TSN: Darren Dreger on TSN when asked about the Winnipeg Jets and if there could be significant changes this offseason if they don’t make the playoffs?
** NHLRumors.com transcription
“Well Bryan, I’m leaning towards massive change but you know I want to be careful how I qualify that. Does massive change means that Dave Lowry doesn’t get the job back as head coach. I’m not suggesting that’s likely but that would be a masssive change. And coaching staff in general, but I think most people would go ‘well alright, talk about us.’
Cappy scenario for Dave Lowry. He working for Paul Maurice. Paul Maurice decides he needs to do what he needs to do. And then Lowry absorbs this team and wants to go a different direction. Has it been flawless? No, not by a long-shot. But the team has had bouts where they look like they are responding and then they look like they are going completely the opposite direction.
So there needs to be some level of change. It could be as insignificant as the coaching change, I’m not being disrespectful, or more significant in they hit the core of the roster. And what does that look like?
You know, you look at the contracts that the Winnipeg Jets have. I think they really feel deeply they’ve to keep Pierre-Luc Dubois with the Winnipeg Jets. Not going to be easy but they feel that that is what they need to do. And I understand that. He’s been a real nice fit for them.
And then you look at Blake Wheeler. Captain. His contract is a tough move. I don’t think he’s going anywhere. So what does that leave us with?
That leaves us with number 55, Mark Scheifele, and it just feels, Noodles you do some of those games, that there’s an appetite for change, and I don’t know if it’s from a players perspective, a club perspective, a fan perspective, a media perspective but there’s enough kind of swirling about, that if they miss the playoffs, I don’t think there is any question there is going to be significant changes. And even if they make the playoffs and bow out early, I still think there is going to be a pretty significant roster shuffle in the offseason.”
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Jamie McLennan: “I agree. I think when you look at it, they’ve had that same core for awhile and we were talking about it earlier Dregs, some of the players like Dubois, the push through of Ehlers as another level. Kyle Connor‘s a star. I think there might be a cycle through as just naturally of some of those players taking over.
So, you know, if they don’t have success it just make sense to change the dynamic of what that team looks like. Now again, what is that? What is the equation? Cheveldayoff will have to figure that out but a lot of stems, if they just flat out miss, then you got a take a look at what you want moving forward with.”
Dreger: “Everything”
McLennan: “Exactly. Everything is kind of on the table.”
Dreger: “Yeah. Everything. You know, and that would come as no surprise to Cheveldayoff, to anyone associated in management. When you disappoint as an organization, it doesn’t matter what part of the world you’re living in, there is a forensic audit top to bottom, and it starts at ownership looking down at senior management, then down to management, then fully into hockey operations, which is the coaching staff and then ultimately the roster.
So, look, Winnipeg has been kind of sniffing and kicking around, felt like they were real close not that long ago and then fizzled. Obviously, last year didn’t go the way they had hoped, and this year is what it is. But whether or not they make the playoffs, miss the playoffs, I don’t think that this team is going to look that same as it is right now when they open the gates next year.”