As October creeps closer, another NHL season creeps with it.
In the 12th of a series of team-by-team summer reviews and season previews, here's a glimpse at the ...
Winnipeg Jets
The Jets had some major issues in net, as has often been the case under coach Paul Maurice, during a 2016-17 campaign that saw the team finish ninth in the Western Conference. Only three teams surrendered more goals. But for a team with a fifth-place division finish and sub-.500 record of 40-35-7, Winnipeg looked about as promising as it has since relocating from Atlanta in 2011. Thirty-six goals for rookie Patrik Laine and a top-notch outing from fellow youngster Mark Scheifele headlined the Jets' offense, helping the rebuilding group win eight of its final 10 games, including seven straight, with just a minus-seven goal differential on the season.
Showered with promise at the tail end of 2016-17, Jets management made keeping Winnipeg's core intact the top priority this summer. The result is an organization that didn't welcome a whole lot of significant change -- a team on the verge of playoff contention and, at the least, a good deal of long-term potential.
The moves
Key additions: G Steve Mason (Flyers), D Dmitry Kulikov (Sabres)
Key losses: G Ondrej Pavelec (Rangers), D Paul Postma (Bruins), D Brian Strait (Devils)
The biggest move for Winnipeg might have come when the Vegas Golden Knights didn't purge any prized commodity from the Jets roster during June's expansion draft -- thanks, of course, to a swap of early-round draft picks. It was Exhibit A of Kevin Cheveldayoff's efforts to keep his team looking a lot like it did in 2016-17, and it allows the Jets to embrace their own additions without hesitation.
Mason isn't coming off his greatest season, and his name isn't Marc-Andre Fleury, but he certainly makes for an upgrade at goaltender, where the Jets desperately could've used some assistance a year ago. Kulikov is in the same boat -- he's coming off a down year, but his presence should more than make up for the dual departure of Postma and Strait, especially if Mason is behind him manning the net. Neither Mason nor Kulikov, of course, is a particularly splashy new face, but together, coupled with the young talent Winnipeg was able to retain entering a new season, they look like rock-solid, low-risk reinforcements.
The verdict
There's a lot to like about what the Jets are doing. Remember, this is just the team's seventh season since relocating and fifth playing in the Central Division. And they've got some pretty nice players to build around. From Laine and Scheifele to captain Blake Wheeler, who at age 30 has put together four straight 26-goal seasons, Winnipeg isn't lacking offensive firepower. If Nikolaj Ehlers, Kyle Connor and Adam Lowry keep taking steps forward, who's to say this group isn't firing on all cylinders and making a push for, dare we say, a Stanley Cup Final appearance in a few years' time?
Here's the thing, though: Mason, while intriguing as a proven starter and an obvious upgrade at goalie, is no guaranteed long-term solution. The blue line does need some more time to take shape. And the Jets do have to go up against a very formidable slate of divisional opponents. Think about it: Are the Chicago Blackhawks, Minnesota Wild, Nashville Predators and St. Louis Blues really going to get a lot worse? And are the Dallas Stars really going to be as bad as they were in 2016-17? The only team that's left outside of Winnipeg is the Colorado Avalanche, so it's safe to say the Jets could still face an uphill battle in seeking even wild-card contention.
The future, however? It sure looks pretty bright from here.
