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How to get consistent refereeing in the NHL playoffs

Once the puck drops for the NHL playoffs, the league’s officiating teams are highly scrutinized. It’s quite common for players, coaches and fans to complain about inconsistent refereeing during the postseason as an infraction that’s called for a penalty one night is completely ignored the next game. The simplest way to solve the problem of inconsistency during the drive to the Stanley Cup is to use the same set of on-ice officials for an entire playoff series. This means the teams will get the same referees and linesmen for each and every contest of a seven-game series.

The way the league currently operates, a different group of officials works each game and the clubs may be lucky to see the same faces twice during a seven-game showdown. Since officials are human it’s just natural that each of them has his own unique style even though the NHL preaches for consistency. Some referees are more lenient than others and this can lead to frustration and confusion from game to game. If the same set of officials worked each game of a series the players, coaches and spectators would know exactly what to expect and what constitutes a penalty.

If the same officials were assigned an entire series they would know what has taken place in each previous game. They would know who has caused trouble, who has been diving in an attempt to have a penalty called, who has been delivering cheap-shots and who has been involved in instigating post-whistle scrums etc. It would be so much easier for the players and coaches since they know where the line will be drawn. The fans would also benefit with less pushing and shoving after each and every whistle.

Since different officials are now employed from game to game we see marginal infractions interpreted differently by them from night to night. Game seven is never called in the same manner as game one and this often leads to a team taking a late-game or overtime penalty which can in turn lead to elimination from the playoffs. If a specific team of officials is more lenient, players will naturally try to take advantage of the situation. And even though they may not be called for a penalty during the game, fans have already seen several players suspended during this year’s postseason for dangerous and dirty plays after the fact due to the league reviewing video replays.

Some playoff games suffer from “under-officiating” one night and “over-officiating” the next. The NHL could do everybody a favour by assigning the same officials to an entire series. They would get a feel for the games and the series and it would lead to more consistency and less frustration. Major League baseball typically uses the same team of umpires for a series so players and managers can basically adapt to the way they interpret the strike zone and the rules in general. NHL players and coaches can be seen to be visibly upset during the playoffs when one pair of referees calls a game completely different than another pair during the same series. The solution is right before their eyes, but so far the NHL hasn’t explored the benefits of it.    

Too Good, Too Early

It is unfortunate that the Pittsburgh Penguins have to play the Washington Capitals in only the second round.
These two teams have had, by far, been the most entertaining and evenly matched series in the NHL Playoffs and deserved to play each other in the Eastern Conference finals and the winner playing for the Cup.
The Penguins are up 3 games to 1 in the series but those numbers have little to do with the absolutely amazing hockey being played between these teams. Also, if it was not for a 47 save performance from Pittsburgh’s Matt Murray, this series would be tied. These two powerhouses have played remarkably evenly matched hockey as the scores can attest:
Game 1: Washington 4, Pittsburgh 3 (Overtime)
Game 2: Pittsburgh 2, Washington 1
Game 3: Pittsburgh 3, Washington 2
Game 4: Pittsburgh 3, Washington 2 (Overtime)
Both Games 2 and 3 each had two goals scored in the third period, just to add to the already high level of excitement.
These two teams have been fierce rivals for the past ten years when the great turnaround for both teams happened by obtaining the number one pick in the draft. After the Capitals drafted Alex Ovechkin in 2004 and Pittsburgh grabbed Sidney Crosby in 2005, the race was on. Everyone knows how this story plays out but another similarity in this playoff series is how both these franchise cornerstones are being held off the scoresheet. Sure, they play tough and smart and generate all kinds of tough defensive match ups, but that is not what these two are really on the ice for. Ovechkin has 3 points in 4 games, but with 2 coming in Game 3 when the Capitals down 3-0 and Alex firing anything he touched at the net. Not exactly the timing you want from your best player. Crosby had one point in Game 4. His first of the series. Ouch..
So if your two best players on their respective teams are not contributing, guess what else these two teams have in common? The level of play from supporting players have carried both these teams. The two teams are averaging 5 goals per game so it is not like the goaltenders are standing on their heads every game (more later), so the scoring is coming from the guys who have favorable defensive match ups, aka not the top defensive pairings. The fact that these ‘secondary’ players are coming through for their teams when their top players get shut down is what having a great team is all about.
The shots are another example of Pittsburgh and Washington being evenly matched. Games 1 and 2 were dominated by Pittsburgh in the shots department but Washington roared back in the third game with 49 shots before evening out in game 4 with the shots 36-33 in favor of Washington. While the shots per game for each team has gone up and down, the overall total is 144-136 for the series in favor of Washington. An eight shot difference over 4 games is exactly what you would expect for a great series.
The goaltending in this series has been great as usual, just not all the time. Both goaltenders, Braden Holtby for Washington and Matt Murray for Pittsburgh have high save percentages and low goals against averages. This series has not really been about goaltending overall except for game 3 with Murray’s 47 save performance and Holtby’s 0.870 save percentage. However, there are still games ahead and these goaltenders will have to be at their very best to get to the next round.
From the head office on down, both franchises have done an admirable job building in keeping competitive teams over the years. Whichever of these two great teams comes out on top of this series, they deserve to go as far as possible.

