The Winnipeg Jets’ coaching camp opens Thursday, Sept. 19 and the 2024-25 season is lower than a month away, with regular-season puck drop slated for Oct. 9 in Edmonton towards the Stanley-Cup finalist Oilers.
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It’s been an fascinating offseason of additives and subtractions for a Jets squad that completed fourth within the NHL with 52 wins final season however made its second-straight first-round exit, this time by the hands of the Colorado Avalanche.
We definitely received’t accuse you of dwelling underneath a rock if you happen to haven’t been taking note of the Jets since they had been crushed by the Avs in 5 video games — summer time is fleeting in Manitoba and ideas of cold-weather pastime hockey may be far-off when there are lakes to go to, soccer and baseball to observe, and sizzling days and heat nights to take pleasure in with household and buddies.
That being mentioned, at The Hockey Writers, hockey is at all times on the forefronts of our minds, and our Jets group has revealed a ton of articles breaking down every thing common supervisor Kevin Cheveldayoff and firm has accomplished between Could and now, with coaching camp about to start out.
With out additional ado, right here is our Winnipeg Jets 2024 offseason overview.
Bowness Retires To Wrap Distinguished Teaching Profession
On Could 6, just some days faraway from the early playoff exit, head coach Rick Bowness introduced his retirement after two seasons behind the Jets’ bench and 5 a long time of teaching within the NHL.
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Bowness took over as Jets’ head coach — the third within the 2.0 period — forward of the 2022-23 season after Paul Maurice stepped down in 2022 and interim head coach Dave Lowry was not renewed. Bowness — often known as a no-nonsense however caring coach — inherited a group with a poor tradition and lack of id however made a optimistic influence nearly instantly, putting in a stout defensive fashion and establishing an accountability construction.
Bowness led the Jets to a 98-57-9 file throughout his pair of campaigns and his 52-win 2023-24 ties a 2.0 file. Sadly, he couldn’t get them previous the primary spherical within the postseason.
His 2,726-career video games as an NHL coach are essentially the most by anybody in league historical past. He posted an all-time head teaching file of 310-408-48-27. (the 48 quantity represents ties.)
“I simply beloved the sport,” Bowness mentioned whereas preventing again tears throughout his press convention. “Proper? And I revered the sport. I really like this league, I respect the league. I hope over my profession, it’s not about profitable the Stanley Cup, that’s at all times been vital, however through the years, as you age, you hope you have an effect in your participant’s lives. Off the ice, on the ice, and that’s been extra vital to me during the last 10 years.”
Arniel Named Fourth Head Coach in Jets 2.0 Historical past
On Could 27, Scott Arniel was named the brand new head coach. Arniel had served because the Jets’ affiliate coach underneath Bowness for the previous two seasons and took over as performing head coach twice final season when Bowness was away because of his spouse’s seizure and a medical process of his personal.
Many noticed Arniel because the inheritor obvious to the head-coaching gig as hiring him the identical summer time as Bowness gave the impression to be an train in succession planning, greater than a matter of simply bringing one other skilled individual with previous organizational connections on board.
The Jets had no scarcity of highly-qualified candidates for subsequent head coach, and interviewed three, Cheveldayoff mentioned. He was most impressed with Arniel.
“We weren’t seeking to reinvent this group, we weren’t seeking to take it from one form of coach to a different,” Cheveldayoff mentioned. “We had been seeking to know that the muse that we had in place was going to proceed to be constructed upon.
This isn’t Arniel’s first head-coaching job as he was the Columbus Blue Jackets’ bench boss for the 2010-11 season and half of the 2011-12 season and coached them to a 45-60-18 file earlier than being fired in January, 2012. He was additionally the top coach of the Manitoba Moose from 2006 by 2010 — main them to four-straight playoff berths and Calder Cup Closing look in 2009 — and the top coach of the Chicago Wolves in 2012-13.
He has additionally labored as an assistant or affiliate coach with the Buffalo Sabres, New York Rangers, and Washington Capitals. His connections with Winnipeg return to 1981, when he first performed for the Jets 1.0.
