Time for Jets to go all in

Opinion

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 30/12/2022 (982 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

When the clock strikes midnight on Saturday, it will usher in a cold, hard reality for the Winnipeg Jets: we are now entering the final year in which arguably their three most important players remain under team control.

Goalie Connor Hellebuyck and top centres Mark Scheifele and Pierre-Luc Dubois are all eligible to pick their next hockey home in the summer of 2024, should they desire. And that represents a potentially seismic problem around here that could usher in sweeping changes the likes of which we haven’t seen for some time.

It also underscores the importance of this current season and why general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff should be prepared to push all his chips into the middle of the table, if necessary.

The Jets don’t have much power right now when it comes to the future of Hellebuyck, Scheifele and Dubois. Woo them all you want, but if they wish to become unrestricted free agents and test the open market, that is their right.

The organization, however, very much has the ability to manage the present. Winnipeg ought to be thinking “why not us?” when it comes to the wide-open West. As we get set to sing Auld Lang Syne, I’d argue the Jets have proven they have more than a puncher’s chance to emerge from their conference and compete for Lord Stanley next spring.

Championship teams are built up the middle and in the net, and Winnipeg has a luxury of riches right now in that department.

Just look at Thursday’s 4-2 win over Vancouver for the latest example. Hellebuyck held down the fort while his teammates were asleep at the wheel for the first period, keeping them within a goal. Then Scheifele (two second period power-play tallies and an empty-netter for his seventh career hat trick) and Dubois (pivotal penalty-shot snipe in the middle frame) took over for the remainder, snapping a season-long three-game skid for the squad.

Good team defence also wins, especially in the playoffs, and the Jets have shown they can be as stingy as any team, with an up-tempo, swarming mentality that causes fits for opponents. That should play well come the spring.

Winnipeg is now 22-13-1 on the year, good for second in the Central Division and third-overall in the Western Conference, trailing only Dallas and Vegas in that department. That’s despite now missing seven regular skaters, including valuable contributors such as Blake Wheeler (who also becomes a UFA in 18 months), Nikolaj Ehlers, Cole Perfetti and Nate Schmidt.

Parity reigns, and that’s why the Jets should be licking their chops at the possibilities, especially when the battered, bruised and broken begin to return. They’ve clearly responded to the guidance of new head coach Rick Bowness and his staff, which should have Cheveldayoff and company considering what this club might be capable of with an injection of additional talent.

I wouldn’t part with next summer’s first round pick, unless it can be lottery protected. Not with so many “can’t miss” prospects available, combined with the fact that Winnipeg, despite a rock-solid start to the year, still only have a five-point cushion on Edmonton, who currently sit just below the playoff line in ninth-place in the West.

The Jets and Oilers, fittingly, will wrap up 2022 by facing off tonight at Rogers Place.

Failing to qualify for the post-season AND parting with a shot at a franchise player would likely have Cheveldayoff on the unemployment line. Some caution is still required. Things can change in a hurry, and one prolonged slump could be a killer.

That’s even more reason for Cheveldayoff to be aggressive. The current roster is fighting like crazy to compete despite all the challenges thrown its way. The players deserve to be rewarded. So, too, does a loyal fan base which has now responded with two straight sellouts at Canada Life Centre, the first time that’s happened since the pandemic began. This group of Jets is easy to cheer for. They work their tails off and give an honest effort.

With so much uncertainty about what the Jets could look like as early as next season, it really should be about living in the moment. Hard decisions may have to be made as early as this coming summer, if Hellebuyck, Scheifele and/or Dubois aren’t signed to long-term extensions. Fish, or cut bait, essentially. Salvage something rather than potentially let them walk and lose them for nothing.

That talented trio is here now, and all on are track for career seasons. So, too, is leading scorer Josh Morrissey, who along with Hellebuyck would be my co-MVP so far this year. Fortunately, he’s signed for five more years after this one, while Kyle Connor (three more years) and Ehlers (two more years) give the type of foundation many teams can only dream of.

Now is the time to build around that, before any of it starts to crumble.

The Jets have plenty of good young prospects in the system, as proven by the fact four players are currently skating at the World Juniors. First-round picks Rutger McGroarty (United States), Chaz Lucius (United States) and Brad Lambert (Finland), plus sixth-rounder Fabian Wagner (Sweden). All are off to good starts in the event. All might be NHL regulars one day, although we’re likely a few years away from any making meaningful contributions at that level.

Along with someone like Ville Heinola, who had his best game of the season for the Jets on Thursday, Cheveldayoff may have to part with one or two of the above if he really wants to swing for the fences between now and the March 4 trade deadline.

It would help, of course, if he had some clarity about the Hellebuyck, Scheifele and Dubois situations before you potentially mortgaging a future piece. Cheveldayoff — who is slated to sit down with myself and other travelling Winnipeg hockey writers on the road trip through Detroit, Buffalo and Pittsburgh in early January — may ultimately not have that luxury. To me, the potential reward would outweigh the risk.

One would hope the current season might convince the trio that perhaps the grass won’t ultimately be greener elsewhere, even if it’s frozen and covered in snow for multiple months around here. A successful regular-season and a prolonged playoff run would likely do wonders in that department.

It’s why, as we ring in 2023, the mindset of the Jets should be “Go big, or go home.” Do that, and it could end up being a very Happy New Year, indeed.

mike.mcintyre@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @mikemcintyrewpg