Latest news with #PresidentsTrophy
Globe and Mail
28-05-2025
- Business
- Globe and Mail
Jets captain Lowry likely to miss start of next season after undergoing hip surgery
Winnipeg Jets captain Adam Lowry is expected to miss the start of the next NHL season as he recovers from hip surgery. The Jets updated Lowry's status in a statement Wednesday, a day after Lowry underwent the procedure. The statement, which did not specify when Lowry sustained a hip injury, said the surgery was a success. The team expects him to make a full recovery after five to six months of rehabilitation. Lowry had four goals in 13 post-season games for the Jets, including the double-overtime goal that gave Winnipeg a 4-3 win over the St. Louis Blues in Game 7 of the first round. The Jets, who won the Presidents' Trophy as the team with the best regular-season record, were eliminated in six games by Dallas in the second round. The 32-year-old Lowry, who has played his entire career with the Jets, is set to enter the final season of a five-year, US$16.25-million contract.
CBC
28-05-2025
- General
- CBC
Jets captain Adam Lowry likely to miss start of next season after successful hip surgery
Winnipeg Jets captain Adam Lowry is expected to miss the start of the next NHL season as he recovers from hip surgery. The Jets updated Lowry's status in a statement Wednesday, a day after Lowry underwent the procedure. The statement, which did not specify when Lowry sustained a hip injury, said the surgery was a success. The team expects him to make a full recovery after five to six months of rehabilitation. Lowry had four goals in 13 post-season games for the Jets, including the double-overtime goal that gave Winnipeg a 4-3 win over the St. Louis Blues in Game 7 of the first round. The Jets, who won the Presidents' Trophy as the team with the best regular-season record, were eliminated in six games by Dallas in the second round.
New York Times
20-05-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
The Jets deserve praise, but must keep pushing forward this offseason
The Winnipeg Jets won the Presidents' Trophy while setting a franchise record for most points in a season. They did not make it to the Western Conference final. Their offseason begins where those two facts intersect. There are decisions for the team and players to make this offseason that will have far-reaching impacts. Nikolaj Ehlers' uncertain UFA future is the most urgent, while Dylan Samberg and Gabriel Vilardi's next contracts will help determine Winnipeg's ability to keep the momentum going. Advertisement This year's Jets were a special team, worth celebrating — and they have work to do to keep pushing forward. Resting on their laurels, even after the best season in franchise history, would come at next year's peril. Today, we break down the most important decisions of Winnipeg's offseason. First, though, a quick look at one area to celebrate and another that needs improvement. Apologies in advance: This section takes a Toronto Maple Leafs storyline and makes it about Winnipeg. When Leafs captain Auston Matthews criticized Toronto's Game 7 performance, saying the team had too many passengers for a game that big, I thought about the Jets. Not only did the Jets show up for each other in their biggest games of the playoffs — Game 7 against St. Louis, Game 5 and Game 6 against Dallas — Matthews' words made me consider what Adam Lowry might have said in the same moment. Lowry would not have called out his teammates without calling himself out first. More likely, he would have called himself out in specific terms, while keeping criticism of anybody else's performance to himself. We saw it when the Jets crashed and burned against Colorado in five games last year — Lowry took personal responsibility for his line giving up three goals to Nathan MacKinnon. His critique of the team's play was couched with the pronoun 'we.' They're different franchises with different histories and different paths to their second-round exits. It may not be fair to compare. But Lowry's leadership style was apparent during his postgame press conference in Dallas. He was emotional, but mature. When he spoke, he put his teammates above himself. 'We're a family,' Lowry said, fighting back tears. 