Chevy Smart To Stay Away From July 1 Madness

Jets backup Chris Mason turned down a two-year deal and signed in Nashville.
(Photo Courtesy Yahoo! Sports)

For Jets fans on Twitter throughout Canada Day and, to a lesser extent depending who you are, Free Agent Frenzy, there was much to do about why the Jets were not signing players and, in essence, losing more players to other teams than signing more.

In a day that saw a number of teams land bigger name free agents - Dallas landing Ray Whitney, Tampa landing Sami Salo, Colorado landing P.A. Parenteau, and Vancouver landing Jason Garrison - the Jets had a net loss of players, as forward Tanner Glass signed a two-year deal with Pittsburgh worth $1.1 mil per and backup goalie Chris Mason returning to the club who drafted him for one year worth $1.25 mil per.

These two departures may be the biggest blow to any Jet fans ego because of the weight these guys held with the fans and with the team identity.

Mason, who was the first Jet to step onto the ice at the MTS Iceplex last summer along with ordering special order Jet goalie pads, blocker, and glove, appeared to be the most gung-ho and passionate about wanting to stay in Winnipeg, even as a backup to budding starter Ondrej Pavelec.

But according to TSN's Sara Orlesky via Twitter, Jets General Manager Kevin Cheveldayoff offered Mason more term and more money, but Mason opted to move back to Nashville.

Ken Wiebe, of the Winnipeg Sun, mentioned that Mason was torn between a two-year deal offered by the Jets and the Predators one-year deal.

In all, fans may feel that Mason paid somewhat cheap lip service to Jet fans and media about his intentions and his passions.

Luckily for Jets fans, he's just the backup goalie.

Talks were beginning with New Jersey Devils backup Johan Hedberg, according to Orlesky via Twitter, but has somewhat stalled since.

Other backup goalies Jets fans could potentially look forward to seeing in a Jets jerseys as UFAs include Marty Turco, Andrew Raycroft, Justin Pogge, and Al Montoya among other lesser known names.

As for Tanner Glass, his departure leaves more to be desired to be replaced by the Jets.

Fan favourite winger Tanner Glass is off to Pittsburgh.
(Photo Courtesy Yahoo! Sports)

Glass, who ranked tenth in the NHL in hits with 246, will be hard to decently replace with anyone who can add grit after many tough guys were snatched up on July 1, including Brandon Prust, George Parros, Arron Asham, Brad Staubitz, and local boy Jordin Tootoo.

Signing with Pittsburgh was the Penguins way of filling the hole left by Arron Asham.

Now that Pittsburgh signed a Winnipeg fan favourite, the Jets will probably not search too hard as they may look to fill the gap left by Glass with an upcoming prospect in the likes of a Patrice Cormier.

Filling the void left by Glass on the GST line may seem as either a big job or not significant at all depending on where value is placed on Glass' impact on the team.

Surely, he was a prototypical Cheveldayoff guy - grit, heart, lunch pail work ethic - but can a Patrice Cormier fill that role at a younger age and cheaper contract?

Jets inked Ponikarovsky to one year @ $1.8 mil per.
(Photo Courtesy TSN.ca)

The Jets did, however, dip into the free agency pool and sign Nikolai Antropov's former linemate Alexei Ponikarovsky to a one-year, cap friendly $1.8 million deal.

Ponikarovsky reached his first Stanley Cup Final last season with the New Jersey Devils - his fifth team in five years - and had nine points in 24 playoff games.

He had a disappointing start to the 2011-12 season after scoring only 15 points in 49 games with the Carolina Hurricanes fresh off a new, one-year contract.

But after a trade to New Jersey, Ponikarovsky seemed to find a bit of a stride scoring 18 points in his final 33 games with the Devils.

Ponikarovsky has played in 636 career games, collecting 314 points (135 goals, 179 assists) with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Pittsburgh Penguins, Los Angeles Kings, Hurricanes, and Devils.

As he is reunited with Antropov, the immediate thought is how Ponikarovsky will add size and will possibly help his former linemate in Toronto to produce more.

Antropov had 35 points (15 goals, 20 assists) in 69 games with the Jets last season, his lowest point total since 2006-07 with the Leafs.  The Jets centre is only two years removed from a career year of 67 points in Atlanta, so the hope is Ponikarovsky can help Antropov.

Along with the signing of Ponikarovsky, the Jets also re-upped Winnipeg native Derek Meech to a two-way deal and Jason King to an AHL deal.

Meech, whose season was shortened due to injury, was an instrumental part of the St. John's Ice Caps blueline en route to their long Calder Cup Playoff run scoring nine points (four goals, five assists) in 15 playoff games.

Jets re-signed local Winnipegger Meech to a two-way deal.
(Photo Courtesy Yahoo! Sports)

During the regular season, Meech appeared in two games for the Jets (four penalty minutes, plus one) and six games for the Ice Caps (two assists) before succumbing to injury.

A former Detroit Red Wings pick, Meech will look to prove himself again to the Jets that he can be a full time NHLer and has good shot at it too as the only local boy now on the team with the departure of Eric Fehr.

In 128 career NHL games, the 5'11 defenseman has 16 points (four goals, 12 assists) and 43 penalty minutes.

As for King, he had a good first season back in North America after playing three seasons in Germany.

In 70 games for the Ice Caps, King registered 22 goals and 19 assists for 41 points alongside 34 penalty minutes and a minus 14 rating.

In 15 playoff games, King had four points (two goals, two assists)

Look for Cheveldayoff to take a measured approach to the remainder of the summer when sizing up his team.

For the Jets brass, changing the identity is key as they will want to further distance themselves from being an organization that was built by another GM in Atlanta and becoming more and more ingrained as the Winnipeg Jets.

Again, the Jets are doing things the Chevy way - thus patience is key.

Sorting Out Jets 2012 Unrestricted Free Agents

Jets UFA's such as Tim Stapleton are up for debate on whether to return or not.
(Photo courtesy Yahoo! Sports)

Who should stay and who should go?

NHL free agency is a trying to time for any club that can give an NHL General Manager enough stress to see a few more grey hairs appear year after year.

Hopefully, in the case of Jets GM Kevin Cheveldayoff, his mane of brown hair still stays relatively the same, but he does have some rather large contracts to fill out before any Jets step onto the ice at the MTS Iceplex for training camp next September - and even if there is hockey next September.

But, as a relative optimist, let's just continue as if the hockey world intends to keep on spinning through to the 2012-13 season without anything as much as a hiccup.

Let's review the list of upcoming UFA's (unrestricted free agents) and RFA's (restricted free agents) that are on the Jets list this summer.

