There are few words about the season of the Winnipeg Jets that haven’t already been said. The GM has said the right things. So has the coach and the players.
Disappointing. Unacceptable. The fans deserve better.
After starting the season with nine wins in their first 12 games, the Jets won just 20 games in regulation in the last 70.
Disappointing. Unacceptable. The fans deserve better.
In so many ways, it really is hard to fathom how a team goes from 116 points to 82. And how you score 46 fewer goals this season, while allowing 69 goals more. That is a differential swing of 115 goals.
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Disappointing. Unacceptable. The fans deserve better.
So, enough of the numbers. The Jets season is over.
Disappointing. Unacceptable. The fans deserve better.
But here is the reality. This team plays in the toughest division in hockey. Colorado, Dallas, Minnesota, Utah are advancing to the playoffs. And they will all be better next season. Nashville, St. Louis and Chicago are rebuilding, and are pointed in the right direction.
There is a chance that the Central Division might be more difficult to compete in next year than it was this season, which means the Jets can’t stand still. They can’t reflect on the glimmers of hope this season had and believe this team is just fine.
Because it isn’t.
If we learned anything this season, it’s that good teams are always changing. Adapting. Evolving. Change needs to happen, and that might mean moving some of the core of this squad. Yes, the core.
Loyalty is an admirable trait. But loyalty, which this team has shown to too many players, doesn’t always win games.
“Get younger, get faster” has to be the motto of the off-season for the Jets. And this team will have to embrace that philosophy just to stay competitive in the Central.
Everyone involved has to understand that change has to come.
Change, my friend, is good.
fire the GM