'You want to give (Mark Scheifele) the strength. You want to get that kill so bad. We just couldn't do it.' Advertisement Matthews is one of the best players in the world. This is not meant to criticize him from thousands of kilometres away. But his comments are a reminder that Jets leadership is in exactly the right place, the result of a process begun by Rick Bowness and continued by Scott Arniel. Rewind the calendar by a year. Focus only on the Jets' critics and it's clear: There's no way a season like this one should have been possible. No division title, no Presidents' Trophy, no William Jennings Trophy, no finalists for the Vezina Trophy, Hart Trophy, or Jack Adams Award. If you had only believed the angriest Jets critics, the team was broken and needed to be rebuilt. There was one thing they were right about, though. Winnipeg's special teams had glaring issues. The power play and penalty kill combined to cost a 110-point team the 2024 division title, leading to a first-round matchup with Colorado, where the 62.5 percent penalty kill helped sink the series. This season, assistant coach Dean Chynoweth improved the penalty kill (slightly) while assistant coach Davis Payne's power play became the team's biggest improvement. Sometimes it's wise to listen to squeaky wheels. It's time to listen to the critics about one more thing. The Jets gave up a ton of goals through traffic these playoffs (again) and, based on roster construction, it's unclear how Winnipeg is meant to win the battle for the middle of the ice. Whether you blame Connor Hellebuyck for the goals against, the Jets defenders or both, the playbook to beat Winnipeg in the playoffs depends on beating the Jets in traffic and taking away Hellebuyck's sightlines. Put enough goals past him, and he can get rattled. Hellebuyck recovered from a miserable series against St. Louis to allow 13 goals in six games against Dallas, which will build confidence heading into future playoffs. Still, the Jets have long-term commitments to three very smart but undersized top-four defencemen in Josh Morrissey, Pionk and Dylan DeMelo. Bigger third-pairing defencemen like Logan Stanley, Luke Schenn and Colin Miller come with limitations. It's hard to see an immediate path to a solution. Advertisement They're not moving the franchise goaltender. They're locked in on their top four defencemen, with a Samberg extension one of their top offseason priorities. Somehow, some way, the Jets are going to need to improve on this front — and probably faster than highly touted prospect Elias Salomonsson can make happen. Winnipeg would ideally clone Samberg — perhaps making a right-handed version — but will have to settle for signing the 26-year-old defenceman as a restricted free agent. Samberg's contract will be at or near the top of Winnipeg's offseason priorities and I fully expect the Jets to sign him to a long-term deal. Gabriel Vilardi's power-play production cooled off at the end of the season and during the playoffs, but he still posted 61 points in 71 games heading into this summer's negotiations. Vilardi, Samberg, and Winnipeg's other restricted free agents — Morgan Barron and Rasmus Kupari — all have arbitration rights and I wouldn't be surprised to see one or more of them file, even if they don't make it to a hearing. It would make them ineligible for offer sheets, ensuring a Jets contract for next season, then create a bit of deadline pressure once the hearing dates are announced. Nikolaj Ehlers' future is the biggest question mark. There's a sense he's inclined to explore the UFA market after 10 years in Winnipeg. Could the Jets' playoff run, his success during that run and a year's worth of top power play time renew Ehlers' optimism about an extension? Or did playing fewer minutes than Mason Appleton in Game 6 renew angst about ice time and usage? Ehlers played the ninth-most five-on-five minutes per game among Jets forwards in the regular season, and again in the playoffs. Ehlers deflected questions about his future during the regular season while declaring his love for Winnipeg, his teammates and Jets fans. Now, with his intention to make it to the World Championships in time to play for Denmark on Tuesday, it seems he won't speak at exit interviews, either. Beyond Ehlers, Samberg and Vilardi, one expects straightforward negotiations with RFAs Barron and Kupari. Winnipeg's other unrestricted free agents include Appleton, Brandon Tanev, Dominic Toninato, Haydn Fleury, Axel Jonsson-Fjallby, Dylan Coghlan and Chris Driedger. Ehlers' absence leaves a gaping hole in Winnipeg's projected lineup, with a ripple effect that puts Lowry's shutdown line at risk. This Jets lineup would have ample cap space, regardless of how much is allocated to Vilardi and Samberg, and could probably afford Ehlers' next deal if they believe there's a fit. One also expects Winnipeg to be at the front of the line if the 37-year-old Jonathan Toews' comeback goes well, but we'll save UFA discussion for another piece. (Photo of Adam Lowry celebrating the series-winning goal against St. Louis: Jonathan Kozub / NHLI via Getty Images)
Yahoo
18-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
After Being Eliminated From The Playoffs, Where Do The Winnipeg Jets Go From Here?
