Handing Out Our Jets Gifts

Merry Christmas JetsNation!

While we hope that the holiday season sees you in good health and fortune with family and friends, let’s all be honest, one of the best part about this time of year is the gifts!

We here at the Nation love to give and this morning we have left gifts* underneath the trees of many members of the Winnipeg Jets. At this time, we’d like to share with you all just what we have given and we hope they enjoy.

Last season was a “down year” for Dustin as he only had 13 goals in 80 games played with the Jets, but he was still considered one of the league’s elite defenders averaging 27:27 of ice time and gathering both all-star and Norris trophy consideration. This season he has 15 assists, but remains goal-less despite multiple near-misses and goal posts hit. Of all the Jets, he is so overdue for a goal, so let’s just get him one already.

On Saturday night, Don Cherry waxed poetic about Blake Wheeler’s “warrior” like play while mentioning that he gets “20 goals a season”

This was nice of him and all, but this seems like faint praise and highlighting a couple of late period / late game shot blocks seems like missing the point on just how good Blake Wheeler has been and is. We’ve already ranted a bit about how under-appreciated Wheeler seems to be compared to other teammates, but he is just under-appreciated period. Time to end that.

Over the last three seasons, Matty P has averaged 16:22 minutes of ice time per game. This season he’s averaging 12:24 and playing on the Jets fourth line despite being seventh in team scoring and has more goals (nine) than the likes of Bryan Little, Adam Lowry, Andrew Copp and Brandon Tanev – forwards who all average more ice time than Perreault does. Paul Maurice may feel like this deal is working out well for the Jets fourth line and he’s helping Perreault and the Jets, but in reality he’s making the Jets play with a self-imposed handicap. Time to give Mathieu more ice time!

Look at these acting chops! This may replace Die Hard as the greatest Christmas Story ever told…

Is there any doubt he could fill a role in a new Marvel Superhero movie, or play a Jedi in a Star Wars movie? Maybe sometime down the road, with all his hockey trophies earned, he may have an Emmy or Oscar to place with them.

At first glance, Jacob Trouba’s offensive numbers have been a bit underwhelming, but anyone who has followed the Jets even remotely has noticed that Trouba has sacrificed some of his offensive game for more of a defensive role with the club. With the injuries to Byfuglien and Enstrom, Trouba has been trusted into a top pairing role where he’s seen more ice time both in even strength and special teams and Jets fans would be silly not to see this as a look into the Jets future. Enstrom maybe has another season at best after this one, Byfuglien – as valuable as he is still – is slowly starting to regress as age catches up to him. The 23 year old Trouba is just now starting to enter his prime and whatever the cost it should be spent as a Winnipeg Jet. Six year deal? Seven or eight year deal? The money is a bit of an issue, but ice time (which seemed to be the biggest concern last year) shouldn’t be. Get a deal done.

Speaking of Toby, we here at JetsNation have always felt he’s been underrated by fans and media and his latest time away from the team is just proof that the Jets are a better club with him in the lineup. So here is the gift of reduced injury time and a clean bill of health the rest of this season.

You know you’ve made some heads turn when your facial hair gets updated in a video game..

Seriously, Patty… That beard of yours is… Well it’s equal parts magnificent and scary.

In the span of a few short years, you’ve gone from baby-faced assassin, to Amish James Bond villain.

We’re not saying get rid of the beard because we wouldn’t want a Samson’s hair type issue here, but maybe just trim it a bit.