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Yes the Jets have issues and they're complicated

May 4, 2019, 1:29 PM ET [85 Comments]
Peter Tessier
Winnipeg Jets Blogger •Winnipeg Jets Writer • RSSArchiveCONTACT
The Jets have some problems.

That much is perfectly clear but the kind of problems the Jets have are complicated and likely more complicated than can be clearly understood and measured by stats, roster, or any other marker. With key RFA players to be signed, or traded, unrestricted free agents and a new contract coming into effect for the captain changes are coming and given the alleged strife within the group perhaps not insignificant ones.

This is where the team finds itself and for reasons not totally clear these problems are either something that can be mended or ones that disband what should be a team built for success.

Paul Maurice was not wrong when he said at season's end there were 'feathers that had to be unruffled' but the question that should follow is was the coach downplaying the current scenario?


These blogs are hard to write because some of what you 'hear' is probably based in reality but has moved beyond the original context of how the information first surfaced. Needless to say, doing a bullet form of issues in a fact-based manner would only serve to have yours truly sued and perhaps the site too. It's not going to happen and while I believe there is truth in all of it, determining what the truth is an be very difficult. Stating what it could all add up to though is fair and that's what will happen as it support what scribes like Mike McIntyre have reported and others at the Free Press.

The Jets have a problem with friction. There are many possible friction points within the team and they revolve around coaching tactics, leadership, interpersonal dynamics, accountability to one another, and contracts. Some of this can be seen as petty while other aspects are more serious in terms of how they affect dynamics.

Putting all the issues into two categories might make a complex situation a bit simpler to understand. The divide in the room moves around leadership styles, accountability, and coach support. The drama in the room revolves around egos, feelings, and respect.

There appears to be a divide around support for Maurice and his coaching tactics and strategy and given the Jets moved to a more simplistic attack on dump, chase and recovery after Christmas that makes sense. That change and reluctance to address the obvious decline in play after has troubled some key players, enough so that the group may be split on support. A team is not a team if they don't believe in the same way to achieve the best, desired results.

The drama is more complicated and could stem from how some of the dividing issues have been handled. Players verbally challenging each other is not drama but what might have happened within the Jets goes beyond that as it appears no resolution is ever found between sparring partners or groups. Part of disagreeing and challenging with people is to find a way to resolution after emotions expressed and fingers have been pointed. This is where things may have gone awry and possibly led to bad feelings.

It's complicated and add to the mix of four key contracts coming due (Laine, Connor, Copp and Trouba) and the fact that some contacts exist that cannot be moved without cooperation. There are certainly options for Jets GM Kevin Cheveldayoff to make moves, very significant ones but if these moves are of desperation and not strategic what chance do they have of being successful?

This is the point that fans have concern, change is coming and it might be totally and completely necessary for many reasons but none of these reasons are by design. There is an older core of Little, Wheeler and Byfuglien who have legacy and leadership roles in this group and then there is the younger core, the future of this franchise, where do you lay your support and loyalty too?

This is not to assign blame to those three but they have the history of how this team came to be before many other players, and the coach were even here. So where do you go?

That leads to the off season and how complicated this has become now. It would be easy to assign blame but none of this happened instantly it grew slowly and perhaps unnoticed until it was too late. It's here in the front and centre and now the GM and coach have to deal with it while figuring out what kind of team they want to build, again.

The question becomes can egos be smoothed and drama quashed? Or is the question do you figure out where you can bridge the divide bring everyone back together? More than likely it's a bit, or a lot, of both.
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