{"id":2750,"date":"2016-10-25T17:08:52","date_gmt":"2016-10-25T21:08:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonhockey.com\/?p=2750"},"modified":"2016-10-25T17:08:52","modified_gmt":"2016-10-25T21:08:52","slug":"winnipeg-jets-early-struggles","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/2016\/10\/25\/winnipeg-jets-early-struggles\/","title":{"rendered":"Thoughts on the Winnipeg Jets Early Struggles"},"content":{"rendered":"

After an off-season of optimism, the Winnipeg Jets<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0are off to a frustrating 2-3-0 start. The Jacob Trouba<\/a><\/strong> saga remains unsolved,\u00a0Bryan Little<\/a><\/strong> is injured, the special teams aren’t improving and the goaltending hasn’t either. Though it’s obviously too early to hit the panic button, here are some\u00a0thoughts on the Jets early struggles, and what can be done to get them out of the Central Division basement.<\/p>\n

Thoughts on the Winnipeg Jets Early Struggles<\/h2>\n

Special teams still the Achilles’ heel<\/h3>\n

The Jets out-shot and out-chanced\u00a0the Edmonton Oilers<\/strong><\/a> at the Heritage Classic<\/strong> in a scoreless first period.\u00a0Lines were shuffled for the second period in what ended up being a 3-0 loss. Perhaps the power play units should have been tampered with instead. The man-advantage looked as disadvantageous as ever. The Oilers were able to tally a shorthanded goal, meaning the Jets now\u00a0have as many\u00a0goals against on the power play\u00a0as\u00a0they do for; their lone scorer being Patrik\u00a0Laine<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n

After the shooting clinic Laine put on against the Toronto Maple Leafs<\/strong><\/a> last week, there is no reason he should not be on the first power play unit. His highly touted shot is proving\u00a0to be effective at the NHL<\/strong> level and cannot be neglected. It needs to be utilized as often\u00a0as possible.\u00a0His shot is a missing\u00a0compliment to Dustin Byfuglien<\/a><\/strong>‘s on the team’s first unit. Setting a Byfuglien slap shot up on the point has grown painfully predictable and easy to defend.<\/p>\n

Furthermore, Adam Lowry<\/a><\/strong> continues to see time on the ice with a man-advantage. He is not a threat offensively and should be off the power play altogether. Without a change, the Jets power play\u00a0will not improve. It is\u00a0currently ranked 26th in the NHL.<\/p>\n

Their penalty kill is no better, sitting at second last in league efficiency. This is too reminiscent\u00a0of the woeful Jets team whose special team units ranked 25th (PK) and 30th (PP) a year ago.<\/p>\n

Trouba’s absence stings<\/h3>\n

Winnipeg\u00a0is missing Trouba\u00a0a bit more than they’d like to admit. He had been one of their top end shot and goal generators. His absence\u00a0has made the team inevitably drop in both categories.<\/p>\n

Byfuglien’s average ice time of 29:10 on the season is frighteningly\u00a0high. This needs to be closer to the 24-25 minute range. His\u00a0$38-million salary over the next five years is\u00a0a hefty investment for the Jets. He will wear out a lot quicker than they’d like if this continues. A capable defender needs to help eat up some of these minutes.<\/p>\n

Though Josh Morrissey<\/a><\/strong> has been solid, Trouba played around\u00a022 minutes a night, while the former has been playing\u00a018. Morrissey may have\u00a0replaced\u00a0Trouba\u00a0on\u00a0the even strength\u00a0depth chart, but there’s some trust normally put in Trouba on the penalty kill that’s noticeably missing. Besides, it would\u00a0be foolish to assume Morrissey could come in as a\u00a0rookie and provide value that’s equal to Trouba. His absence has been a crucial blow.<\/p>\n

All things considered, general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff<\/strong> is playing the hand Trouba and agent Kurt Overhardt<\/strong>\u00a0dealt him properly. He doesn’t want pennies on his Trouba dollar, and the Trouba dollar doesn’t seem to be being matched in trade discussions.<\/p>\n

Since sitting out a year isn’t a great alternative to playing for Trouba, a bridge deal in late November seems like the most likely scenario.<\/p>\n

Goalie struggles<\/h3>\n

The Ondrej Pavelec<\/a><\/strong> re-assignment is being questioned by some, but it was still the correct decision. Over five seasons, he proved to be a sub-standard starter. His struggles have continued at the AHL<\/strong> level, too, posting a .907 save percentage over his first three games with the Manitoba Moose<\/strong><\/a>. But regardless of\u00a0how he plays in the minors, it’s plainly time\u00a0to move on. He could have three shutouts in his three AHL appearances and sending him down would still have been the right move. At age 29, there’s no room for him\u00a0to improve as an NHL netminder.<\/p>\n

Neither Connor Hellebuyck<\/a><\/strong> or Michael Hutchinson<\/a><\/strong> have a large enough body of work this season for definitive criticism, but that doesn’t mean they’re exempt from it entirely. They have been noticeably weak in their first few efforts, though it should be safe to assume they’ll improve.<\/p>\n

The Jets have always been a good possession team. Their special teams and goaltending were what held them back. In order to make the pretenders to contenders jump, Hellebuyck has to reach his ceiling and become a significantly better starter than Pavelec. The Jets are rolling with a Hellebuyck\/Hutchinson rotation for now, but at some point, Hellebuyck is going to have to\u00a0shine and take on a starting role.<\/p>\n

In the event of this not happening, the Jets may want to reconsider keeping goaltender coach Wade Flaherty<\/a><\/strong> around. If Pavelec never reached his ceiling under Flaherty’s\u00a0assistance, and Hellebuyck who possesses a\u00a0decorative r\u00e9sum\u00e9, starts showing that he holds\u00a0the same fate, there’s more of a pattern than a fluke.<\/p>\n

Flaherty is on the second year of a three-year extension he was given in 2015.<\/p>\n

Moving Forward<\/h3>\n

The Winnipeg brass doesn’t expect a Stanley Cup<\/strong> this year, but they are expecting a step in the contention direction. At the five-game mark, that step hasn’t been visible. It is of course foolish to come to a conclusion this early.<\/p>\n

The Jets didn’t play a terrible game at the Heritage Classic. They ran into Cam Talbot<\/a><\/strong> who unluckily for them, decided to stand on his head and record a well earned shutout.<\/p>\n

Thankfully, some luck is\u00a0now rolling the Jets way. Their back-to-back\u00a0against a mangled\u00a0Dallas Stars<\/strong><\/a> lineup this week is a much needed break. Ales Hemsky<\/a><\/strong>, Patrick Sharp<\/a><\/strong>, Jiri Hudler<\/a><\/strong>, Cody Eakin<\/a><\/strong>, and Mattias Janmark<\/a><\/strong> are all unable to play Tuesday night. Jason Spezza<\/a><\/strong> and\u00a0Patrick Eaves<\/a><\/strong> are also listed as questionable.\u00a0Inexperienced options like Gemel Smith<\/a><\/strong> and Justin Dowling<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0have been filling the Stars lineup.<\/p>\n

This doesn’t mean it’s a lineup to take lightly, though. The Jets don’t have the most experienced group of players either. Tyler Seguin<\/a><\/strong>, Jamie Benn<\/a><\/strong>, and the rest of the Stars are looking at these games as an opportunity to beat up on a struggling team and make up some ground in the Central Division standings themselves.<\/p>\n

Main Photo.<\/p>\n

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Embed from Getty Images<\/a><\/div>\n