“A whole lot of firsts have occurred right here,” Arniel mentioned after being launched as new head coach. “I met my spouse right here, my children had been raised right here, I received to play my first skilled video games right here, I received to retire right here on the finish of my profession as nicely with the Moose. It was additionally the beginning of my teaching profession.
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“Individuals at all times ask me why am I nonetheless doing it. It’s simply the subsequent factor to being a participant. It’s my dream. I’ve beloved it. I’ve accomplished it my complete life and hockey is an enormous a part of me, and to be right here immediately and be the top coach of the Winnipeg Jets is extraordinarily particular to me,” he continued.
Jets Rent Pair of New Assistants in Chynoweth and Payne
On June 17, Arniel rounded out his teaching workers by bringing on a pair of latest assistants in Dean Chynoweth and Davis Payne. Arniel interviewed no fewer than 17 candidates for the open positions.
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Payne, 53 brings 20-plus years of expertise from quite a lot of ranges, together with 137 as head coach of the St. Louis Blues. He was most lately an assistant coach with the Ottawa Senators and received a Stanley Cup as a Los Angeles Kings’ assistant coach in 2011.
Previous to his NHL teaching profession, he coached within the ECHL nearly a decade and led the Alaska Aces to a Kelly Cup championship in 2006. He was additionally the top coach of the AHL’s Peoria Rivermen for a season-and-a-half earlier than being promoted to the Blues’ prime job in 2009.
Chynoweth, 55, spent the final three seasons as an assistant coach with the Toronto Maple Leafs, however it was introduced after Sheldon Keefe was fired that he wouldn’t return. Previous to his time in Toronto, he spent three seasons as an assistant coach for the Carolina Hurricanes.
His first expertise as an NHL coach got here in 2009-10, when he turned an assistant with the New York Islanders and stayed within the place for 3 seasons. Between the Islanders and Hurricanes, he was head coach of the AHL’s Lake Erie Monsters (three seasons) and San Antonio Rampage (one season) and spent a decade within the WHL as a coach and common supervisor.
Each males are former NHLers and the hires will intention to assist enhance the Jets’ subpar particular groups. Payne will handle the facility play and forwards, whereas Chynoweth’s purview would be the penalty kill and the defensemen.
2024 Draft Welcomes Freij, Three Different Prospects Into Pool
Cheveldayoff added 4 gamers on the 2024 NHL Entry Draft in Las Vegas to his deepening pool of prospects. Though he didn’t have a first-rounder — he traded it to the Montreal Canadiens for Sean Monahan — and had fewer picks than in years previous, he appears to have discovered an excessive amount of worth.
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Within the second spherical at thirty seventh total, he took Swedish left-handed defender Alfons Freij, a smooth-skating 18-year-old defenseman enjoying within the Swedish Hockey League. Within the fourth spherical, he took ahead Kevin He of the Ontario Hockey League’s (OHL) Niagara IceDogs, making He the highest-drafted Chinese language-born participant in NHL historical past.
Within the fifth spherical, he chosen Finnish ahead Markus Loponen, and within the sixth spherical, he chosen hulking 6-foot-6 ahead Kieron Walton of the OHL’s Sudbury Wolves.
Jets Re-Signal DeMelo, Purchase Out Schmidt
Forward of free company, Cheveldayoff ticked a field off his pending unrestricted free agent (UFA) listing by re-signing defenseman Dylan DeMelo to a four-year extension value $4.9 million yearly.
DeMelo has performed 295 video games for Winnipeg since being acquired from the Ottawa Senators close to the 2019 Commerce Deadline. He has recorded 10 targets and 70 assists for 80 factors — together with a career-high 31 factors (three targets, 28 assists) in 2023-24 — however is extra often known as a stay-at-home man who posts robust possession metrics. He has performed primarily with Josh Morrissey over the previous two seasons and enhances Morrissey — who has actually damaged out into an elite defender over the previous two campaigns — nicely.
Throughout his exit interview in Could, DeMelo cited his match on the group, the group’s competitiveness, and the steadiness that staying put will present his younger household among the many causes he needed to remain in Winnipeg. The brand new deal shall be in impact till DeMelo is 35.
On June 30, the final day of the buyout interval, Cheveldayoff purchased defenseman Nate Schmidt out of the ultimate 12 months of his six-year contract that was value $5.95 million per season.
