The “contender versus pretender” discussion is ruminating around the Winnipeg Jets.
It all started on March 1 when former NHLer Ryan Whitney said on the Spittin Chiclets Podcast that an anonymous Western Conference player told him the Jets were “the biggest frauds in the league and that they’d lose in the first round.”
Winnipeg was the top team in the Western Conference when that episode aired. But since being put on blast, they’ve posted an 11-8-1 record, endured a six-game losing streak and fallen to fourth in their conference and third in the Central Division.
“We had a chance to finish first in the division, and we kind of squandered it,” Jets captain Adam Lowry told The Hockey News on Monday.
Some may feel deja vu from last year when Winnipeg fell apart at the end of last season, posting a 14-14-2 record to close out the 2022-23 season and finishing seventh in the West after being in the top three for most of the year.
But these Jets are different than those Jets, and it’s not because they’ve won four straight games heading into Thursday. They’re a far cry from the team Bowness was so ‘disappointed and disgusted’ with after last year’s first-round exit. And much of it is thanks to a much-needed and long overdue culture change that has gotten them out of their way.
Last year’s dressing room had some issues. While Blake Wheeler was stripped of the captaincy to create a more collective leadership group, players admitted in exit media interviews they still viewed him as their leader. Given how Wheeler criticized Bowness for airing his grievances publicly in that press conference — it was clear his definition of accountability differed from Bowness’. Then there was Pierre-Luc Dubois, whose contract status loomed over the team when it became clear a long-term contract wasn’t likely.
But this summer was transformative for the organization. It all started when Bowness called some players to gauge what they thought the Jets needed to add for this season.
“Everyone told us, ‘We just want players here that want to be Winnipeg Jets,'” Bowness said in a recent interview for The Hockey News’ Playoff Special issue.
When the Jets signed franchise cornerstones Connor Hellebuyck and Mark Scheifele to long-term extensions during training camp — they averted having to play a season with the cloud of ‘will they stay, or will they go’ looming over their head.
The Jets are pulling the same rope for the first time in a while. And that can’t be understated — especially in light of their fall in the standings.
“This year, we’ve tried our best to get the conversation out there. Last year, when we were losing a bunch in a row, it was kind of the elephant in the room,” Jets defenseman Brenden Dillon said. “Whereas this year, it’s a conversation of ‘hey, we need to end this.’ “
It all ties into the slogan Bowness had painted on the walls of the team’s dressing room.
‘Solutions, Not Excuses’
“If you can focus on the things you can control — whether that’s practice habits, getting in the gym, watching more video or talking to your linemates — you can be the solution to a problem as opposed to just compounding it,” Lowry explained.
This year, the Jets’ collective buy-in has helped shape their blue-collar identity.
“We don’t have a player with 100 points,” said Dillon. “We don’t have players having 50-goal seasons. We’re a team that’s built on playing like a team.”
That teamwork has made Winnipeg a defensive juggernaut for most of the year — ranking first in 5-on-5 goals against per 60 minutes (1.85). It’s not solely because of Hellebuyck. Look no further than when the Jets went on a 35-game streak of allowing no more than three goals in a game. Hellebuyck’s brilliance was the driver, of course, but the team’s ability to limit odd-man rushes and slot chances against can’t be understated.
“Not much works against them,” Nashville Predators coach Andrew Brunette said in mid-March. “They’re really deep. They’re well-coached. They don’t give up a whole lot.”
The Jets have the ingredients to win. They’ve got a world-class goaltender in Hellebuyck, an elite No. 1 defenseman in Josh Morrissey and a bona fide No. 1 center in Scheifele. They’ve got a plethora of skilled wingers in Kyle Connor, Nikolaj Ehlers, Gabriel Vilardi and Tyler Toffoli rounding out their top six. Their bottom six forwards are built for playoff hockey, and their defense gets the job done.
But as much as the Jets have given reasons to believe in them, their next two games against two divisional rivals, the Colorado Avalanche and Dallas Stars, will define how they’re viewed heading into the post-season. And Morrissey knows what to do about those “fraudulent Jets” allegations.
“Making a run or winning a Cup is the best way to answer anyone who views our team that way,” he said.
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News Summary:
- Frauds? Please: Winnipeg Jets Find Solutions, Not Excuses Ahead of Playoffs
- Check all news and articles from the latest NHL updates.