Available UFAs: Chris Mason (G), Peter Mannino (G), Mark Flood (D), Randy Jones (D), Derek Meech (D), Andrei Zubarev (D), Tanner Glass (F), Jason Jaffray (F), Kenndal McArdle (F), Jim Slater (F), Tim Stapleton (F), Kyle Wellwood (F)

First and foremost in this list has to be two of the three cogs in the very popular GST line - namely Tanner Glass and Jim Slater.

Both players made a huge name for themselves for their hard working attitude and both were rewarded for their hard play each by having career seasons.

Slater was the Jets #1 faceoff man in 2011-12.
(Photo courtesy Yahoo! Sports)

Slater had career highs in points (21) and goals (13) while playing a career high 78 games centering the Jets fourth line (albeit used as a third line most nights).

He was also the Jets top faceoff man, finishing 20th in the NHL in faceoff winning percentage (55.0%), while also taking the majority of the Jets faceoffs while on the penalty kill (231) and being the only Jets centre to win more faceoffs than he lost.

Going forward, Slater's faceoff prowess is something the Jets desperately need.

For Glass, he finished with career highs in points (16) and goals (5) while also playing a career high 78 games after he came over via free agency fresh off a Game 7 loss with the Vancouver Canucks.

Gritty and hard working, Glass adds bite to the Jets lineup.
(Photo courtesy winnipegjets.com)

Glass' experience is invaluable and his lunch pail, hard work attitude did not go unnoticed as he far and away led the Jets in hits with 246 (48 more than Mark Stuart), finishing 10th in the league in that category.

For the 6'1, 210 lb forward form Regina, the rugged winger's style complemented the GST line so well that they were rarely ever separated throughout the season.

Jets fans can little forget when he played through a variety of small and big bumps and bruises during the season.  Glass became a fan favourite in Winnipeg very quickly - epitomizing what it is to be a Jet.

Scrolling down the list, certain support players raise interesting debates about the status of the team currently and whether all these players will return.

First off, Kyle Wellwood, who set a career high in points (47) and tied his career high in goals (18) while playing in 77 games and ending the season as a +3.

Wellwood had a career high 47 points in 2011-12.
(Photo courtesy Yahoo! Sports)

Wellwood was a late addition to the Jets roster, but as the season wore on, he became a valuable member of the Jets second line, frequently playing alongside 30 goal scorer Evander Kane.

Not exactly a savvy veteran yet, his patience with the puck was a blessing and a curse at times, but his 47 points were good enough to place him in the top five in Jets scoring.

His output from the last year cannot be ignored and the Jets will need to reward Wellwood for a good season.

Tim Stapleton is in a similar situation.

Another former Toronto Maple Leaf system product at one time, he set career highs in goals (11), assists (16), and points (27), while playing a career high 63 games.

To add further to his repertoire this season, Stapleton, at times, quarterbacked the second power play unit, despite his 5'9, 180 lb stature.

For many hockey fans unknown to Stapleton, there is the argument that he was never given a chance and that he would not fit into any other lineup in the NHL because of a) his size and b) his skill set.

For the Jets, however, his size and skill set were nothing to be worried about.  Up front, the Jets are one of the bigger teams in the league and are able to adapt to his size, which is the least of anyone's worries.

As for his skill set, Jets fans should be happy that Stapleton is a Jet, for he possesses a similar skill set to Wellwood - a sometimes deceiving playmaker, but one who will shoot more and has a very quick shot.

If the Jets can overlook his size and focus on his skill set, he should be a Jet again.

For Jason Jaffray, the road to the NHL got easier when the Jets returned and fans in Winnipeg were more than happy to see him skate on MTS Centre ice with an NHL jersey on rather than an AHL jersey on.

About to turn 31 on June 30, Jaffray enjoyed a great bounceback season after only playing six regular season games and 14 playoff games with the Moose last season due to injury

Jaffray, who began the season as captain of the newly minted St. John's Ice Caps (his old team renamed), Jaffray was called up due to injuries and appeared in 13 games for the Jets, netting one assist and seven penalty minutes in the process.

In 47 regular season AHL games, Jaffray collected 17 goals and 21 assists but his season was cut short as he as sidelined with a neck injury and missed the Ice Caps run to the Eastern Conference Finals.

How he recovers from injury will likely tell if the Jets want to sign him or not.

Mason became Pavelec's mentor full-time in 2011-12.
(Photo courtesy Yahoo! Sports)

On the other hand, Chris Mason is a no brainer to resign.

Mason, the elder statesman on the Jets at 36, was 8-7-1 with a 2.59 goals against average and a .898 save percentage in 25 games this season as the Jets backup to now the undisputed number on Ondrej Pavelec.

His experience as starter with two other franchises will help him to mentor Pavelec further.

As for Randy Jones and Mark Flood, both were used sparingly this season, mostly whenever the Jets needed them with the absence of the top four defensemen.

Jones, who came to the Jets after spending his last three seasons with three different teams, played in 39 games, notching one goal and an assist with a +4 rating.

Relied more on for his defensive ability, Jones could be on his way out with the defensive depth the Jets have both on the big club and down in the AHL with youngsters Paul Postma and Zach Redmond on the rise.

Flood played a career high 33 games in 2011-12.
(Photo courtesy Yahoo! Sports)

The stock of Mark Flood's season will determine which of the two they keep, if they are willing to keep both Jones and Flood.

Flood, another ex-Moose the Jets signed, played in a career high 33 NHL games, collecting three goals and four assists along with a -1 rating and was a pleasant surprise, to say the least, in the Jets defensive corps.

Not expected to be much more than the top defenseman with the AHL Ice Caps, the Jets opted to use him alot during the season when they needed to and he delivered more than expected.

During the season, the Jets chose to keep Flood up with the parent club despite already having seven defensemen up and having picked up Grant Clitsome via trade.

For the Jets, having Flood as an UFA is a puzzling question to answer.  Will the Jets re-sign the 27 year old defensemen?  Or have another team give him a full time opportunity?

Flood may be the most interesting UFA of the group.

Rounding out the list of UFAs are a group of four players who are fringe players, at best, but have had their time with the Jets, save one.

First off, Peter Mannino played at all three professional levels this season - NHL, AHL, and ECHL.  The rise of rookie goalie Edward Pasquale as well as the arrival of ex-Avalanche/Canadiens goalie David Aebischer saw Mannino's prominence as number one goalie drop significantly.

Despite this, Mannino was called up to the big club during the season and played a scoreless third period of hockey, making four saves.