The curse of the NHL's Presidents' Trophy struck once again, Saturday night, as the league's best regular-season team this year, the Winnipeg Jets, were eliminated by the Dallas Stars. It was a bitter pill to swallow for the Jets, despite winning their first-round series against the St. Louis Blues. And after their Game 6 loss to the Stars in Round 2, Winnipeg has failed to get to the Western Conference final for the seventh straight season. Obviously, the Jets are disappointed to lose in the second round – and now, the question becomes, 'what's next for Winnipeg?" Let's examine three key issues the Jets will be facing this summer: Star left winger Nikolaj Ehlers is scheduled to be a UFA this summer, and the 29-year-old will have no shortage of suitors for his services. Ehlers won't come cheaply for the Jets or any other team, as he earned $6-million this season and is going to get a healthy raise after putting up 24 goals and 63 points in only 69 games. Indeed, as a 10-year NHL veteran who has generated 21 goals or more in eight of those 10 years – with the other two years being his rookie season, and the 2022-23 season in which he played only 45 games – Ehlers is about as reliable as it gets. The Jets have more than enough salary cap space (and more on that below) to re-sign Ehlers, but does he want to come back, or pursue a new opportunity with a different team? Ehlers has all the leverage to dictate where he plays next season – and if he chooses to depart from Winnipeg, that could be a troubling sign about the direction he perceives the Jets to be headed in. Regardless, all eyes in Winnipeg will be on Ehlers. And the choice he makes could be a harbinger of bigger changes to come in Manitoba. Jets GM Kevin Cheveldayoff has wisely managed his cap room – making it clear that, contrary to some people's arguments, you don't have to overpay NHL players to stay in Winnipeg over the long haul – and now, the Jets have the chance to make a very big splash in free-agency, trades, or both. To wit: Winnipeg has approximately $25.68 million in cap space to play with this off-season, and that will allow them to deepen their ranks at forward and on defense. If the Jets want to be harder to play against, would a lucrative offer to a hard-nosed player like Florida Panthers center Sam Bennett make sense? It couldn't hurt to try. Bennett made $4.425-million this year, and while it may be a long shot to lure him away from Florida, the opportunity to join a team that's all but assured to be at or near the top of the Central Division next season could lure in a player or two of significant impact. But other UFAs could be targeted by the Jets as well. It's Cheveldayoff's job to figure out how to improve his group, but money shouldn't be an object for Winnipeg this summer. Jets superstar goalie Connor Hellebuyck was outstanding during the regular-season, and as a result, he will almost certainly win his second consecutive Vezina Trophy as the NHL's top netminder, and he's also nominated for the Hart Memorial Trophy as the league's most valuable player. That said, Hellebuyck had a roller-coaster playoff showing, posting a 3.08 goals-against average and a .866 save percentage, numbers that were notably worse than his regular-season numbers (.925 SP, 2.00 GAA). The 31-year-old Hellebuyck appeared in 63 regular-season games this year – the fourth straight season he's appeared in at least 60 games – so the Jets may decide to lessen his load next season. Whether that means playing backup Eric Comrie more – Comrie appeared in only 20 games this year – or acquiring an experienced goalie capable of playing more often, you can see why Winnipeg would aim to have a fresher Hellebuyck when next year's playoffs come around. Hellebuyck is clearly one of the best goaltenders in the world, but easing the burden on him in the regular-season next year could lead to a more consistent performance from him next spring. Get the latest news and trending stories by following The Hockey News on Google News and by subscribing to The Hockey News newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on
Ottawa Citizen
06-05-2025
- Sport
- Ottawa Citizen
Davis: Edmonton Oilers fans should go to Las Vegas for much cheaper NHL playoff tickets
A four-pack of mini-columns: Article content Article content ONE: With three Canadian franchises advancing to the second round of the NHL playoffs for the first time since 2004, it's becoming darned expensive for fans of the Toronto Maple Leafs, Edmonton Oilers and Winnipeg Jet s to watch their teams play live. Article content Especially for Oilers fans, who should really go to Las Vegas! Article content It's way cheaper to attend an Oilers/Knights game in Sin City. The cheapest single ticket being resold on StubHub for the first game in Las Vegas was $89 Cdn, compared to opening-night prices of $344 in Edmonton, $294 in Toronto and $241 in Winnipeg. Article content Article content Resale prices get much higher for future games, better seats and group tickets. And it's tough planning ahead because there were times during the first playoff round when it looked like the Oilers, Maple Leafs and especially the Jets, who won the Presidents Trophy for being the NHL's best regular-season team, weren't going to advance. Article content Article content Edmonton was down 2-0 in its best-of-seven against the Los Angeles Kings before shifting the momentum to win four straight. Article content Toronto won three games before losing two straight — and reviving all the Leafs horror stories from past playoffs — against the Ottawa Senators. Article content Winnipeg, in Game 7 against the St. Louis Blues, needed a tying goal with 1.6 seconds remaining to force overtime and ultimately score the game-winner in one of the most exhilarating games imaginable. Article content Even at scalper's prices it's been tough to complain about the entertainment value. And if Toronto, Edmonton or Winnipeg becomes the first Canadian franchise to win the Stanley Cup since the 1993 Montreal Canadiens, the tickets for those games will be outrageous. Especially in Canadian dollars. Article content Article content Article content From 1997-2012 he was paid to be there as an assistant coach, first in charge of running backs before coaching linebackers and becoming the special teams co-ordinator while also handing the CFL draft, eventually becoming the longest-tenured coach in franchise history and ultimately earning induction into the team's Plaza of Honour. Article content Smith, a Regina product, was a successful high school coach before spending five seasons on-staff with the junior Regina Rams. He was a guest coach at Riders training camp for two years before being hired by Jim Daley, the first of seven head coaches Smith worked with before Corey Chamblin inexplicably dumped him. Smith was on Kent Austin's staff when Saskatchewan won the 2007 Grey Cup. He resumed coaching high school and junior teams before finally retiring last year.
