Winnipeg Whiteout

[GoJetsGo]

For Another Chance at Lord Stanley's Cup...



WINNIPEG, MB -- What an incredible Cinderella story, this unknown comes outta nowhere, four wins away from hockey's greatest prize. It was nearly a fairy tale, a movie script that could only be written after the fact. Mired in the hockey hotbed of the American south, the Atlanta Thrashers had just traded their most successful draft pick in franchise history. Greenhorn general manager Tommy Kennish had just been hired and more miserable hockey was certainly on the horizon.

And that's exactly what happened. Marc Savard was signed to bring some semblance of professionalism, a tall order when the corpse of Doug Weight was assigned regular shifts. Eventually the nightly embarrassments came to their natural conclusion for the few Blueland faithful, a fleeting new hope in another lottery pick. Prospects like Gormley, Pietrangelo, and Campbell seemed to gain traction with scouts league-wide. Then, the guillotine struck, killing hockey in Atlanta for the second time.

After a trying fifteen year hiatus, the residents of Winnipeg, Manitoba could once again cheer for their Jets [Version 2.0]. It felt as if Kennish had a renewed vigor to construct a championship caliber organization. The desire was certainly palpable in Atlanta, but the pressure to succeed was magnified in the hockey starved province. Quickly, the novelty of professional hockey at the MTS Center would dim and the scrutiny of every transaction soon to commence. Members of the front office and squad welcomed the amped up stakes.

The makeup of the roster was a continual work in progress from the summer into the 2011-12 season. Couture from San Jose, Bjugstad, Brodeur, and veterans from Tampa Bay, Ellerby from Calgary, and all of this before opening night. The core of untouchables and newest additions kept on winning in spite of the tinkering. Havlat and Torres were added from Toronto in the first of multiple in season moves.

Huge changes in February would prove to be golden in the postseason. Patrice Bergeron was a massive upgrade from struggling sophomore Joe Colborne. Fan favorite Nick Bjugstad was jettisoned from a clear playoff team for a developing rookie on deadline day. And all of it worked out splendidly. Bjugstad's first game in Calgary ended his campaign, while Jonny Huberdeau won multiple Buccigross Overtime Challenges. Even Todd "The Fridge" Fedoruk, brought in for his veteran presence, changed the complexion of the Eastern Conference finals with a series equalizer in Pittsburgh.



Game six against the Penguins had the feel of a must win game, even with a 3-2 series lead. Huberdeau and Pietrangelo fed off the energy of a raucous crowd, with the pair factoring in on all four tallies. Confetti rained down from the rafters at MTS and the dream season reached its improbable final stage. The second Jets iteration had playoff success that the originals could only imagine. With three series triumphs under their belt, the young upstarts had reached the big leagues much sooner than expected.

A game one thumping of the Sharks at the HP Pavilion was unfortunately the greatest moment for Winnipeg in the Cup Final. Logan Couture was lost for the rest of the series in game two and the depleted forwards struggled against a superior group. Heroics from Havlat and Bergeron in game four masked an inept power play that was given eight chances. Games 5 and 6 were tight battles, but San Jose scored the goals when they were needed the most. A glorious opportunity, wasted.

With a couple of weeks before free agency, the front office was able to reflect on the season with a clear mind. By any measure the first season in the Peg was a success. Last summer Sean Couturier was handed a generic EHEC jersey in Minnesota. Less than a calendar year hence, the kid was playing for a championship. But that's the hardest pill to swallow. Two wins short leaves you in the same category as the twenty-eight other franchises. Only your disappointment also comes with a nasty case of blue balls.

Patrice Bergeron will forever be a hero in the area; Joe Thornton is a legend in Silicon Valley. As the kids from The Sandlot learned, "Heroes get remembered but legends never die.." At this moment Mr. Kennish could run for mayor and win in a landslide. However, that thought hasn't had the time to cross his mind. It's clear that this offseason is already the most intense yet, and the decisions have never been tougher. The primary question of the summer, What will it take to get back and claim a slice of hockey immortality?