Mannino was not getting enough playing time in the AHL that he had a brief 22 game stint with the Chicago Express of the ECHL (going 10-8-4, 3.15 goals against, .899 save percentage) before being loaned to the Portland Pirates of the AHL for 15 games (going 8-6-1, 3.44 goals against, .895 save percentage).

With the rise of Pasquale - who went 23-12-1, 2.41 goals against, .911 save percentage - and the stability of Aebischer - who went 15-12-2, 2.86 goals against, .895 save percentage - the writing may be on the wall for Mannino if the Jets decide to re-up Aebischer as a farm goalie again.

Second off, Kenndal McArdle - who was also loaned to the Portland Pirates near season's end - had his time with the Jets, albeit short and sweet and not overly productive.

McArdle appeared in nine games for the Jets, registering no points, four penalty minutes, and a minus three rating.

In 35 games with the Ice Caps, McArdle registered only 12 points (seven goals, five assists) and was promptly loaned to Portland where he finished his season with six points in 19 games.

In retrospect, the deal last summer sending Angelo Esposito for McArdle was a bust.  McArdle was thrown around from situation to situation and sat out much of his time in Winnipeg, but his production was not what the Jets perhaps had in mind.

Third off, Derek Meech is an interesting prospect.

Having not played a full season with injury limiting any time he could have had cementing himself in a Jets uniform, Meech played only two games in Winnipeg and six games in St. John's before injuring his knee again.

Meech, however, did return for the Calder Cup Playoffs, as he was a large piece of the Ice Caps long run, collecting nine points (four goals, five assists) in 15 games.

The Jets will want to give Meech another fair chance to show why the Red Wings had him play 41 and 49 games respectively with them from 2008-2010.

Lastly, Andrei Zubarev played one game two years ago for the Thrashers (the last game of the season) after a semi-par season in the AHL (13 points in 51 games).

He jumped back to the KHL and should not expected to be part of the Jets plans moving forward.

Jets Trade Deadline Wishlist: Goal Scorers

Friday night's 2-1 loss to the Florida Panthers was the prime exhibit of the problem that plagues the Winnipeg Jets this season: scoring goals.

It's been obvious for a while that the Jets have troubles finding the back of the net.

This same team last year did only have two 20 goal scorers in Dustin Byfuglien and Andrew Ladd (and only Ladd may get back to that 20 goal mark) and didn't really have any impressive showings of offensive production in years to come.

Last season, as the Thrashers, the team scored 223 goals while allowing 269, a difference of -46, which ranked fourth worst in goals for/goals against ratios behind Edmonton, Colorado, and Ottawa.

This season, the ratio is much improved, but still lacking.

The Jets are -18 when it comes to their goals for/goals against ratio with 129 goals for and 147 against. They rank sixth worst in their ratio and rank 22nd in the league for goals for.

While they have scored more goals than playoff teams such as St. Louis (125) and Los Angeles (114), the Jets find themselves still needing a perennial 30+ goal scorer to make them a real contender and push the ratio into the positive numbers.

At season's start, Evander Kane was looked upon as that man. But now on the shelf, the Jets have to rely on a semi-consistent Andrew Ladd (16 goals), Bryan Little (12 goals) who went on a 14 game goalless drought until last night, team leader in points Blake Wheeler (10 goals), and an inconsistent Kyle Wellwood (10 goals).

Compared to teams in their division, the Jets do not stack up well.

Washington has seven 10+ goal scorers as of February 4 - including Alex Ovechkin at 20, Troy Brouwer at 15, and Jason Chimera at 14.

Tampa Bay has five 10+ goal scorers, one of whom is Steven Stamkos with 33 along with Vincent Lecavalier at 19, while Martin St. Louis and Teddy Purcell both have 13.

Florida has four 10+ goal scorers, with Kris Versteeg leading the way with 20, Tomas Fleischmann has 16, while Stephen Weiss and Jason Garrison has 13.

Even Carolina has six 10+ goal scorers in Tuomo Rutuu (16), Jeff Skinner (14), Eric Staal (12), and Brandon Sutter (12) to name a few.

The fact that the Jets had only three players with more than 10 goals before their win in Tampa Bay speaks to the dire and immediate need for offense.

Ondrej Pavelec and Chris Mason have been the reasons the Jets are still over .500 and hunting for a playoff spot.

For the trade deadline, of course, all Jets fans want the team to make a move for a goal scorer, but at what cost?

Patience is a necessity for the young Jets and though the wishlist is short, it may take an even longer time before Winnipeg gets another Teemu Selanne, who can put the puck in the net night in and night out.

Game #10: Jets @ Lightning

Winnipeg Jets (3-5-1) @ Tampa Bay Lightning (4-4-2)
Saturday, October 29, 2011
St. Pete Times Forum 6:00 PM CT
TV: CBC, CW44
Radio: TSN 1290 (Winnipeg)

Already nine games into the season and the Jets are only playing divisional opponent number two tonight in Tampa Bay.

The Jets dispatched the Carolina Hurricanes earlier on October 22nd with a 5-3 comeback victory in the first game against a team from their own Southeast Division.

Now they will see how they stack up against the powerhouse offense of Steven Stamkos, Vincent Lecavalier, and Martin St. Louis in Tampa.

The Lightning have a .500 record so far this season, highlighted by winning three of their last four.

Head coach Guy Boucher's club started the season off very rough, going 1-3-2 before winning three straight from October 20th to 25th.

Their last tilt was a 5-3 loss to the Nashville Predators.

The Jets, meanwhile, will have a quandry to who will start in net. All likelihood will be Ondrej Pavelec as Chris Mason, who replaced Pavelec in the Philadelphia game Thursday night, left that game with a groin problem.

Nik Antropov and Alexander Burmistrov co-lead the Jets in points with nine apiece - the only two Jets who are point-per-game players thus far this season.

Both have three goals and six assists.

Add to that Burmistrov is a club best +3 this season.

Game time is 6 PM CT and is available on CBC's Hockey Night In Canada.


Photo's Courtesty of Yahoo! Sports & Getty Images

Jets 9, Flyers 8

A combined 17 goals on Thursday night led to not only a franchise record in goals combined in a game, but the Jets got the last laugh in their first road win of the season.

After Scott Hartnell put the Flyers on top finishing off a pretty passing play by Jaromir Jagr at 4:10 of the first, Blake Wheeler's shot from the high slot bounced off defenseman Randy Jones and fooled Flyers goalie Sergei Bobrovsky.

Three minutes later, the Jets worked the cycle down low and Jim Slater worked himself free in the high slot and he received a pass from the corner and one-timed the puck by Bobrovsky for a 2-1 Jets lead. It would be Slater's fourth goal of the season.

