Here’s something to get excited about

Opinion

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This article was published 24/02/2016 (3512 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

So, you’re a Winnipeg Jets fan staring at the increasingly likely prospect the next six weeks of hockey is going to be meaningless, at least in the standings.

With the Jets in 28th place in the NHL and on the verge of throwing in the towel on this season and trading away captain Andrew Ladd for some future pieces, there is a sobering realization taking place in Jets Nation that all the fun and delerium that was this team in a playoff race at this time last year is likely to be replaced in the coming weeks with a team playing out the string.

Last year’s Whiteout will be replaced with this year’s Blackout as many Jets fans turn off their TVs and discover it has snowed since the last time they looked outside, way back in October.

Bummer, for sure. And for everyone.

But there are also some storylines still in play for the rest of this season that have the potential to be compelling in their own right. Here’s a sampling:

❚ The race to the bottom isn’t what it used to be. But it’s still very interesting.

The website hockeyviz.com says as of Tuesday, the Jets had an eight per cent chance of landing the first-overall pick in June’s NHL Draft. Conversely — and this should frighten every Jets fan — Winnipeg has a 51 per cent chance of missing the playoffs and not picking in the top five, according to the website.

And the Jets’ playoff chances? Three per cent.

The Oilers, currently last in the NHL standings — again — have the best chance of landing the first pick — again — at 15 per cent. The Philadelphia Flyers, on the opposite end of the spectrum, have a one per cent chance.

Because a lottery will determine the first three picks this summer, there’s no guarantee finishing last will actually land you any of the first three picks. So even if the Jets were to tank spectacularly the next six weeks and finish dead last, they could still end up only drafting fourth. And wouldn’t that be adding insult to a season of injury for Jets fans.

So why does it matter at all where the Jets finish if they’re not going to make the playoffs anyway? Two reasons: 1. The lower you finish in the standings, the better your odds are of landing the first pick in the lottery; and 2. The stakes are enormous this year — what some are calling a “generational player” in Auston Matthews.

❚ Did you hear the one about the struggling hockey team that played a game every second night for an entire month?

The Jets play 16 games in March, perfectly spaced two nights apart for the entire month — plus one set of back-to-back games thrown in for good measure.

Head coach Paul Maurice has spoken for months about how difficult that stretch promised to be and how hard it will be to have full practices. Marry that schedule with a struggling team trying to find something to play for the rest of the season and you have the potential ingredients for an epic implosion.

❚ What about contracts for those other guys?

With some long-awaited clarity on what the Jets would do with pending unrestricted free agents in Dustin Byfuglien (extend him for five more years) and Ladd (trade him, probably), the focus is now going to shift to what the Jets are going to do with two key pending restricted free agents — Mark Scheifele and Jacob Trouba.

Both men are in line for massive raises. Do the Jets sign both? Do they sign one and trade one? What about Adam Lowry, who is also a pending RFA?

And is there still some deal to be had that would see, as its central parts, Trouba shipped to the New York Islanders in exchange for Manitoba-grown defenceman Travis Hamonic?

❚ How does GM Kevin Cheveldayoff resolve his team’s goaltending situation?

While all the attention this week has been on the increasing likelihood Ladd is going to be traded before Monday’s deadline, there’s also a good chance the Jets move goaltender Michael Hutchinson in the coming days.

If Hutchinson gets traded, Connor Hellebuyck moves back to the big club from the Moose and the story the rest of the season presumably becomes a battle for No. 1 duties between Ondrej Pavelec and Hellebuyck.

But what if Hutchinson doesn’t get traded? Only Cheveldayoff knows what happens then. And even that’s not for sure.

❚ Are the Jets going to lose more games at home than they win this season for the first time ever?

Tuesday’s loss to the Dallas Stars was Winnipeg’s seventh loss in the last eight games at the MTS Centre and the Jets are now just 13-14-1 at home this season.

The Jets finished 23-13-5 at home last season en route to their first ever playoff appearance. Their worst home record came in 2013-14, when they finished 18-17-6.

❚ Does Blake Wheeler finish with a career season?

With 55 points in 59 games, Wheeler is on pace to eclipse his career-best season of 69 points in 2013-14.

Not bad for a guy who didn’t make the all-star game.

paul.wiecek@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @PaulWiecek