Jets Nation Round Table – March 10, 2016
8 years ago
This week the Jets Nation crew tackles the topics of disappointing Jets, next season’s Heritage Classic, the Jets who haven’t been named to World Cup of Hockey rosters and who we’d least to see “win” the right to draft Auston Matthews.
Which player on the Jets has been your biggest disappointment this season?
AMiddleton: I had really hoped for more from Adam Lowry this season. I had expected a 15 goal 30 to 40 point season from him and that may have been asking for too much but at the very least repeating as a 10 goal guy would have been fine for the sophomore forward. Granted he isn’t getting protected minutes like he did last season and he’s taking 52% of his faceoffs in the defensive zone compared to last year’s 46% so he’s been thrown in the fire a bit more.. But 4 goals (2 of those came in one game by the way) and 13 points is a big letdown for me.
Garret: Alexander Burmistrov. I miss the kid that made every linemate outshoot and outscore their opponents more effectively. Now he’s just a kid.
Cody B: It’s almost easier to list the players that have not disappointed this season. One player though that I was hoping to see more from was rookie Nic Petan. I was hoping that he was going to be able to find a niche with the Jets and provide some secondary scoring, but being placed on the fourth line he couldn’t make it happen.
Mack: Jacob Trouba hasn’t had a bad year for the Jets, but still might be my most disappointing player. The 22-year-old hasn’t improved the way everyone expected; if anything, he has taken a step back in his contract year. He has still been one of the Jets’ better defencemen, and there’s no doubt he looks a lot better with a partner who can skate, but for me Trouba has been the biggest disappointment this year.
Let’s get into next season’s Heritage Classic… Do the Jets have the right opponent in the Oilers or would you have liked to seen a different team? Is the average ticket price of $600 what you expected or is it far too much? AMiddleton: Being an Edmonton native I don’t mind the matchup with the Oilers as it provides for more trash talk between myself and local friends, but I would have preferred a game against a divisional rival. Minnesota obviously but if the NHL is big on building divisional rivalries, why not Dallas or Nashville? As for the price of tickets.. I fully expected the average of the two games to be up to $800 or even a bit more so $600 for me is fine.
Garret: NHL loves bringing up old, and maybe no longer existent, type rivalries, so I’m not surprised. I am fine with the Oilers, especially a potential McDavid vs Matthews match-up, but overall I think Minnesota would have been the best choice.
Cody B: I am tired of seeing the same old teams getting into these outdoor games (**cough** Chicago, Detroit, Montreal etc). With this being only Edmonton’s second outdoor game, it’s not a bad choice. It will probably help them sell tickets. I am not surprised by the ticket price, but know I will be watching from home!
Mack: $600 is a lot of money. The alumni game will be terrific, but… $600 is a lot of money.
Of the three Jets who are generally expected to make World Cup of Hockey rosters but didn’t make the initial 16 selections – that being Mark Scheifele, Jacob Trouba and Nik Ehlers – do you expect that they’ll all make their respective teams or do you think any of them may be left off?
AMiddleton: Mark is a lock to make Team North America and Nik should make the Europe team but I would be surprised if Trouba makes the young gun team to be honest. The only way I think he wins anyone over is if he plays in the World Championships this spring and turns heads there.
Garret: Anything can happen. Real GMs thought it would be better to have Brooks Orpik on their national team than Dustin Byfuglien. Seriously. These are real professionals! That said, I think they will make the team, but you never know.
Cody B: I think Scheifele and Ehlers have a good chance at making it, and agree that Trouba could be on the fence.
Mack: I would be surprised to see Scheifele make Team North America, but the other two should have a pretty good chance. Like Garret said, though, remember Brooks Orpik.
Which of the two teams in the running to claim the first overall pick – and by extension Auston Matthews – would you *least* like to see ‘win’ it? Edmonton or Toronto.AMiddleton: I know everyone is cringing at the thought of the Oilers getting the first overall but I envision a world where the Leafs win the rights to draft Matthews and then TSN and Sportsnet take what hype they had over McDavid and ramp it up by a thousand with their coverage of Matthews and the Leafs. Ugh, no thanks.
Garret: Any non-Jets team. In seriousness, it’s a lose-lose situation. I grew up despising the Leafs, but now I have friends who work for them. I also hate the idea of ANOTHER first overall pick going to the Oilers again, which probably will happen as the draft is fixed. *puts on tinfoil hat*
Cody B: Like Garret I have always hated the leafs and have a hard time wishing them success. After seeing the way they are “properly” rebuilding their team, I almost want them to get the first pick (If in this scenario the Jets can’t) to see if they can in fact build a champion. I really don’t want the Oilers to get another 1st overall selection. The league needs to make an “Oilers Rule”.
Mack: If it isn’t the Jets, I’m actively cheering for the Oilers to win the lottery for Auston Matthews. I don’t think anything could be funnier.
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