Buffalo Sabres 2016 Offseason Plans

After finishing with the lowest point total in the NHL for two years in a row, Buffalo Sabres’ fans finally had something to cheer about during the 2015-16 season. The team increased its point total by 27 over the previous year, and drastically improved its goal differential. A combination of players acquired through the draft, trades and free agency combined to make the Sabres a team on the rise.

Leading the way was rookie phenom Jack Eichel, the second overall pick in last year’s draft. He was the team’s top goal scorer, and finished second in points behind Ryan O’Reilly. Fellow rookie Sam Reinhart, the second overall selection in the previous draft, finished just behind Eichel in both goals and points. O’Reilly, acquired in a trade last offseason with Colorado, proved to be more than capable as Buffalo’s top center. Veterans like Brian Gionta and David Legwand combined with Evander Kane, Rasmus Ristolainen and other youngsters to greatly improve the quality of play in Buffalo.

Pending Free Agents: Ristolainen, just 21 years old, is turning into one of the best young defenseman in the game and is a restricted free agent. The Sabres will not let him get away, and will likely sign him to a long term deal. Backup goaltender Chad Johnson is an unrestricted free agent and will probably test the free agent market looking to become a starter after playing well this season. 35 year old Legwand is also an UFA, and the team may decide to move on with a younger option.

One player not up for free agency but likely on his way out is Matt Moulson. He is due five million dollars a year for the next 3 years, a sum way too high for his meager production of just 21 points in 81 games.

Draft Picks: General Manager Tim Murray has made it clear he is looking for a left handed, top four defenseman. There are three of these players expected to go in the top ten of this year’s draft, in which Buffalo will pick 8th. Murray could trade up using his vast draft capital (12 picks this year) to ensure he gets one, or he may wait and take the best player available.

Free Agent Additions: If the Sabres look for defensive help in free agency, the team could add Keith Yandle (New York Rangers) or Alex Goligoski (Dallas Stars). Former Sabre Brian Campbell may be available, but at age 36, it is unclear if the team would want to sign him. Since the free agent market is relatively thin, and Buffalo has so many draft picks and prospects, they can try to acquire a defenseman via trade. Targets include Cam Fowler (Anaheim Ducks), Kevin Shattenkirk (St. Louis Blues) and Patrick Wiercioch (Ottawa Senators).

Kris Letang and the Interference Penalty

Late in the first period of Monday night’s game between the Penguins and the Capitals, Washington center Marcus Johansson took a brutal hit from Pittsburgh defenseman, Kris Letang that resulted in a one-game suspension. With 21-year old defensive phenom Olli Maatta out with an upper body injury, the Penguins have to face the likes of Ovechkin, Backstrom, and Oshie without their top two defensemen.