Schmidt spent three seasons with the Jets after being acquired from the Washington Capitals however turned a really costly seventh defenseman who was out and in of the lineup. He was well-liked for his variety and gregarious character, however his on-ice metrics and offensive numbers dipped lots — to 19 factors in 2022-23 and and 14 factors final season — from the 32 he put up in his first season with the Jets.
Free Agent Frenzy Sees Jets Lose Key Personnel
July 1 was a little bit of an exodus from Winnipeg because the Jets misplaced 4 outstanding UFAs to different groups. In a free agent frenzy that noticed greater than $1 billion value of participant contracts dished out league large, top-six forwards Sean Monahan and Tyler Toffoli departed for the Columbus Blue Jackets and San Jose Sharks, respectively, whereas top-four defenseman Brenden Dillon signed with the New Jersey Devils and stellar backup goaltender Laurent Brossoit inked a take care of the Chicago Blackhawks.
The Jets had been pushing laborious to re-sign Monahan, who match completely as second-line centre upon his arrival from Montreal, however the five-year time period and $5.5 million annual wage the Blue Jackets gave had been too lengthy and too wealthy for Cheveldayoff and firm. Toffoli departing was extra anticipated as he didn’t make as huge of an influence as anticipated upon coming over from the Devils on the 2024 Commerce Deadline. Dillon needed to remain in Winnipeg, however the Jets let him stroll as they wish to retool their blue line, and Brossoit was capable of money in on an enormous elevate in Chicago due to betting on himself with a one-year deal and posting stellar stats behind Connor Hellebuyck.
Different gamers who departed had been defenseman Kyle Capobianco, goaltender Collin Delia, ahead Jeff Malott, ahead Kristian Reichel, goaltender Oskari Salminen, and ahead Jeffrey Viel.
New (And Acquainted) Goaltenders Come On Board
Cheveldayoff had a reasonably quiet free company in comparison with different common managers, however did convey a pair of goaltenders on board in Eric Comrie and Kaapo Kahkonen who will battle to exchange Brossoit.
Comrie signed a two-year pact with the group value $825,000 to return for his fourth stint since being drafted 59th total by them in 2013. Comrie, who shall be 29 by the point the 2024-25 season begins, has been a fringe goaltender since his big-league debut with the Jets in 2016-17. He spent the final two seasons with the Buffalo Sabres group however struggled and bounced between the NHL and AHL’s Rochester Individuals, posting an 11-16-1 file in 29 begins over two campaigns with a 3.68 Targets Towards Common (GAA) .886 Save Proportion (SV%), and one shutout. A pair accidents didn’t assist issues and he was leapt on the depth chart by Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen and Devon Levi final season.
In 57-career NHL video games between the Jets, Sabres, Detroit Crimson Wings, and New Jersey Devils, he has a 24-26-2 file, 3.38 GAA and .893 SV%. He has additionally performed 214 video games within the AHL and holds numerous Moose particular person goaltending information.
Kahkonen, who signed a one-year deal value $1 million, cut up time between the Sharks and Devils final season, being dealt to New Jersey on the 2024 Commerce Deadline. In 37 video games and 34 begins between the 2 golf equipment, the Finn had a 7-24-3 file, 3.64 GAA, .898 SV%, and one shutout.
Kahkonen was drafted 109th total by the Minnesota Wild in 2014 and made his NHL debut in 2019-20. In 139-career video games and 131-career begins between the three golf equipment, he owns a 49-67-15 file, 3.33 GAA, .899 SV%, and 4 shutouts.
Whoever impressed extra within the Jets’ six-game preseason slate ought to win the job. The opposite shall be despatched right down to the Moose to play in tandem with and mentor promising sophomore Thomas Milic.
Unrestricted and Restricted Free Brokers Ink New Offers
On July 1, Cheveldayoff additionally re-signed right-shot defenseman Colin Miller to a two-year deal value $1.5 million yearly.
When the Jets acquired the 31-year-old from the Devils on the 2024 Commerce Deadline, the thought was Miller can be a lineup common and an improve over Neal Pionk on the second pairing, or on the very least, an improve over Schmidt and Logan Stanley on the third pairing.