With under two minutes left in the opening frame, with the Jets power play winding down, Tobias Enstrom's point shot was deflected in front by Kyle Wellwood as the puck again fooled Bobrovsky for a 3-1 Jets lead after one period of play.

The goal was Wellwood's fourth of the season.

With the top line being split up for most of the game, the Jets would find more offense from their fourth line as Tanner Glass would deflect another Enstrom point shot to make it a 4-1 Jets lead at 3:39.

Exactly one minute later, Nik Antropov would find himself all alone off a power play faceoff to put home his third of the season.

The Flyers would get back a bit in the second on a 5-on-3 power play advantage as Claude Giroux would score his sixth of the season at 6:25.

On their third power play of the night, the Jets would capitalize as Evander Kane was the recipient on a beautiful play by Nik Antropov in tight for his second of the season. Alexander Burmistrov would pick up the other assist.

As the period went along, the Flyers would find some life as they inched their way back into the game as Danny Briere would score his third of the season at 14:11 on a deflection in front to make it 6-3.

Max Talbot would make it 6-4 at 16:41 on an odd bounce that made it's way off his equipment and behind Pavelec.

Briere would make it 6-5 quickly into the third period as he put home his second over a sprawling Pavelec.

Matt Reid would tie the game 6-6 which would spell the end of the night for Pavelec as he allowed six goals on 36 shots.

James Van Riemsdyk would put the Flyers back on top for the first time since they were up 1-0 to make it 7-6.

Alexander Burmistrov would keep the high scoring game going as he would beat Bryzgalov in tight off another great feed by Antropov to tie the game 7-7 with his third of the season. The Flyers would enjoy the lead for 28 seconds.

Mark Stuart would score his first in a Jets uniform squeaking the puck past Bryzgalov at 4:31 to regain the Jets lead 8-7.

The first five goals of the third period were scored in the first 4:31 of the period.

The Jets would score eight goals on their first 22 shots. Despite replacing Pavelec mid way through the game, Mason would be replaced again by Pavelec due to groin issues.

With under five minute left, James Van Riemsdyk would score his second of the game to tie the game 8-8.

The Jets would take the pressure to the Flyers in their zone late and Blake Wheleer would set up Andrew Ladd in the slot to make it 9-8 Jets with 1:06 left in the third.

The clock would run out as the Jets win their first game on the road in a wild one 9-8.


Photos Courtesy of Yahoo! Sports & Getty Images

Game #9: Jets @ Flyers

Winnipeg Jets (2-5-1) @ Philadelphia Flyers (5-3-1)
Thursday, October 27, 2011
Wells Fargo Center 6:00 PM CT
TV: TSN-Jets, CSN-PH
Radio: TSN 1290 (Winnipeg)

The Winnipeg Jets open up a seven game road trip Thursday night at Wells Fargo Center against the Philadelphia Flyers.

The Jets will play seven games in thirteen days before returning home for a November 10th home game against the Florida Panthers.

Their hosts are fresh off a 5-1 drubbing at the hands of the Montreal Canadiens last night and will be looking to bounce back after a subpar performance.

The Flyers are still without captain Chris Pronger for the game tonight. However, they will still have the likes of Claude Giroux, Jaromir Jagr, and others in the lineup tonight.

According to the Winnipeg Free Press, injured winger Eric Fehr will be with the team on the trip, though he is still at least a month from returning to full time action. Also, defenseman Ron Hainsey has been put on the injured reserve citing an upper-body injury as the source of that move. (Winnipeg Free Press, 10/27/11)

Chris Mason did start the game against the New York Rangers on Monday, but as to this morning, there has not been any word on who will be in between the pipes tonight for the Jets.

Jim Slater will be back in the lineup after taking a nasty hit during last Saturday's game against Carolina.

Game time is 6 PM and is available on TSN-Jets.

Rangers 2, Jets 1

Despite outshooting the Rangers 28-17, the Jets were not able to come back Monday night at the MTS Centre.

Ruslan Fedotenko would open the scoring at 5:51 of the second period on the power play.

The Jets would be able to tie the game with a nifty wrist shot short side by Nik Antropov at 14:29.

The Rangers would get the go-ahead and winning goal at 8:41 of the third period on a power play goal by Ryan Callahan that careened off Zach Bogosian's skate and behind Chris Mason.

Besides the two power play goals the Rangers had, the Rangers had five power play chances while the Jets had only one chance on the power play for the night.

Mason stopped 15 of 17 shots on the night in goal.

Tobias Enstrom led all Jets in ice time with 26:14, Dustin Byfuglien 23:32, Bogosian 22:14, Burmistrov 21:44, and Bryan Little 20:52.

Little won 12 of 19 faceoffs, Antropov won 11 of 20 faceoffs, and Tim Stapleton won two of six faceoffs.

The Jets will now embark on a seven game road trip starting Thursday in Philadelphia.


Photo Courtesy Yahoo! Sports & Getty Images

Game #8: Jets vs. Rangers

Winnipeg Jets (2-4-1) vs. New York Rangers (2-2-2)
Monday, October 24, 2011
MTS Centre 7:30 PM CT
TV: TSN-Jets, MSG
Radio: TSN 1290 (Winnipeg)

So far in 2011-12, the Jets have had the upper hand on home ice.

After a 5-3 win against the Carolina Hurricanes Saturday night, the Jets improved their record at the MTS Centre to 2-1-0. In those three games, the Jets have been outscored 8-9, but have seen increases in their offensive output last week.

After scoring only five goals in the first three games, the Jets had 11 goals in their last four games. While giving up 12 at the same time, the Jets have found their go-to offensive players throughout the first two weeks of the season.

Sophomore Alexander Burmistrov leads the team with six points (two goals, four assists) through the first seven games, while Kyle Wellwood (five points), Nik Antropov (five points), and Tobias Enstrom (four points) have all been great surprises chipping in on offense.

Saturday night saw Evander Kane notch his first goal as a Jet as he has had a rough start, with a -3 rating through six games. Also figuring into the scoring was captain Andrew Ladd with his second of the season and Jim Slater, who has also been a surprise offensively, with three goals in six games.

The Jets will need more out of their top line of Blake Wheeler-Bryan Little-Ladd however tonight if they are to beat the Rangers and their quick transition game.

Wheeler has only two assists in seven games, while Little has only one assist in seven games. Both are minus players as well.

According to Jets head coach Claude Noel, he may be giving Chris Mason the benefit of the doubt when it comes to starts coming up after he held the fort as the Jets came back Saturday night.