The hit on Johansson wasn’t a direct head shot which would have resulted in an illegal check to the head penalty. The officials didn’t seem to think the head was the main target of the hit and the footage seemed to back that up. It also wasn’t deemed a charging penalty though many claim Letang’s skates were off the ice before contact. A close examination, however, seems to indicate that his skates didn’t leave the ice until contact was already made. In the end the NHL Department of Player Safety is focused on one simple fact; Johansson wasn’t eligible to be hit in any manner on that play, the puck was long gone, and that makes Letang’s hit illegal no matter what.

The one-game suspension comes at an important time for the Penguins who lead the series 2-1. With both Maatta and Letang out for Game 4, they will have to rely on rookie Derrick Pouliot and former Edmonton Oiler Justin Schultz to pick up the slack. Schultz hasn’t seen the ice since Game 1 of the first round and Monday was Pouliot’s first playoff game ever.

When asked how he plans to deal with the lack of experienced defensemen Penguin’s coach Mike Sullivan was matter-of-fact. “We’ll prepare the same way,” Sullivan said. “We’re not going to change our style of play. We’ve had guys go down with injuries for long stretches of time, important players. So, I think our team understands how we have to play in order to be successful.”

The series between these two teams has had its fair share of cheap shots and controversy. Game 1 saw Capitals’ forward Tom Wilson go out of his way to make knee-to-knee contact with Penguins’ forward Conor Sheary. While no penalty was called on the ice, Wilson later received a fine. In Game 2, it was Brooks Orpik’s illegal hit that knocked Maatta out for at least 2 games. Orpik received a 3-game suspension for the check. Letang’s penalty and suspension in Game 3 are only the next in a series. Clearly this has been a bruising and emotional series.

With the favored Capitals a game down it’s a sure bet that things are not going to get any softer on the ice either. Whether the sentences being handed down by Player Safety will help to keep the series under control remains to be seen.

The NHL Draft Lottery means the Toronto Maple Leafs finally win something

At last, Toronto Maple Leafs fans have something to celebrate as the NHL club has finally won something of note since it last hoisted the Stanley Cup way back in 1967. The Leafs lucked out on April 30th by winning the NHL Draft Lottery in Toronto and will now select first overall at this June’s ceremony in Buffalo. This isn’t the first time the franchise has been awarded the top pick, but they received it by default in 1985 when they selected Wendel Clark number one overall. The Leafs finished dead last in the 1983/84 campaign just like they did this season, but there was no complicated lottery system in place three decades ago. This means the team actually had to win something this year to receive their reward, even if it was just a lottery.

Maple Leafs’ fans shouldn’t get carried away though. If there’s any NHL team out there that could end up blowing the top draft pick it’s surely Toronto. This is a very creative club when it comes to finding new ways of disappointing their fans. It wouldn’t surprise diehard Leafs’ supporters if the youngster they choose first overall doesn’t end up being the best player of the draft a few years down the road. As it stands, it appears Toronto will likely select 18-year-old centre Auston Matthews of the U.S.  with their pick. Matthews played just a 36-game season this year and racked up 24 goals and 22 assists for 46 points while skating in the Swiss League with Zurich. He posted just three assists in four playoff games though.

The Leafs still have a lot of work to do before heading up to the podium though since there are at least two other players who could be worthy of the number one pick. These are wingers Patrik Laine and Jesse Puljujärvi, both of Finland. In fact, Laine was just recently named the MVP of the Finnish Elite League’s playoffs after leading his team Tappara to the championship. The Leafs will be able to do some more homework and scouting on Matthews and the left-winger Laine as they’ll both be playing for their respective countries at the upcoming IIHF World Hockey Championships in Russia. If Laine is a standout at the tournament and Matthews is simply average then the Leafs will really have their work cut out for them when deciding who to choose.

