The Winnipeg Jets have fallen on hard times recently. They’ve lost 9 of their last 13 games and sit five points behind Florida in the Southeast Division and after back-to-back miserable performances against the Canadiens and Panthers, reality is starting to settle in on Winnipeg.
The Jets are just the Atlanta Thrashers in new clothing.
Ed Tait of the Winnipeg Free Press sounds off about the struggles of the team and deals the cold, hard truth to fans in Manitoba that their relocated team didn’t develop the magical power to win games just by moving.
You can pick up a franchise and move it 2,075 kilometres north from Atlanta to Winnipeg, you can change the name and jersey colours and set them up in front of a passionate fan base. But you can’t change this -- the Thrashers/Jets have come exactly as advertised. They are a goal-starved lot lacking a finisher -- especially with Evander Kane out of the lineup.
Reading this after hearing from coach Claude Noel about how he’s doing as well as he can with what he’s got and things are getting awfully gloomy in the ‘Peg.
Crazy thing is, if the Jets do start finding goals and picking up a few more wins, they can win the Southeast Division. The Panthers and Capitals are inconsistent and the Hurricanes and Lightning are having rough seasons.
If they want to show they are dyed in the wool Atlanta though, they’ll continue to fade down the stretch and remind Jets fans what it’s like to have a mediocre hockey team again.