However, according to Yahoo! Sports, Ondrej Pavelec has an impressive 2-0-1 record against the Rangers with a 1.30 goals against average while Mason is 3-0-0 with a 2.46 goals against average.

May the best goalie win, but as for now, look for Mason to get the nod after his eighteen save performance against Carolina in his first win as a Jet on the weekend.

Monday night will be the first game we will not see Mark Scheifele in the lineup as the Jets sent him back to the Barrie Colts of the OHL. Scheifele had one goal through seven games.

Game is available on TSN-Jets and the MSG Network in New York.


Photo Courtesy Yahoo! Sports & Getty Images

Jets Down 'Canes 5-3

It was another slow start for the Jets, but this time, they followed it up with a more than strong finish.

Propelled by five unanswered goals between the second half of the first period and the entire second period, the Jets won their second game in a row on home ice 5-3 over their divisional rivals the Carolina Hurricanes Saturday night.

The Jets and starter Ondrej Pavelec found themselves down 2-0 very quickly on a weak first goal by Jussi Jokinen and then another goal by Jeff Skinner prompting head coach Claude Noel to shake things up.

Chris Mason would relieve Pavelec not even seven minutes into the game, as Pavelec allowed two goals on the first five Carolina shots.

Alexander Burmistrov would get the Jets on the board with a highlight reel power play goal that found the roof of the net on Carolina starter Brian Boucher's glove side.

With time running out in the first period, Kyle Wellwood found the puck at the side of the net with under a second remaining to tie the game after one period 2-2.

In the second, the Jets would continue to pressure Carolina. After outshooting them 13-6 in the first period, the Jets would only get six shots at Boucher in the second but half of their shots made their way to the back of the Hurricanes net.

Jim Slater would net his third of the season from Tanner Glass, as Slater would wrist a shot past Boucher's shoulder for a 3-2 Jets lead.

Nearly two minutes later, captain Andrew Ladd would score his second on a weird bounce off the board that he took a swipe at near the blueline. The puck fooled Boucher and found the back of the net to give the Jets a 4-2 lead.

Evander Kane would make it 5-2 at 7:30 of the third when he finally potted his first of the season from in tight, being the recipient of the great work by Nik Antropov behind the net.

The 'Canes would respond with a goal midway through the third period, but the damage was done as the Jets came away with a 5-3 victory giving them a 2-4-1 record, good enough for five points on the season.

Chris Mason stopped 18 of 19 shots after replacing Pavelec and was honoured with the first star selection.

Antropov, Zach Bogosian, and Wellwood would finish the night with two points apiece.

Antropov was seven of 13 in the faceoff circle, while Bryan Little was 12 of 18, Slater was three of six, and Maxwell was seven of eight.

Mark Scheifele played only nine shifts for 7:21 of ice time. It seems he may only be playing nine games this season for sure now.

Tobias Enstrom led the Jets in shots with five and ice time playing 27:12. Dustin Byfuglien played 23:39, Bogosian 20:56, Oduya 20:17, Little 20:05, and Ladd 20:03.

Despite being banged up from the Senators game Thursday, Ladd's goal would stand up as the winner. In addition to his goal and 20:03 of ice time, Ladd had three shots, three hits, and won all three faceoffs he took during his 23 shifts.

Jets now prepare for the New York Rangers Monday night.

Photo Courtesy Yahoo! Sports & Getty Images

Coyotes Score Early, Often; Down Jets 4-1

Once again, the Winnipeg Jets came up on the wrong end of a home opener.

This time, it was the home opener of the team that was formerly the Winnipeg Jets.

It didn't take long for the Phoenix Coyotes to get on the board, as former Calgary Flame Daymond Langkow found the back of the net only 34 seconds into the game.

To make matters worse, Oliver Ekman-Larsson found the back of the net nine minutes later to put the 'Yotes up 2-0 after one.

Larsson would add his second of the game and third of the season with under five to play in the second before captain Andrew Ladd would respond with his first of the season with 19 seconds left to play in the period from Tobias Enstrom and Blake Wheeler.

But Ray Whitney would dash the Jets hope of a comeback with a power play goal at 6:43 of the third period as the 'Yotes cruised to a 4-1 win in their home opener.

Not only are the Jets now 0-3 to start the season, but two of those losses have been at home openers, in Winnipeg and now Phoenix.

Chris Mason started the game, allowing four goals on 34 shots.

Mark Scheifele saw his ice time increase from Thursday night in Chicago, playing 16:22 and ending the game as a +1, having been paired with Ladd and Wheeler.

Randy Jones, who was in the lineup for Johnny Oduya was an awful -3 on the night, not making anything better as the Jets sixth defenseman.

Dustin Byfuglien, who was Jones' partner, was also a -3, which has him now at an even rating so far this season. He was +2 Thursday in Chicago.

Bryan Little was taken away from Ladd and Wheeler and found himself ending the night as a -2.

Byfuglien led the team in ice time with 23:24, Enstrom had 23:08, and Ron Hainsey had 22:17.

Zach Bogosian had a alright night, with 19:25 of ice time, five hits, four blocked shots during 22 shifts.

The Jets now come back home for a Monday night tilt against the still Sidney Crosby-less Pittsburgh Penguins

Jets Avenge Defeat To Hurricane With 3-1 Win At Home

A third period rally is all the sold out MTS Centre needed to get back into the game Wednesday night.

After a slow start to the game, including outshooting the Hurricanes 25-13 through the first two frames, Evander Kane took over in the third period, scoring the game tying goal at 10:45 of the third period on a strong drive to the net from Patrice Cormier and Zach Bogosian.

Blake Wheeler would break the tie 1:04 later when he took a pass from Bryan Little in the high slot and blew a wrist shot past the glove hand of Carolina goalie Brian Boucher with traffic in front.

Kane would ice the game with 33 seconds left with an empty net goal from Mark Scheifele and Bogosian.

With the assist Scheifele now has seven points in four games this pre-season.

Chris Mason went the distance for the Jets in their first pre-season home game since September 20th, making 17 saves off 18 Carolina shots.

Tim Brent opened the scoring for Carolina 54 seconds into the second period of a clear cut breakaway.

Boucher stopped 35 of 37 Winnipeg shots in the loss.

With the win, the Jets move to 3-3 on the pre-season, with two of their three wins coming at home in front of a crowd of 15,015 people at MTS Centre.

The Jets finish off their pre-season schedule Friday night at MTS Centre against Nashville.

Hurricanes 4, Jets 0

Coming into Winnipeg Jets training camp, David Aebischer was looking for a spot to return to the NHL, possibly trying to battle Chris Mason for the backup role behind Ondrej Pavelec.