There are several other excellent prospects in this year’s draft following the Arizona-born Matthews and the two Finnish stars. These defenceman Olli Juolevi (London Knights), also of Finland, as well as forwards Alexander Nylander (Mississauga Steelheads), Tyson Jost (Penticton Vees), Matthew Tkachuk, (London Knights) and Pierre-Luc Dubois (Cape Breton Screaming Eagles). This means the eventual best player in the draft could actually be drafted anywhere from first to eighth. The Leafs have been looking for a big first-line centre since Mats Sundin left the team though and that’s why they’ll likely take Matthews.

There were a couple of other big winners in the lottery as the Winnipeg Jets had a 7.5 per cent to draft first overall and the Columbus Blue Jackets had a 9.5 percent chance. The Jets jumped from sixth place to second overall while Columbus moved from fourth to third. But with the talent available even the Edmonton Oilers who dropped from second to fourth, the Vancouver Canucks who dropped from third to fifth and Calgary Flames who slipped from fifth to sixth, could still end up with the eventual best player.

Regardless of who they take in the draft, the Leafs are bound to get an elite prospect and it could have a big impact on their roster decisions during the offseason. However, the team’s fans have another thing coming if they think that an 18-year-old youngster playing about 17 minutes per game is going to turn the franchise around. Still, they have reason to feel optimistic at least until June 24th and hopefully for a few years beyond that.   

Arizona Coyotes 2016 Offseason Plans

The Arizona Coyotes are a team in flux. As of April 27th, 2016, the team has still not confirmed where they will play their home games, who their General Manager will be and the majority of last season’s players are free agents. Even though they improved over their pitiful 2014-2015 season, the Coyotes missed the playoffs for the fourth straight year. The next GM, rumored to be 26 year old analytics guru John Chayka, will have the flexibility to move the team in a new direction this offseason.

One of the main priorities for the new decision maker will be to upgrade a defense and goaltending group that allowed the third most goals of any team in the league. Additionally, they finished third to last in penalty killing. The offense could also use some additional scoring punch as the top scorer on team was defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson with 55 points.

Pending Free Agents: The list of free agents this summer is incredibly long. The most notable player on the market is Captain Shane Doan. Nearing age 40, the league’s longest tenured captain turned back the clock and led the team with 28 goals. It remains to be seen whether he will want to continue playing, and if the team will want him back.

Outside of Ekman Larsson, the only other defenseman not up for free agency is Zbynek Michalek. Also, the team has only one goalie under contract, starter Mike Smith. The team will have to re-sign some of their own free agents, but there could be a potential “house cleaning” as well.

Draft Picks: Since Arizona has two young forwards that will likely make the jump to the pros next season in Dylan Strome and Christian Dvorak, there is a good chance the team will select one of the team defenseman with their first pick. Depending on the teams picking in front of them, the Coyotes will likely miss out on top prospect Jacob Chychrun but could still choose from Jake Bean, Mikhail Sergachev or Olli Juolevi.

Free Agent Additions: If Chayka is selected as the new GM, it will be interesting to see if he will bring a “Moneyball” style approach to free agency. While the team should have cap room to land a big free agent or two, he may search for undervalued players to build a more well-rounded squad. There are not a lot of big name defenseman to go after, but Kyle Quincey (Detroit),Luke Schenn (Los Angeles) and Jason Demers (Dallas) may be options. In goal, 24 year old Louis Domingue played relatively well when called on this season and should be re-signed to backup Mike Smith.