No pressure, eh? This ain't Atlanta anymore, Toto.

[GoJetsGo]

2012 Jets Offseason Review


1st Rounder - Adam Gilmour

WINNIPEG, MB -- Assembling the pieces to a deep playoff run often comes at the expense of future considerations. Last summer Nick Bjugstad ate up the franchise's first rounder. The addition of Patrice Bergeron shipped the second round selection off to Boston. With the late summer start and a dearth of selections, Winnipeg's scouting staff was headed toward its first quiet offseason in some time. GM Kennish was still active in the trade market, completing a trade with the new found rival San Jose days after the final.

TO SAN JOSE: G Niklas Backstrom
TO WINNIPEG: R Brad Boyes, D Alec Martinez

Management was pleased with Jack Campbell's playoff performance. The veteran backup experiment was ended because of his expedited growth and also necessitated by salary concerns. Tom mentioned that San Jose had expressed interest in acquiring Backstrom in the summer. Trading a first and a third to Minnesota for less than a quarter season of games will certainly sting at the draft next year. However, the aforementioned transaction cleared Tim Thomas' salary from the books. Boyes and Martinez are "win now" additions as well.

TO BOSTON: D Dan Girardi, 2nd WPG 2013
TO WINNIPEG: D Derek Morris, 3rd BOS 2013

It's certainly difficult to tell a player that he's been traded, let alone twice in nearly one calendar year. Ellerby proved to be a better defense partner with Bogosian leaving Girardi relegated to the third pairing. Morris will provide additional leadership and physicality to the defense, as well as offensive flair that Keaton lacked.

At the draft...

The addition of Morris moved Olsen and Martinez down to the sixth and seventh defense spots. Both are ready for professional ice time, but are not as valuable commodities as Ellerby. Decision makers in the front office weren't willing to make a huge splash to move into the top half of the draft. Keaton was identified by Kennish's group as the trade carrot to acquire a mid-to-late first rounder. Hugo's team at the draft table wasn't in a hurry to make a selection, so we sent out a feeler. Los Angeles mentioned Ellerby without any prodding; a quick and easy transaction.

TO LOS ANGELES: D Keaton Ellerby
TO WINNIPEG: 18th Selection -- F Adam Gilmour

Our table was elated that this dropped into our laps. From the limited scouting we had completed, Gilmour, albeit a tad raw, was a draftee we quickly fell for. One scout with the Jets mentioned that Tommy was certain somebody would select Adam in the 20-22 range just based on the teams in the slots. After Winnipeg announced the selection, both Phoenix and New York [Rangers] confirmed the hunch. Kennish, smiling from ear to ear, was reassured about the selection after discovering that two of the league's better GMs were on the same wavelength.

Best Case Comparison = Ryan Johansen clone. Not quite as skilled, but he's giving 110% every night.

2nd Round Fun..
Similar to a few other organizations, we couldn't believe Hampus Lindholm was available deep into round two. When New York picked up the Predators selection, (beating us to the pick in the process) the table assumed he would be off the board. Pat took Osnovin, but at that point Pittsburgh had moved into the next selection. We knew it was a lost cause at that point, and you can't win them all.



Brock McGinn, 3rd Round, #85 With raises for our top-six forwards coming shortly, the character forwards will need to be affordable. We will develop McGinn over the next few seasons to be Fedoruk and Torres replacements.

Joel Wigle, 5th Round, #149 Tools are there with Joel, just a matter of how they come together over the next few seasons. Certainly a long term project, but if instructed well he can become a valuable power foward. At this stage in the draft and with our squad, it's worth taking a shot.

Thomas Spelling, 6th Round, #179 Another player we hope takes a step or two forward as he comes into his own. A more raw version of David Elsner, somewhat similar players.

Thomas Kennish, 7th Round, #209 Crazy GM decides to give it the olde college try. Frankly, the scouts think he's just trying to build some hockey clout. "Sure you were taken in the NHL draft, you selected yourself." Narcissist.