In case there were any doubts, coach Rick Bowness’ post-series outburst questioning the competitive level of his club told us everything we need to know.
Change is coming in Winnipeg.
And understandably so.
For my money, things took a drastic turn for the worst for the franchise on June 2, 2021. That, of course, was the night Mark Scheifele plowed through Jake Evans in Game 1 of Winnipeg’s second-round series against Montreal. He subsequently was suspended four games for that hit and the Jets ended up getting swept by the Cinderella Canadiens.
Winnipeg hasn’t been the same team since.
Fast forward to the present where the organization is just a couple hours removed from a disappointing five-game first-round exit against Vegas. It’s valid to bring up marquee injuries, but in this day in age, crazier things have happened.
They just sort of gave up — at least it looked that way. And Bowness certainly felt that way, indicating he was “disgusted” with his team’s lack of pushback, which he claims has been a problem since February when the Jets briefly climbed atop the Central Division and suddenly became the hunted. Bowness added that the Golden Knights' best players were consistently better than the Jets’ best players.
So without question, whether he would like to be or not, general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff will be a busy man this summer.
For starters, there’s the whole Pierre-Luc Dubois cloud hanging over this team. Ironically, everything seems to be coming up Montreal here. The 24-year-old will be a restricted free agent this summer and it wouldn’t shock anyone to see him walk himself to unrestricted free agency in a year’s time. One way or another, this situation will likely be resolved over the next few months.
There’s Connor Hellebuyck, too. The club’s all-world franchise netminder will be eligible for a new contract on July 1. Where’s his head at? If the Jets can’t put pen to paper on a long-term deal with the All-Star, will they look to trade him? The 29-year-old is slated to become a UFA in the summer of 2024. Yeah, not sure you want to enter next season without a new deal there.
Meantime, rest assured, Mark Scheifele’s name will be out there on the trade market once again. As it should be. Turmoil or not, the 30-year-old’s another core piece who could walk for nothing next summer. At this point, I’d say it’s very likely he has a new home next fall, but you never know what can happen.
Furthermore, I’m sure Blake Wheeler’s name will be out there as well. That said, due to his contract, that move will be easier to make at next year’s trade deadline. The 36-year-old, who was stripped of his captaincy back in September, is yet another piece the Jets possess who will be UFA next summer. The same goes for Nino Niederreiter, acquired at the Trade Deadline this past winter.
At this point, the next logical move for the Jets is a blockbuster trade involving one of their bigger names, right? Hiring a new coach didn’t work; Stripping Wheeler of his captaincy certainly didn’t either.
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