However, Aebischer may have played his way out of a chance to play for the Winnipeg Jets this season.

Through the first forty minutes, Aebischer let in four goals and managed to take two straight penalties that put the Jets on a 5-on-3 penalty kill, already down 3-0.

From the get-go, the Jets were reeling as Zac Dalpe made it 1-0 after blowing past Arturs Kulda on the right side and ringing a shot over Aebischer's glove side at 6:43 of the first.

Jay Harrison would make it 2-0 after his point shot pinballed past Aebischer short side at 7:52 to make it a quick 2-0 'Canes lead.

The second period was no different for the Jets as the 'Canes took the play to the Jets defense, as Jerome Samson scored at 13:05 short side on Aebischer on a shot that glanced off defenseman Dustin Byfuglien.

After killing off one of Aebischer's two penalties, Riley Nash would score on a gimme after a scramble in front was not cleared by Randy Jones at 18:34 as the second power-play was ending.

In the third, both teams were stalemated by each other, despite a few shots off the post behind Aebischer.

Jets now focus on tomorrow's Kraft Hockeyville game in St. John's, Newfoundland which will feature the other half of the Jets.

Predators Down Jets In Comeback 4-3

Despite a strong start to the game at Bridgestone Arena Saturday night, the Winnipeg Jets could not overcome a Nashville Predator power-play surge in the second period.

After a great first period where the Jets opened the scoring with goals by Spencer Machacek at 5:48 and Paul Postma, his second of the pre-season at 10:27 on the power-play, the Jets ran into some penalty trouble in the second.

The Predators got on the board 4:50 into the second on a Jordin Tootoo goal but the Jets responded on the power-play as Derek Meech blasted a point shot from the right side to make it 3-1.

Sergei Kostitsyn would make it 3-2 on the power-play at 9:14.

After Troy Bodie took a double-minor penalty trying to stick up for teammate Tobias Enstrom, the Predators would tie the game and then go up 4-3 with goals from Martin Erat at 12:30 and then Patric Hornqvist at 13:50, on a reviewable goal that was not reviewed.

There was no scoring in the third as the Predators shut down the Jets offense from getting going.

Chris Mason went the distance for the Jets and stopped 18 of 22 shots. On the end, Chet Pickard stopped 20 of 22 shots, starting and ending the game after Pekka Rinne went out after a shot from Bryan Little went off his mask and cut him open.

Rinne stopped seven of eight shots.

The Jets now turn their attention to Charlotte, NC for tomorrow night's game against the Carolina Hurricanes, in which the other split-squad team will play at 3:45 PM CT.

Jets All Out will have live blogging of the Jets-Hurricanes game tomorrow starting at 3:45 PM CT.

Jets 6, Jackets 1 (WPG); Jackets 5, Jets 1 (CBJ)

Mark Scheifele is making a case for staying in Winnipeg this season.

As the first star of the game, Scheifele impressed early and often.

Not only did Scheifele score the game winning goal in the first period at 16:50, he added another and set up two goals, including a beauty by Kevin Clark in the second.

Not to be outdone, defenseman Paul Postma, who scored the game's opening goal, added another three assists for four points on the night as well.

Also impressing were defensemen Brett Festerling, Dustin Byfuglien, and, of course, Zach Bogosian.

There were many fights during the game, including Jets Patrice Cormier, Troy Bodie, and Mark Stuart dropping the mits, including a fight not even a minute in the game that included Dustin Byfulgien as well.

Byulgien also added in on the offense with two assists. Andrew Ladd would cap off the evening with the sixth goal for the Jets.

Ondrej Pavelec stopped 17 of 18 shots in the first two periods, while David Aebischer stopped nine of nine shots in a third period of relief work.

Blue Jackets rookie Ryan Johansen scored the only goal for the visitors.

After the game ended, the Jets players at center ice saluted the hometown sellout crowd of 15,015, which had been standing for the entire last minute of the game.

Meanwhile, the Jets were pounded 5-1 in Columbus with Evander Kane scoring the only goal from Blake Wheeler.

Chris Mason stopped only 14 of 19 shots in two periods of work, while Peter Mannino stopped all four shots in the third period.

Jets All Out Top 25: #4 Ondrej Pavelec

Ondrej Pavelec, 24, Goalie, 6'3, 220 lbs
Last Year's Rating: N/A This Year's Rating: #4 Difference: N/A

As the go-to starter for the upcoming season, Ondrej Pavelec has morphed into the goalie that many perhaps did not see coming.

Or did they?

Pavelec had a starring role when he came over to North America with the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles.

In two seasons with the QMJHL team, Pavelec led the team to the playoffs, losing in the third round in his second year, and posted 27-18 and 28-11 seasons back-to-back.

It's no wonder the Jets hired Pavelec's old head coach from Cape Breton - Pascal Vincent - because of his familiarity with the young goalie and his early success.

After his junior days, Pavelec moved to the organization that drafted him 41st overall in 2005 - the Atlanta Thrashers - and their farm team in Chicago.

There again, he would play a starring role, playing in 52 games, going 33-16-3 with a 2.77 goals against average and a .911 save percentage as the Wolves would also make their way through to the Calder Cup Finals, defeating the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins in the final.

The 2008-09 season was not as kind to Pavelec or the Wolves as he finished the season as the main starter, with a 18-20-2 record despite a 2.58 goals against average and a .914 save percentage.

Through his first two professional seasons, Pavelec got a taste of the NHL, playing in 19 games between 2007-08 and 2008-09.

In 2009-10, Pavelec made the NHL full-time, splitting duties with veteran Johan Hedberg, and going 14-18-7 with a 3.29 goals against average and a .906 save percentage.

Last season, Pavelec was given the starter's job with newly acquired Chris Mason behind him.

Despite early seasons injury problems that saw him miss all but 58 games, Pavelec went 21-23-9 with a 2.73 goals against average and a .914 save percentage.

After great junior seasons and a first professional hockey season to remember, Ondrej Pavelec has struggled to find his ground making the adjustment to the NHL.

However, last season showed promise when he posted over 20 wins in the NHL and proved that he could be counted on as the number one goalie.

Now, in Winnipeg, Pavelec will have a hockey mad crowd behind him every night as motivation to become that destined number one goalie the Jets can rely in long into the future.

An RFA next off-season, Pavelec is a large piece of the Jets puzzle for the future.

Jets All Out Top 25: Top 5 Review

The countdown to the Jets first pre-season game in a split-club game against the Columbus Blue Jackets is down to four days and a few hours.

However, Jets All Out had started the countdown to September 20th long ago when on August 25th, we started counting down the Top 25 Jets in the current lineup with the honourable mentions that Thursday.

