TSN: Pierre LeBrun on the Winnipeg Jets.
** NHLRumors.com transcription
Brian Hayes: “Rick (Bowness) has not been happy with his team. I’m sure you noticed it , Mark Scheifele playing on the wing. They are holding on for dear life. Calgary’s on their tail. Nashville on their tail.
If they find a way to miss the playoffs, this is one of the more epic choke jobs I can think of in a long time. I would have to believe heads could possibly roll, players, coaching, and management. Everything out in Winnipeg.
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How nervous to do you think people are out there?”
LeBrun: “Ya, it’s certainly use the word epic, Could be one of the epic offseasons in a lot of different ways. Let’s bring it back for a moment. Noodles and I talked about this on That’s Hockey , the reason they hired Rick Bowness in a way was to be this guy that came in with no filter and a guy that’s not worried about his long-term coaching future, He’d be retired right now, right, if he didn’t take this job. Cause this job was special to him.
And I think they hired him because they knew that he would look into some of their, some of it’s players and say, ‘I’m not putting up with this stuff.’ And whether or not that works, it did in the first half of the year and now I don’t know what to tell you with the way this team has looked. Only seven wins in their last 22 games (numbers from late last week)
I think almost, regardless of whether they make it or not. Let’s say make, lose in the first round. There’s change coming here.
Mark Scheifele, who looks out of sorts, has a year left on his deal. If you’re the Winnipeg Jets, you can’t just let him show up to camp next year on an expiring deal and then let him walk into free agency a year from now. So, he’s either signed or traded and does he even want to sign? Do the Jets want to sign him?
Connor Hellebuyck is a year away from UFA. What are you doing with him this summer? He doesn’t get talked about as much. I don’t know, he may want to sign long-term. I’m not saying he doesn’t, but you have to have that conversation.
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And of course, Pierre-Luc Dubois, whose camp already made it known last summer to the Jets that he probably wouldn’t sign long-term. So, there’s all kinds of other things that could happen but just start with the fact that you’re talking about three players that help stir the drink there in Winnipeg whose futures could be in doubt in Winnipeg. That could be headline making this summer.
