Struggling Jets still among best in weak Central Division With trade deadline approaching, time for Chevy to fortify team running out By: Mike McIntyre Posted: 7:00 PM CST Thursday, Feb. 23, 2023

Opinion

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 23/02/2023 (950 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

NEW YORK — Oh, how the mighty have fallen.

I’m talking about the Central Division, which has long been regarded as the toughest in the land.

Remember back in 2017-18, when the Nashville Predators and Winnipeg Jets finished one-two in the Presidents’ Trophy race, then had to meet in a memorable second-round playoff series that went the distance?

How about the next season, when the St. Louis Blues raised Lord Stanley’s Cup to the rafters as the song Gloria played in the background?

Or last year, when the Colorado Avalanche dethroned the two-time champion Tampa Bay Lightning to capture hockey’s holy grail?

But now? We’re witnessing a slow-motion crawl to the top of hockey’s weakest division. This is great news for the Jets, who have managed to stay in the fight for first despite a rough stretch that had them go just 6-8-0 in the past 14 games, including 1-3-0 on a just-completed, four-game Eastern Conference road swing.

We’re witnessing a slow-motion crawl to the top of hockey’s weakest division.

Incredibly, Winnipeg hasn’t lost much ground at all, since the Dallas Stars have seemingly suffered a major case of stage fright. They have just two wins in their last 10 games (although they have collected five “loser” points by getting it to overtime).

The Stars last two games, both on home ice, have been regulation losses to the Columbus Blue Jackets and Chicago Blackhawks, who are in their own competition this year to tank for the first-overall draft pick and a shot at selecting Connor Bedard.

So the Stars and Jets remain separated by one point, each with 24 games left. What was starting to look like a two-horse race a few weeks ago has suddenly become more crowded.

That brings us to Friday night at Canada Life Centre, and what Jets coach Rick Bowness described as “the most important game of the year.”

Those defending champs from Denver are in town, and don’t look now, but they’re suddenly four points behind Winnipeg, and five behind Dallas — with three games in hand on each.

Uh-oh.

They would be my runaway pick to overtake both and end up on top if not for one slight problem: The great Cale Makar is hurt again, back in concussion protocol almost as quickly as he got out of it.

The reigning Norris Trophy winner suffered a head injury on Feb. 7 after a hit from Pittsburgh Penguins forward Jeff Carter and missed four games. He returned to the lineup last Saturday against St. Louis, only to leave the game following a collision with Alexey Toropchenko. Now he’s out for at least the next two tilts, including the big one in downtown Winnipeg.

I still wouldn’t bet against the cream ultimately rising to the top and the Avalanche looking down on everyone else by the time the regular-season ends exactly seven weeks from now. Especially if Makar can quickly return to action, in addition to captain Gabriel Landeskog, who recently resumed skating after undergoing knee surgery in October.

The Minnesota Wild, who are having their own share of issues, were also just four points behind Winnipeg and five behind Dallas entering play Thursday night. They were playing in Columbus, and a victory would bring them even closer. Nashville, St. Louis, the Arizona Coyotes and Chicago are bringing up the rear, resigned to trying to play the role of spoiler down the stretch.

All of which should only add to the urgency for the Jets, who no longer have the comfort and safety that finishing in the top three in their division provides. One of those four teams — Dallas, Winnipeg, Colorado and Minnesota — is absolutely falling into wild-card territory, and that’s where things get really dicey.

All of which should only add to the urgency for the Jets, who no longer have the comfort and safety that finishing in the top three in their division provides.

As mentioned above, the Central is weaker than American beer. Now you’d be competing with the also-rans from the Pacific Division, where the Vegas Golden Knights, Los Angeles Kings, Seattle Kraken, Edmonton Oilers and Calgary Flames are in a five-way battle for the top three spots. Don’t look now but the Flames, who are currently on the outside looking in (fifth in the Pacific, ninth in the West) are only six points behind the Jets, each with 24 games remaining.

To be fair, nobody from the watered-down West is lighting the league on fire these days, with the balance of power resting entirely in the East. Consider this: The New York Rangers are third in their division, and sixth in the conference. But they would be sitting on top of the Central, the Pacific and the West.

However, you can see why it’s incumbent upon the Jets to quickly right the ship. As I’ve stated in this space many times before, for general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff to throw them a lifeline or two by next Friday’s trade deadline.

Winnipeg, warts and all, is very much in the mix. A little help could really go a long way, especially given the quality (or lack thereof) of its closest competition. It’s worth noting the Jets are a dominant 24-8-1 within the Western Conference this season, and an ugly 11-14-0 against the beasts from the East.

“Absolutely. I believe in this team,” Bowness told me Wednesday night when I asked if he takes any consolation in the fact his club hasn’t really lost any ground despite the recent stumbles. “We’ll play ourselves through this.”

I suspect many fans don’t feel as confident these days.

Winnipeg has three big tests coming up, all on home ice, with the Islanders (Sunday afternoon) and Kings (Tuesday evening) up next after the Avalanche. Then comes the trade deadline, just before a tough back-to-back, home-and-home series with the Oilers.

“It’s definitely an important stretch coming up to the trade deadline and you want to show that your team should be buyers,” alternate captain Adam Lowry said Wednesday. “We’re aware with where we stand, the opportunities we have, how tight it is between one through eight, really. We know there is an opportunity to win the division and challenge for the conference. Our goal is to finish as high as we can and get home ice as long as we can in the playoffs. It’s important we get back and use this homestand coming up to give ourselves that opportunity to keep climbing in the standings.”

If not climbing, then at least not falling. How the Jets play — and what the team looks like by the end of next week — will be telling as this compelling turtle derby inches closer to the finish line.

mike.mcintyre@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @mikemcintyrewpg