ANALYSIS: Winnipeg Jets won’t waste time searching for solutions

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To describe the Winnipeg Jets’ season as anything other than disappointing would be inaccurate. As such, it won’t take long for the team to start looking toward making improvements.

The unpacking of this Jets season will officially commence on Friday morning, less than 24 hours after the team’s final regular-season game Thursday night against San Jose.

Unofficially, though, it undoubtedly started in earnest months ago when the Jets were mired in an 11-game losing skid and dead last in the 32-team National Hockey League.

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And while the process of exit interviews and meetings will quickly gather additional information and intel from every facet of the hockey operations side, the process of tackling the challenges of improvement for next season will likely be more methodical.

Sure, Winnipeg did rally after the Olympic break to play .600 hockey and its core proved it’s more than capable of competing, providing hope, not smoke, to the fanbase and themselves.

But in the end, it wasn’t enough, and when the Stanley Cup playoffs begin this weekend, the Jets will be on the outside looking in.

And in this case, there won’t be an area of the team’s operation spared any scrutiny. From the coaching staff, to players, to upper management, to support staff, everyone will be reviewed – some more strongly than others.

At its conclusion, the Jets will look different next season, for sure. How different? Well, that depends on which direction the team wants to take, as one of the biggest questions facing Winnipeg is which way it will turn when it comes to improvement.

Are they aggressive on the free agent or trade market this off-season to bolster some holes in their lineup, or do they promote from within the organization and run with prospects like they did over a decade ago, which may or may not include this June’s first-round draft pick if he’s deemed NHL-ready?

The 82-game season concludes Thursday night and after the final horn sounds downtown, the Winnipeg Jets will begin the process of unpacking their season the following morning.