team is not exactly settled at the midway point of the preseason but the blueline may be the biggest question… with Byfuglien deciding on continuing his career and the loss of Trouba, Myers and Chairot, Josh Morrissey will be more key than his contract extension indicates and the acquisition of Neil Pionk in the Trouba trade looms even larger.

2018/19 Outlook - This could be the hardest team to look at because of the uncertainty with their roster… Byfuglien’s training camp leave really puts this team in a bind. If he decides to retire, the cap relief is solid, but who do the Jets go after to fill the large gaping hole on the blueline? You guess is as good as mine here… this team still has the forward firepower to stay in most games, but I do wonder how Connor Hellebyuck holds up between the pipes if the blueline falters.

Best Case/Worst Case - The best case scenario is that Winnipeg gets their RFA act together, puts together another post-season run and contends for a division title and puts together another solid post-season run. The worst case for this team is that the RFA drama doesn’t get resolved, the loss of training camp impacts Patrik Laine and Kyle Connor’s performance… can off-ice drama impact on ice performance? You bet it can.

Summary - The 2019-20 Winnipeg Jets could contend for a Stanley Cup if they can get their act together and quick. Laine, Connor and Byfuglien are three players critical to this team’s success… without them, they could take a major step back in the hyper-competitive Central Division. If Laine and Connor continue their RFA negotiations into the season, it will impact their performance in the season… look no further than the William Nylander situation for that. The Jets have a solid core, good goaltending and a blueline, when complete, plays a physical, bruising style that wears teams down… perfect for the playoffs.

I will have a detailed Nashville Predators preview next week.

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Random Notes – Presented by

- Big roster cutdown yesterday… the Nashville roster stands at 32 heading into the last two preseason games.

- Kinda in the “Surprising/Not Surprising” category was the send down of Rem PItlick and Eeli Tolvanen. Both made strong cases to remain in Nashville, but if you look at it… it also makes sense to send them to Milwaukee as they don’t have to clear waivers and can get the top six minutes they need with the Admirals

- Other names on the cutdown list included Yakov Trenin, Jeremy Davies and Connor Ingram.

- Saturday’s 5-4 overtime win over the Tampa Bay Lightning improved the Predators preseason record to 3-1-0 with two games remaining, Wednesday at Bridgestone Arena vs. the Carolina Hurricanes then in Raliegh to finish the home-and-home on Friday night.

- The Preds have nine more cuts to go in order to get down to the 23 man roster limit by opening night. I don’t envy the coaching staff’s decisions.

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SlapShot Radio will be back for our 12th season as Zack, Brent and I will be moving the show to Monday night’s this year. The best hour of hockey talk on the longest running hockey show in the southeast will begin the season at 8pm and will settle into our normal 7pm slot after Thanksgiving… Monday’s on 102.5 the Game.

Our sponsor list continues to grow. Not only are we welcoming back Drs. Jane Bacon and Aileen Kruger at Hermitage Family and Cosmetic Dentistry … make your appointment at (615) 872-7762 and our good friend Carter Church, Your Mufreesboro real estate expert with Weichert – The Andrews Group. We have some new sponsors… Cool Springs Wines and Spirits! The largest spirit store in all of middle Tennessee! And La-Z-Boy Nashville! Three locations, locally owned and operated, check out La-Z-Boy in Mufreesboro, Hendersonville and Cool Springs!

The new season promises to be the best yet and we get going on tonight!

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