Jets Best Player – Canadiens
Morgan Barron, Jets
After being pointless in his first five games with the Jets, Morgan Barron had a goal and an assist against the Canadiens on Monday.
In his previous 18 games with the Rangers (13 games this season, five in 2020-21), Barron had one goal and one assist. He was part of the significant trade that he sent Andrew Copp to the Rangers. (The Rangers selected Barron in the sixth round [174th overall] in 2017.)
Qualifying Andrew Copp’s trade, The Athletic’s Corey Pronman wrote the following (sub required) on Morgan Barron:
Morgan Barron is a great center with a good hockey sense and competitiveness who can shoot from mid-range but has heavy feet. He has the opportunity to be a fourth-row center. He also notes that he is traded the same day his brother Justin is traded to Montreal.
There’s nothing wrong with seeing what the 23-year-old Barron can bring to the table as the Jets’ season winds down.
Jets: Canadian Highlights
With just one game left in the NHL on Monday, check out everything the Jets – Canadiens had to offer:
Monday NHL Takeout
Big blow for Kings: season-ending surgery drew doughty
With mark stone about to return, the Kings already seemed to have a tenuous grip on their playoff spot. Now the Kings must cope without Drew Doughty, as he underwent season-ending surgery.
As this post points out, they have at least had some experience. Doughty has been sidelined since March 10 and only played in 39 games overall this season.
NHL suspends Yevgeny Malkin for four games
In a somewhat surprising verdict, the NHL suspended Evgeni Malkin four games for collating Mark Borowiecki.
Frankly, Malkin’s history of blurring the line (at best) when he loses his temper is strong enough that it’s honestly a bit surprising that he’s only been suspended twice in his career. (That’s counting this latest verdict.)
What do you think of the decision? Feel free to share in the comments, on social media, or anywhere else. Just… you know, try to be more courteous than Malkin was to Borowiecki. Here the explanatory video:
What can we expect from the Winnipeg Jets after another lost season?
Remember when the Jets seemed built for years of contention? Not too long ago, this seemed like the team of the future.
Going into this season, expectations weren’t as high for the Jets as they were in those lofty days. Still, with what seemed like a more competent defense, a playoff spot wasn’t an outrageous thought.
Instead, the Jets faced the Canadiens with many of the same thoughts. Every team was thinking about the upcoming season, at least when they were no longer daydreaming about golf and vacations.
So what kind of expectations should we have for the Jets going forward? For an interesting exercise, realize how many different Jets players seem to be part of something more successful.
- Has Kyle Connor produced the quietest 40+ goal season in a long time? It’s remarkable that he gets a chance to make it to 50. Connor is also in his prime at just 25.
- Also quiet: Mark Scheifelepoints per game season (70 points in 67 games).
- They have still enjoyed a quality production of blake wheel Y Nikolay Ehlers. Some may also forget that they employ Pierre-Luc Duboiswho has put numbers (26 goals, 54 points) and has shown a great anger (100 penalty minutes).
- you can see Connor Hellebuyck‘s (.911 save percentage before the Jets-Canadiens) and I think he’s stumbled. If so, he is only submerged by his own high standards. This hockey display graphic points to a goalkeeper who continues to shine:
[PHT’s latest Power Rankings]
That bloated expected goals total above hints at the bad part. Some of the Jets’ best offensive players also figure among their biggest defensive problems.
In truth, it’s amazing to see both Kyle Connor and Mark Scheifele display the drastic extremes you see in visualizations like Evolution of hockey player cards.
Does the good outweigh the bad? It’s an easier pro-con situation to digest considering neither Scheifele ($6.125 million through 2023-24) nor Connor ($7.14 million through 2025-26) break the bank.
However, to move forward, the Jets need to find some answers.
How many of these defensive issues come down to who these forwards are? With such extreme underlying numbers, could a manager change solve some of these issues? If not, is it about putting Connor, Scheifele and others in really extreme offensive situations, and finding really good defensive forwards to take huge loads in the zone itself?
Despite these past few troubled seasons, it’s not that hard to imagine the Jets figuring this out. Connor Hellebuyck is frequently in the conversation for the best goalkeeper in the world. They have top-tier goalscoring talent. perfect school he’s the kind of prospect who could help, and possibly soon. Maybe a training update can fix some loose ends.
Right now, though, the Jets look more than a little lost (although they did win against the Canadiens).
Great news for Tuesday.
Can the Rangers keep the Metropolitan Division away from the Hurricanes?
For a decent period of time, it looked like the Hurricanes would be sailing to a Metropolitan Division title. The biggest question revolved around whether or not they could take the top spot in the East.
Amid some modest hiccups, the Hurricanes’ ambitions are now more subdued. Heading into Tuesday’s game against the Rangers, the Hurricanes hold just a two-point lead (102-100) for the Metro title. While the Hurricanes would still hold a tiebreaker lead, the Rangers could create a virtual tie by beating Carolina in regulation. Both teams have played 73 games so far this season, so there’s no games-in-hand advantage to consider.
Ultimately, the Hurricanes have a significant lead over the Rangers to win the Metro title. Still, it’s remarkable that the Rangers have gained so much ground, and this could get very tight if the Hurricanes lose on Tuesday.
Jets – Canadians score
Jets 4, Canadians 2
—
James O’Brien is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop him a line at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter @cyclelikesedins.
Reference-nhl.nbcsports.com