East vs West

What is it about the Eastern Conference lately? They always have high scoring, talented, highlight reel teams, but can’t put in the final effort over the Western Conference to go all the way.
The evidence is the gritty, hard-nosed hockey that the Western Conference Chicago Blackhawks and Los Angeles Kings played to win five of the last six Stanley Cups, with the Tim Thomas backed Boston Bruins narrowly beating the Vancouver Canucks in Game 7 as the exception.
The Western Conference seems to have found a way to get through the blood, sweat, tears and grind of the Stanley Cup playoffs.
This year feels the same.
The best team in the NHL in terms of points, the Washington Capitals, nearly let their series with the Philadelphia Flyers slip away. Mainly because of a simple goaltender change. If the Capitals are the dominating team that they are supposed to be, they would have decimated the Flyers as soon as they felt the rocking vending machine start to tip over. But they didn’t. They relied on their hot goaltender, which has to be done from time to time but not for the number one seed to squeak by the number eight seed. Ovechkin firing slap shots won’t get the Capitals the hardest trophy in professional sports to win, as previous years have proven.
On the other side of the bracket, the Pittsburgh Penguins had a much more dominating series against a much better team, the New York Rangers. With two rookie goaltenders, the same can be said for the Tampa Bay Lightning, but their games were much closer than the final result of the series indicates.
On the Western Conference side the teams seem to be playing full on playoff hockey. No holds barred, all the way to the finish seems to be the mantra of all the teams in the West. The Dallas Stars had some difficulty (similar to the Capitals) with the Minnesota Wild but they stayed their course that made them the highest scoring team in the regular season. They scored the goals that they have been scoring all year.They will continue to score goals until one of the other Western Conference team’s defence stops them. Defence and goaltending is the key.
That being said, the hottest team in the West is the San Jose Sharks and if the Stars run into them in the Western Finals they will need more than just a lot of shots on goal. Even now against the St. Louis Blues they will be in tough against a team that just beat the defending Stanley Cup champions and the league’s leading scorer in Patrick Kane.
But back to the Sharks, (who are arguably the best in the West with Pittsburgh being the best in the East so far) and the reasons they are clicking on all levels right now. They are the epitome of why the teams in the West have won more Stanley Cups in recent years. Great goaltending and defense when the game is on the line is the key to advancing. The Sharks didn’t do that the past few seasons but it looks like they have put those demons to rest.
The Kings scored only 11 goals in the series with the Sharks blocking 15 shots in Game 1, 28 in Game 2, 18 in Game 3, 25 in Game 4, and 29 in Game 5. When you see numbers like those going in an upward trend, one can surmise that the team is realizing how to win playoff hockey games. The Sharks are realizing this. One team all the time. No matter what the consequences.
Wayne Gretzky said after losing to the New York Islanders in the 1983 Stanley Cup Finals that he felt his Edmonton Oilers could play another series, but when walking by the winning Islanders dressing room there was no partying or jubilation from them. They were so worn out from the grind of winning the Stanley Cup they could barely stand. The Oilers knew then what it would take to win the Cup and did it the following year.

These are the little things (read: massive things) that make the difference between raising the Stanley Cup banner and raising the Conference Championship banner next year. The remaining Western Conference teams seem to have the sand to make it all the way. Will the Eastern teams step up?

Anything but the Blues in St. Louis

When the St. Louis Blues and the Chicago Blackhawks meet during the regular season expectations for an exciting match-up are high. When the Blackhawks and Blues meet in the playoffs the anticipation for fireworks is off the charts.

Sharing a division since 1970, the Hawks Blues rivalry is the most intense as far as penalty minutes and fighting goes. The hatred between these two teams has simmered for decades perhaps reaching it’s peak during what is referred to as the Saint Patrick’s Day Massacre, a brutal match on March 17, 1991 where nearly 300 penalty minutes were handed out along with 22 games worth of suspensions.

Flash forward to this year and once again we see the rivals meeting and this time the stakes couldn’t be higher. The Blackhawks are the defending Stanley Cup champions while the Blues have suffered 3 consecutive first round ousters, one of which came at the Hawks’ hands.