Nevertheless, Bowness used the veteran of 500-plus NHL video games sparingly; Miller solely suited up for 5 video games down the stretch and one playoff contest. He’ll probably get a much bigger probability this upcoming season underneath Arniel with Dillon and Schmidt gone.
On July 6, Cheveldayoff re-signed RFA defenseman Logan Stanley to a two-year deal value $1.25 million yearly. Stanley performed 25 video games for the Jets this season on a one-year contract value $1 million, recording one purpose and one help. For almost all of the season, the 2016- first rounder was the seventh or eighth defenseman on the depth chart — persevering with a pattern from final season the place he performed simply 19 video games — however received into extra constant motion down the stretch.
Cheveldayoff then re-signed RFAs David Gustafsson, Ville Heinola, and Simon Lundmark to two-year bridge offers.
Gustafsson was out and in of the lineup once more in 2023-24, being deployed as a fourth-line centre or winger when he was in. The Swedish product suited up for 39 video games, scoring three targets and including 4 assists for seven factors whereas averaging 9:16 of ice time and profitable 54.6 per cent of his faceoffs. He additionally performed in 4 of the Jets’ 5 playoff video games, scoring a purpose in Recreation 2.
Gustafsson, now 24, has not had the smoothest NHL profession. He has struggled with accidents which have restricted him to only 113 NHL video games and 14 factors over 5 seasons since being drafted within the second spherical of the 2018 NHL Entry Draft.
Heinola performed nicely sufficient final preseason to make the Jets, Bowness mentioned on the time, however a fractured ankle suffered within the last preseason tune-up quashed the chance the defender earned. The Finnish product as a substitute spent 4 months rehabbing earlier than getting again in control with the Moose within the second half. He suited up for 41 video games for the Moose in top-pairing and prime power-play roles, recording 27 factors (10 targets, 17 assists.)
The 2019 Twentieth-overall decide, now 23, has performed simply 35 NHL video games in 4 seasons, recording 11 factors (one purpose, 10 assists.) He’s cerebral and clever defender whose anticipation, reads, passing capacity, and skating are all excellent and the group nonetheless hopes he’ll develop right into a top-four expertise.
Heinola has performed 152-career AHL video games and it’s clear he’s too good for the extent. He wants significant NHL minutes to additional develop the defensive facet of his recreation and is not waiver exempt, so making an attempt to ship him down can be fraught with threat. Nonetheless, he should impress a brand new teaching workers and the trail seems open for him to take action with Dillon and Schmidt gone.
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Lundmark spent final season with the Moose as a blue line common, suiting up for 67 of 72 video games and recording 5 targets and 12 assists for 17 factors. The now 23-year-old has performed 188 video games with the Moose throughout his three professional seasons, recording 12 targets and 36 assists for 48 factors.
Cheveldayoff Tinkers With Depth Additions in Free Company
On the identical time he was coping with his UFAs and RFAs, Cheveldayoff made a few minor additions in free company in early July after the frenzy mud settled to offer the group extra depth and suppleness.
He added ahead Jarret Anderson-Dolan on July 2, ahead Mason Shaw and blue liner Haydn Fleury on July 3, and blue liner Dylan Coghlan on July 10. All are on one-year contracts anticipate for Anderson Dolan, who received two years. All 4 ought to play important roles with the Moose and shall be a few of the first gamers known as as much as the Jets when accidents come up.
Arniel Hosts Organizational Analytics Summit
In mid-August, Arniel organized an organizational summit in Winnipeg to get all of the NHL and AHL coaches, administration members, and the analytics group in the identical room and on the identical web page.
“I got here out of the final week, after watching their shows, after listening to them speak, their experiences, whether or not as gamers, a group, how they go about their every day enterprise, and I really feel so, so assured on this complete group,” Arniel mentioned after the summit wrapped (From ‘Jets head coach Scott Arniel assured after group’s summit wraps,’ Winnipeg Solar, Aug. 9, 2024.)