Now, we have come down to the Top 5 Jets in their current lineup.

Before we list the Top 5, let's take a look back at rankings from spot #25 to spot #6.

#25: Paul Postma, 22, D, 6’3, 184 lbs
Tall, smooth skating, young defenseman who still has alot of room to grow with the new Jets. Size and skill will only improve.

#24: Carl Klingberg, 20, LW, 6’3, 205 lbs
Big, bulky, and young power forward likened himself to Alex Ovehckin; showed size in YoungStars tourney

#23: Tim Stapleton, 29, RW, 5’9, 180 lbs
Small, undersized center; scored last goal in Thrashers history; has to work hard to get a full-time spot in Winnipeg

#22: Jason Jaffray, 30, LW, 6’1, 195 lbs
Ex-Moose playoff hero Jaffray wants to make an impression in the NHL and hopefully stick full-time in familiar setting

#21: Randy Jones, 30, D, 6’2, 205 lbs
Mid-sized defenseman has been shipped around the NHL, hopes fourth stop in Winnipeg will be his last

#20: Ben Maxwell, 23, C, 6'1, 195 lbs
Young, two-way center looks to finally get into a full-time NHL spot after trade to Jets from Montreal last spring

#19: Patrice Cormier, 21, C, 6'2, 205 lbs
After an ugly incident in QMJHL, Cormier is looking to put it behind him in the NHL with the Jets

#18: Tanner Glass, 27, Left Wing, 6’1, 210 lbs
Ex-Canuck looks to make an impact as an enforcer after trip to 2010 Stanley Cup Finals

#17: Chris Thorburn, 28, Right Wing, 6’3, 225 lbs
Lifetime Thrasher enforcer looks to keep up his job in Winnipeg as the go-to enforcer

#16: Jim Slater, 28, Center, 6’0, 200 lbs
Two-way center looks to cement spot as third-line center and make an impression quick in new city

#15: Mark Stuart, 27, Defense, 6’2, 218 lbs
Former first-round pick of the Bruins looks to take a leadership role on the Jets young and talented blueline

#14: Zach Bogosian, 21, Defense, 6'3, 215 lbs
Young, talented, and now signed, former third overall pick looks to bounce back in Winnipeg

#13: Alexander Burmistrov, 19, Centre, 6'1, 180 lbs
Very talented center jumped to the NHL quickly last season, looks to improve and avoid sophomore slump

#12: Johnny Oduya, 29, Defense, 6'0, 200 lbs
Veteran defenseman has seen his share of NHL experience in New Jersey, looked to be a leader on the Jets blueline

#11: Chris Mason, 35, Goalie, 6'0, 200 lbs
Well-seasoned backup will look to mentor starter Ondrej Pavelec more it this year with the best of his NHL days behind him

#10: Ron Hainsey, 30, Defense, 6'3, 211 lbs
One of the biggest leaders and the old man on the Jets blueline will look to mentor a young Bogosian as a Jet

#9: Eric Fehr, 26, Right Wing, 6'4, 210 lbs
Hometown player will look to be the hometown hero with the Jets, already received well by hometown family, friends, and fans

#8: Nik Antropov, 31, Right Wing, 6'6, 240 lbs
Veteran winger makes another stop in Canada and looks to rebound after two subpar seasons in Atlanta

#7: Blake Wheeler, 25, Right Wing, 6'5, 214 lbs
Young, big, and talented winger looks to continue his hot play with the Jets organization fresh off a new two-year deal

#6: Bryan Little, 23, Center, 5'10, 190 lbs
Another young center looks to rebound after two seasons removed from 31 goals, tremendous upside and potential


Jets All Out Top 25 - Top 5 will begin this evening; watch for it!

Jets All Out Top 25: #12 Johnny Oduya & #11 Chris Mason

Johnny Oduya, 29, Defense, 6'0, 200 lbs
Last Year's Rating: N/A This Year's Rating: #12 Difference: N/A

Chris Mason, 35, Goalie, 6'0, 200 lbs
Last Year's Rating: N/A This Year's Rating: #11 Difference: N/A

After a successful junior career in the QMJHL with both the Victoriaville Tigres and Moncton Wildcats in 2000-01, defenseman Johnny Oduya decided to spend more time back in his native Sweden, playing in the Swedish Elite League from 2003-04 until the 2005-06 season.

Despite being drafted 221st overall in the 2001 NHL Entry Draft, Oduya did not debut in the NHL until the 2006-07 season with the New Jersey Devils - the team who selected him in the seventh round.

Oduya made an immediate impact, playing 76 games in his rookie season collecting 11 points (two goals, nine assists).

He would spend three full seasons in New Jersey, playing in all 82 games in 2008-09, scoring a career high 29 points (seven goals, 22 assists).

Known as a two-way defenseman, Oduya can chip in with five-ten goals per season, around 25 points and bring a solid defensive game to the ice. His leadership has shown through in his career. Though only in the league for five seasons, Oduya has become a leader on the Jets blueline while in Atlanta along with veteran Ron Hainsey.

Look for Oduya to help in aiding the development of young defenders such as Zach Bogosian, Paul Postma, Andrey Zubarev, Zach Redmond, and Cody Sol in the future.

Behind Oduya and the defense is veteran backup goalie Chris Mason.

Though situated as the Jets backup since his time in Atlanta, Mason did end up starting 33 games last season, taking over main duties early in the season with starter Ondrej Pavelec was out with injury issues.

Though he had a mediocre 13-13-3 record and subpar numbers: 3.39 goals against average and a .892 save percentage, his leadership and experience is what is keeping him in a Jets uniform as a mentor for the young Pavelec.

Mason has seen many different cities and been the starter for other clubs, including St. Louis, where he won a career high 30 games in 2009-10. He has also won 20 games during two other seasons, with the Blues and Nashville Predators.

For Mason, his main duty is the supportive, mentor-like backup goalie. But his enthusiasm and his knack for having one of the sharpest masks in the NHL will help a young Jets team be even more exuberant about coming to a hockey mad city in Winnipeg.

Aebischer Crowding Jets Crease

The puck has not been dropped on the Winnipeg Jets first regular season or pre-season game and already there is competition in their nets.

Former Colorado Avalanche and Montreal Canadiens goalie David Aebischer has been extended an offer to try-out at training camp this September per a NBC report

He joins starter soon to be 24 year-old Ondrej Pavelec and 35 year-old journeyman Chris Mason in the quest to be the Jets stoppers.

However, Aebischer's chances of making the team and sticking around may be slim to none unless he has regained the play he had in the 2003-04 season with the Avalanche when he went 32-19-9 with a 2.09 goals against average and a .924 save percentage.

