All Eyes Remain on What The Winnipeg Jets Do Next

The Winnipeg Jets have been one of the more fascinating teams this off-season. Even throughout last season, all eyes were on the Jets and what they would do with players like Pierre-Luc Dubois, Blake Wheeler, Connor Hellebuyck, and Mark Scheifele.

Somehow the Jets snuck into the playoffs but were bounced in five games by the eventual Stanley Cup Champion Vegas Golden Knights. Head coach Rick Bowness was not happy with his players calling them out over their effort. Bowness did that during the regular season as well. He cited disappointment and disgust by his team’s effort in their elimination game.

“It was the same crap we saw in February; it was,” Bowness added after Game 5. “As soon as we were challenging for first place and teams were coming after us, we had no pushback. This series? No pushback.”

Calling out his veteran players as he did was setting the tone for what was already going to be a tumultuous offseason for the Winnipeg Jets. Obviously, the players were not happy about being called out during their press availability at the end of the season, but something needed to change.

The tone was set by Bowness when he got there, stripping Blake Wheeler of the captain’s “C” and thus, questions about Wheeler’s future in Winnipeg began. Wheeler ultimately got bought out by the Jets and signed with the Rangers in free agency. We all know Dubois would not re-sign in Winnipeg; he made that very clear. So, something in that room had to change.

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We always know the coach is the one that had to go, but general Kevin Cheveldayoff wanted to stick with Bowness so he had to make changes to the roster. Maybe it was time for a culture change in the room. From the comments of top players like Hellebuyck and Kyle Connor, it sounds like that is what is needed.

Both Hellebuyck and Connor made it clear they do not want any part of a rebuild. Both want to win a Stanley Cup. Scheifele, for the first time, was unsure about his future with the club. Though he wants to remain a lifer, the best to do for the Jets is to start from scratch.

However, there is a little bit of a problem. The Winnipeg Jets need to be good for people to come out to fill that small building. We know the rumours surrounding Hellebuyck. He is not going to sign long-term if he feels the team does not have a chance to win. But time is running out of trading him and getting an adequate return.

As we saw, this past offseason returns have not exactly been great for teams trading star players. That is because the Jets want players in return to remain relevant as they are in a retool/reload, not a rebuild. When Winnipeg traded Dubois to the Los Angeles Kings they got Gabriel Vilardi, Rasmus Kupari, and Alex Iafallo in return—a pretty decent trade.

Kevin Cheveldayoff no doubt wants a goalie in return for Hellebuyck. And with Hellbuyck’s demand of a rumoured $9 million AAV on a deal, you have to wonder if teams are shying away from a 30-year-old goaltender. However, Hellebuyck can be a difference maker for a contending team on a short-term deal. He could be the reason a team wins a Stanley Cup. Someone like the Devils, for instance.

In order for the Jets to move forward, they can’t go backward or stay stagnant. Ideally, moving Scheifele or Hellebuyck for players would be great, but Cheveldayoff has to embrace a rebuild because the longer he waits the tougher it is to make the deal. He may only get prospects and picks in return. Not the players he wants to remain relevant in the Central Division.

But being stuck in the murky middle is not good either. That is where the Winnipeg Jets are right now. As we inch closer to September 20th, the action around the Jets will pick up again. Winnipeg knows how to deal with distractions and players wanting out. They have dealt with this issue since the team came back.

But at some point, the organization as a whole has to look at itself in the mirror and change the culture in order for players to want to stay. That might be tough given their circumstances, but it is a choice the team has to make.

Again, all eyes will be on the Winnipeg Jets and what they do next. Especially goaltender Connor Hellebuyck and center Mark Scheifele. Both are either staying until the deadline or will be gone before training camp finishes.

Either way, the Jets will be one of those teams you need to watch this season to see what happens next.