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Arniel has spoken on the necessity for the Jets to dive deeper into analytics and superior stats to light up their very own weaknesses and people of their opponents. Bowness didn’t pooh-pooh the growing position analytics is enjoying within the trendy NHL in influencing groups’ traces and ways — in actual fact, he and Arniel used them to enhance the group’s defence upon becoming a member of a group that gave up approach too many excessive hazard probabilities underneath Maurice and Dave Lowry — however was additionally somebody with ‘old style’ values who coached by the attention and intestine checks quite than crunched numbers on a regular basis.
“(Analytics) have simply turn out to be one other a part of teaching,” Arniel mentioned. “There’s a balancing act. There’s nonetheless the attention issue, what you see as you’re watching as a head coach, what you’ve skilled being across the recreation, the gamers and the way they reply to it.”
Jets Divest of Disgruntled McGroarty in Commerce With Penguins
On Aug. 22, Cheveldayoff shipped Rutger McGroarty — the 14th-overall decide of the 2022 NHL Entry Draft who didn’t wish to signal an entry-level contract with Winnipeg — to the Pittsburgh Penguins in alternate for Brayden Yager, the 14th-overall decide within the 2023 Draft.
The deal ended a summerlong saga that started simply earlier than the 2024 Draft in June, when stories surfaced that McGroarty didn’t wish to ink a take care of the Jets’ group to show professional. McGroarty utterly averted the media, however pundits speculated {that a} rift had fashioned as a result of he needed ensures he’d have the ability to bounce straight to the NHL — like a couple of of his College of Michigan teammates did on the finish of final season — and didn’t wish to play within the AHL for the Moose.
Cheveldayoff fielded provides on the draft however didn’t discover one to his liking, and didn’t should rush as McGroarty was underneath group management for 2 extra years. He then reached the “make lemonade out of lemons” take care of Penguins’ GM Kyle Dubas two months later, getting for his “A” prospect one other one in Yager, an thrilling 19-year-old centre coming off a 95-point season with the WHL’s Moose Jaw Warriors.
A weird and shady denouement to the drama got here when Cheveldayoff threw chilly water on the presumption that McGroarty didn’t wish to signal due to a disagreement about his growth path. As an alternative, Cheveldayoff mentioned he spoke to each participant and agent and was instructed by each the match “simply didn’t really feel proper,” earlier than including “if there’s a particular motive, Rutger hasn’t instructed us” and “we by no means had that dialog (about NHL ensures) as soon as.”
With the deal accomplished and a disgruntled participant divested of, Cheveldayoff and firm can deal with the place Yager, who will return to the Warriors for 2024-25, will match down the road.
Perfetti But To Signal on Dotted Line
Cheveldayoff nonetheless has one field left unchecked on his offseason to-do listing whilst gamers have already arrived in Winnipeg and are set to hit the ice for his or her first official coaching camp session Thursday. Cole Perfetti has but to signal a brand new contract and the group and the RFA are in “the nicest contract dispute ever,” in keeping with NHL insider Elliotte Friedman.
The 2020 Tenth-overall decide’s 2023-24 was up and down. Within the first half, he excelled and his play confirmed important leaps ahead. By way of 41 video games, he was a key contributor to the Jets’ shocking dominance: as a fixture on the second-line proper wing, he had 29 factors (12 targets, 17 assists), only one level shy of his season profession excessive with half the season to go.
Nevertheless, he fell into an prolonged scoring drought at about the identical time the group began experiencing some second-half struggles. He suffered by a 23-game goal-scoring droop from Jan. 11 to March 23, main Bowness to bump Perfetti right down to the fourth line and into the press field after the group added Toffoli to the ahead group.
Total, he spent 11 video games as a wholesome scratch, however scored 5 targets and added two assists for seven factors in his last 10 regular-season video games to finish the marketing campaign on a optimistic be aware. He additionally stayed wholesome all season for the primary time in his three-season profession and set profession highs with 19 targets and 38 factors.
Perfetti represented the Jets on the NHL’s annual Participant Media Tour in Las Vegas earlier this month regardless of not having a deal and expressed confidence within the negotiations whereas saying his focus is on being prepared for opening evening. A deal will get accomplished in the end, however whether or not it’ll be a short-term bridge or one thing longer-term remains to be up within the air.
It actually is starting to really feel like hockey season. The Jets’ six-game preseason slate begins Saturday, Sept. 21 after they welcome the Wild to Canada Life Centre.