While the Blues managed to shake off their demons and nab a 4-3 series win it was the fans that came out ahead in this series. The hockey played was nothing short of amazing.

Game 1 was the Brian Elliott show as the Blues’ netminder stymied the Hawks for his first playoff shut out. David Backes scored the only goal of the night at 9:04 into overtime. With a bad bounce off a Blackhawks defenseman the solitary goal gave the home team a thrilling victory.

Enter Game 2 where a late third period goal after a Coach’s Challenge chalked up a win for the Hawks. Joel Quenneville’s challenge negated a Blues goal and set both teams up for another tense ending.  Andrew Shaw stuffed home a rebound with 4:19 remaining to tie the series 1-1.
Game 3 saw the teams moved to Chicago where the Blues retook the series lead 2-1 after a bruising match that ended with a power play goal set up by a high sticking penalty on Chicago star, and potential MVP, Patrick Kane.

With Game 4 the Blues took a commanding 3-1 lead made possible by two powerful wrist-shots by Vladimir Tarasenko. Jaden Schwartz scored the tie-breaking goal on a power play in the third period.
Back in St. Louis for Game 5 the Patrick Kane’s backhander in the second overtime gave the Hawks another win and put the series at 3-2. It was Kane’s fist goal of the playoffs and provided a much-needed psychological boost for a team that needed to stage a major comeback to overcome a 3-1 deficit.

Game 6 gave Blues fans some serious anxiety as a recharged Hawks team bowled them over 6-3, forcing Game 7. With three goals, the second period of this game might have been the best Hawks period of the entire season.

Which brings it all to Game 7, a barn-burner that ended with forward Troy Brouwer’s brilliant second effort getting the puck into the net for a Blues win. According to Brouwer, it was “the ugliest goal I’ve ever scored and probably the timeliest goal I’ve ever scored.”

The Blues have little time to rest on their laurels as their second round series against the Dallas Stars begins on Friday but for St. Louis fans a win against their fiercest rival is not only sweet, it’s been a long time coming.

Alternating goalies in the playoffs rarely results in Stanley Cup

The last time an NHL team won the Stanley Cup by splitting their goaltending duties during the playoffs was 44 years ago. However, with 21 different netminders being used by the 16 clubs during the first round of the 2015/16 postseason, this streak may soon come to an end. While some teams may go with goaltending tandems during the regular season, most of them stick with the goaltender who has the hot hand during the playoffs. Both the Dallas Stars and Anaheim Ducks went with a successful two-goaltender system this season though and have had to use both goalies so far in the playoffs.

Dallas won the Western Conference and the Central Division this season by playing Kari Lehtonen and Antti Niemi in while Anaheim won the Pacific Division with John Gibson and Frederik Andersen sharing the crease. In fact, Anaheim’s duo won the Jennings Trophy for allowing the fewest goals against in the league at 192. Anderson posted a record of 22-9-7 along with a 2.30 goals-against average and a 91.9 save percentage. Gibson went 21-13-4 with a goals-against average of 2.07 and a save percentage of 92.0.

Gibson started the playoffs in net, but after losing the first two games at home to the Nashville Predators, coach Bruce Boudreau has replaced him with Andersen and the Ducks have bounced back with three straight wins. Dallas also had the option of two fine netminders who both won 25 games each this year. Lehtonen went 25-10-2 with a 2.76 goals-against average and a 90.6 save percentage while Niemi was 25-13-7 with a 2.67 goals-against average and a 90.5 save percentage. Stars’ coach Lindy Ruff found himself in the same boat as Boudreau as he’s switched between goalies after they each suffered a loss.

The Detroit Red Wings used two goalies in their five-game defeat at the hands of the Tampa Bay Lightning for the same reason. Veteran Jimmy Howard started the series, but was benched in favour of youngster Petr Mrazek after dropping the first two games on the road. But in all three of these instances, the goaltending duties were split as a way to spark the respective teams. The coaches felt a change was necessary before it was too late. The Pittsburgh Penguins and New York Rangers have also used two goalies so far in the postseason, but this was because the Rangers’ Henrik Lundqvist was injured and then played poorly and Pittsburgh also ran into injury problems.