His downfall came when he was dealt to Montreal in return for Jose Theodore and he struggled mightly before bowing out in the 2007-08 season in North American and going to play for Lugano of the Swiss Elite League.

Aebischer has a long hill to climb if he were to even grab a backup position as Mason has become the mentor to a younger Pavelec. Mason has had mixed success in the NHL as well, but has more experience than Aebischer with four seasons of 15 or more wins, including a career high 30 in 2009-10 with the St. Louis Blues.

Pavelec is undoubtedly the starter in Winnipeg, so Aebischer's focus would be primarily on grabbing Mason's spot.

The big question is if Aebischer would be willing to play in the AHL with the St. John's Ice Caps if he were not to make the Jets.

Mason has never made more than $3 million a season, even as a starter in St. Louis, which would perk the question of if the Jets were to sign Aebischer what would he even be worth?

Anywhere between $700,000 and $1.5 million would be fair, but his chances as of now are not good to make it that far.

However, Aebischer's presence at training camp may be a good measuring stick for all the goalies in the Jets organization.

Management has likely brought Aebischer in to see how badly Pavelec, Mason, and even minor leaguers such as Peter Mannino and Edward Pasquale want spots on the Jets or even in the organization.

Will time away from the NHL been good for a former #1 goalie?

Only time will and can tell.

Winnipeg Feeling More Like An NHL City

Seeing Chris Mason on the ice at the MTS Iceplex makes the return of NHL hockey to Winnipeg feel real.

Though he was decked out in a Manitoba Moose practice jersey, he debuted his new Winnipeg Jets mask with 'Eddie', the mascot from Iron Maiden, flying a World War II plane.

Mason stepped onto the Iceplex ice with local players such as New York Islanders Travis Hamonic, St. Louis Blues Ryan Reaves, and former Moose players Kevin Clark and Nolan Baumgartner.

"I just got a tour of the rink (Sunday) after I got into town and it's just so exciting," Mason told the Winnipeg Free Press Tuesday.

"My dad was with me, too, and he got a chance to go see the room. We peeked in at the rink... it's just really exciting. Coming out today and skating here, too, and starting to see all the Jets' logos, the signs on the buildings downtown on Portage was pretty cool.

"Driving down Portage -- because you come right off the Trans-Canada and you go straight down by the practice rink here and you go by the MTS Centre -- and seeing all the signs on the buildings... it's like, 'Hockey is for real here.'" (Winnipeg Free Press, 08/23/11)

Mason shares the enthusiasm of most players in the lineup, from Evander Kane to Eric Fehr.

The Jets & The Kovalchuk Syndrome

Writing a history of a team in a new city can be both difficult and thrilling.

For the newly named Jets, Winnipeg is that city.

But, as we all have heard at sometime in our life, we must learn from history to keep us from repeating it.

I'd like to take a moment to address the franchise's history - in Atlanta.

From their inaugural season in 1999-2000 to their relocation following the 2010-11 season, in twelve seasons of Thrasher hockey, the team was dismal to say the most.

But that has to be expected with an expansion team. Most writers and pundits will predict and expect a team to fill up on draft picks and finally be a winner.

It has happened in Nashville. It has happened in Minnesota. And to a lesser extent, it has happened in Columbus.

But it never happened in Atlanta.

It is because of what I like to call the "Kovalchuk Syndrome".

If you watch Ilya Kovalchuk's endeavors after his days in Atlanta with the New Jersey Devils the past two seasons, the Devils took a turn for the worse in 2010-11 and finished out of the playoffs for the first time since 1995-96.

And Kovalchuk was a dismal 60 points in 81 games, a far cry from the player who scored 50+ goals twice before. His 60 points were also his lowest since his rookie season where he collected 51 points.

Why am I connecting Kovalchuk to the newly named Jets?

Because the franchise has a chance to move forward or be stuck in the Kovalchuk Syndrome.

As the former face of the franchise, Kovalchuk led the Thrashers to their only post-season appearance in 2006-07 where they were swept by the New York Rangers.

He had five seasons where he scored 40 or more goals in Atlanta. Eventually, Kovalchuk was named captain and then demanded to be traded because the team wasn't going anywhere.

Broken down to its core, the Kovalchuk Syndrome translates to only three out of twelve seasons with a winning record, one of which was even a playoff birth - a Southeast Division Championship.

Kovalchuk was the franchise player who could not elevate his team to be better. He wasn't Vincent Lecavalier in Tampa Bay. He wasn't Jarome Iginla in Calgary. And he wasn't Joe Thornton in Boston.

He wasn't known as a game changer. A player who would take a team on his back and get the most out of his teammates.

Maybe that wasn't expected of him. Maybe that was expected of Patrik Stefan.

Many other names come to mind that added to the Kovalchuk Syndrome. Players who have gone on from Atlanta and have proven their worth as big time players.

Marian Hossa in Chicago. Marc Savard in Boston, despite injuries. Dany Heatley in Ottawa and to a lesser extent San Jose. And to even a lesser extent Kari Lehtonen in Dallas.

The team in Atlanta never succeeded as much as their sister teams did in Nashville, Minnesota, or Columbus.

Nashville has created a winning atmosphere of frugal spending. They have let good players go, such as Chris Mason, Dan Ellis, Scott Hartnell, and Kimmo Timonen, but have always been able to compete with younger, good picks they brought in.

Minnesota has been a hot hockey market that has had it's ups and downs including a trip to the Western Conference Finals in their first ever playoff appearance in 2002-03.

Columbus has had it's tough times but has built a team that is set for the future, including new pieces Jeff Carter and James Wisniewski.

But out of the four teams, Atlanta has suffered most and now they have been put out of their suffering with the relocation to Winnipeg.

With a bright future ahead including many high-profile, young players, Atlanta may have been a few years off. But for a non-traditional hockey market that was bottom five in attendance in the NHL, a few years off was too late.

In Winnipeg, the Andrew Ladd led Jets have a chance to break the Kovalchuk Syndrome. They could even do it as soon as this season if they were to make the playoffs and even win a game.

The culture of the Kovalchuk Syndrome seems to be changing now that the team is in Winnipeg.

Its transformation has started from the upper management and has continued down to the players themselves.

Gone are the distractions, previous management, and previous inconsistently poor players.

Add into that equation the rabid fan support already shown in the Drive To 13,000 in Winnipeg's MTS Centre and the Syndrome could be broken this season very easily.

Just wait until Kovalchuk steps into the MTS Centre and realizes what he's missed out on.

Actually, let's be thankful he isn't a Jet.