To start, this article is going to be released on January 16th so if the Winnipeg Jets go into a tailspin right after this is published, it is not Area 51’s fault. Are they going to drop down the standings anytime soon? That is without a doubt a no. They have the depth, they have the goaltending and they have the perennial 40-goal scorer coming back from injury soon. The Jets are the real deal and this is not an opinion it is a fact.
The Winnipeg Jets are probably the least talked about team that has sat in first place for a couple of weeks this year. Why you may ask, and the honest answer is there is no logical reason why they are not being talked about. As Winnipeggers say though, the less they talk about us, the more they will underestimate us. Why the media is not talking about the Jets more is a mystery as they just had an 8-game winning streak and a 14-game point streak. They are one of the hottest teams in the league.
The Bowness Way
The team as a whole has bought into the Bowness way of playing. They do not give up much defensively while having some elite goal-scoring talent. Winnipeg has depth as well. Usually, when you say no one has more than 20 goals so far on this team it is a bad thing. You can say the same thing about the Sharks, but when you look at the Jets stats sheet, the scoring is so spread out. Every line is clicking and every line is dangerous every time they are on the ice.
Dubiois Trades
The most recent Pierre-Luc Dubois trade has been talked about among Jets fans as the trade that changed the Jets culture. The culture in Winnipeg has been a bit of a mess over the last couple of years. It started back with Laine being unhappy in Winnipeg and being traded for Dubois. Then there were the rumors about problems in the dressing room surrounding Blake Wheeler, and also that Dubois wanted to go to Montreal. This summer just fixed it, Wheeler was bought out and Dubois was traded to Montreal, oops I mean LA… The additions of Vilardi, Iaffalo, and Kupari have just made the Jets so deep. While also seems to have helped instill a new culture in the room along with Adam Lowry being named captain.
Connor Hellebuyck & Laurent Brossoit
Now we get to a couple of the, if not the, most important players on the Jets. The team has been playing very well defensively in front of them but the goaltending has been outstanding. Originally, the header was going to be just Hellebuyck but, if you look at Brossoits numbers they are right there with Hellebuycks. Laurent Brossoit might be the best backup in the league and happens to be backing up the best goaltender in the league. This duo is just unbeatable. Connor Hellebuyck is going to be up for the Vezina this year with the numbers he has and it will be a shocker if he does not win it. The real question is will he get Hart votes?
The Winnipeg Jets are one of the best teams in the league and will be a nightmare for whoever they match up with in the playoffs. The Jets will be a team that remains at the top of the league and has the depth to go deep in the playoffs. With the trade deadline inching closer and closer, you have to think they are going to go all in this year. Adding talent to this roster will just make them unstoppable. Even if they don’t add, they will be scared going forward and will be running over teams in the NHL. NHL, you have been warned.