Very rarely do you see a head coach change goaltenders during the playoffs these days when his team is winning because they don’t want to tinker with success. This wasn’t always the case though as the Boston Bruins won the Stanley Cup in 1971/72 when coach Tom Johnson split the duties between veterans Gerry Cheevers and Eddie Johnston. Playoff tandems were also common in the 1980s as Chico Resch and Billy Smith often alternated in net for the New York Islanders. However, the team didn’t start winning Stanley Cups until Smith was handed the number-one job.

In the past 26 years, just seven clubs have reached the Conference Finals by alternating goalies in the playoffs. The Philadelphia Flyers were the last to do it when they made it as far as the Stanley Cup Final in 2009/10 by starting Michael Leighton 14 times and Brian Boucher 12 times. It didn’t work in the Final though as Chicago won the cup in six games. History has shown that teams which stick with a designated goalie, win or lose, have been the most successful in the playoffs.

Records show that just six teams have managed to win the Stanley Cup while playing more than one goalie on a regular basis in the playoffs. These were the New York Rangers in 1927/28, the Detroit Red Wings in 1936/37, the Toronto Maple Leafs in 1950/51, and the Montreal Canadiens in each of the 1952/53, 1964/65 and 1968/69 seasons. If a team does hoist the cup this year by using more than one goalie, it’ll likely be because of injury problems or poor play by one of the netminders rather than by design.

Winnipeg Jets 2016 Offseason Plans

After earning 99 points in 2014-2015 and clinching the team’s first playoff berth since moving to Winnipeg in 2011, the Jets plummeted to just 78 points in 2015-2016. Even though they play in arguably the NHL’s toughest division, many thought Winnipeg would be back in the playoffs. However, the team slogged through a rough season and traded away their captain, Andrew Ladd.

On paper, the Jets have the talent to compete. Winger Blake Wheeler led the team with 78 points while playing all 82 games this season. Top center Mark Scheifele, just 23 years old, also performed extremely well offensively. On defense, Dustin Byfuglien and Tyler Myers are two of the best in the game and Myers is still developing after coming over from the Buffalo Sabres in the trade for Evander Kane. This top talent overshadowed a lack of depth that was evident as the year progressed.

The real bright spot for Winnipeg this season was the emergence of goalie Connor Hellebuyck. The 22 year old was clearly the best netminder on the team, posting a 2.34 goals against average and .918 save percentage in his 26 games. Ondrej Pavelec, and his $3.9 million salary, was far worse than Hellebuyck.

Pending Free Agents: Winnipeg’s top priority will be working out a long term extension with Scheifele. He will be entitled to a significant payday, but the team has been hovering near the bottom of the league in spending so they have the funds. Another restricted free agent, Jacob Trouba, is a 22 year old top four defenseman that will also be looking for big money.

Draft Picks: While the team hopes to win the draft lottery and select Auston Matthews, the odds of that happening are pretty slim. While the team could use some help on defense, an interesting scenario would be selecting Left Wing Matthew Tkachuk. Matthew is the son of former Winnipeg Captain and fan favorite Keith Tkachuk.

Free Agent Additions: While he isn’t a true free agent, the Jets just signed last year’s first round pick, Kyle Connor, to a three year deal. He was on fire as a freshman at the University of Michigan, racking up 71 points in just 38 games. He may get a shot at the pro level sooner rather than later.

Since the team traded away Ladd, there is no true captain on the roster. While some of the young players could be given the role, or maybe even Wheeler, the Jets might look to fill the leadership void from the outside. St. Louis Blues Captain David Backes may be available this offseason. He could provide instant credibility and a winning attitude to a team that needs it.