Hey all! Here is our feature running Monday through Friday that will bring you up to date on what's going on in the media pertaining to the Winnipeg Jets and elsewhere in the NHL.

Here is what's in the news for Wednesday, May 23, 2012:

Global Warming! The Ice Caps are done. They got smashed last night 4-0. Eddie Pasquale did his best stopping 38 of 42 shots. Scheifele drew into the lineup for this one, Machacek remained out. The home crowd cheered loud. [The AHL]

Here is the game summary. *Spoiler Alert* There are lots of zeros next to the Ice Caps players. [The AHL]

In Jets news, Mark Chipman and handed a big cheque to charity! $100,000 is a lot of money, but it sounds a lot less awesome when you equate it to 7.13 games of Randy Jones (about 3 free pizzas). [WFP]

More Chipman, this time preaching patience. Expect a slow build folks! [WFP]

The Yotes are also done. The game ended with heavy drama in OT with a GWG from the pancake man. [NHL]

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Hey all! Here is our feature running Monday through Friday that will bring you up to date on what's going on in the media pertaining to the Winnipeg Jets and elsewhere in the NHL.

Here is what's in the news for Thursday, May 17, 2012:

Winnipeg Jets' young gun Evander Kane managed scored a goal and team Canada lost. Overall, Kaner had a pretty good showing. He was tied for the team lead in goals and was 6th on the squad in TIO. It will be nice to see what he can do as a first line player in Winnipeg next year. Jets Captain Andrew Ladd was Canada's player of the game in the loss. [IIHF]

Speaking of Winnipeg, the folks at TSN put together an in depth Off-Season Game Plan for our team. They look at needs, cap numbers, prospects, draft projections and they even source behindthenet.ca. Good stuff! [TSN]

Speaking of prospects, Hockey's Future breaks down Jets' prospects and the impact of extended playoff runs on their development. I have been hearing some great things about Patrice Cormier. There is more and more talk about him being NHL ready. [HF]

The 2012 Young Stars Tournament has been cancelled. It was very excited to see that first glimpse of our Jets last year. Hopefully this is the only hockey that is cancelled next year. [Edmonton Journal]

The Ice Caps are not expected to win their upcoming series, it will be nice to see if they can pull it out. Here is a bit of a preview. [The Telegram]

More Ice Caps intel including High praises for Pasquale and Zinger. [Ice Flow]

Follow the Jump for more awesomeness!!

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While I drew the ire of a few readers by suggesting there was a link between the Jets of old and the Jets of new, I do intend to continue with the comparisons. Before I get rolling I would like to reiterate that this is not an attempt to claim ownership of the "official records" that rest in Phoenix. This is simply number munching from another perspective. The intention here is to provide a statistical record that allows easy comparisons between the players that people saw 15+ years ago and what they are seeing now.

This is about Winnipeg hockey history and offering a more info to the fans; it isn’t any bigger than that.

Today we take a look at Dustin Byfuglien and how his 2011-12 production compares to Jets players of the past. I am also going to include all-time Atl / Jets 2.0 tables for comparison sake, hopefully this ensures that nobody yells at me.

Lets get at it!

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While Winnipeg hockey fans are ecstatic about having their team back, the fact that the "Official History" of the Winnipeg Jets 1.0 is still attached to the Phoenix Coyotes has been driving people nuts. This also got me thinking; What exactly is an "Official History"? Most of it is statistical and nobody really owns those stats.

The fact that is; there is a major disconnect between what is "reality" and what is "Official" in our statistical records, so we at AIH figured we could piece together a real statistical history and do it the right way. Now understand this is still a work in progress and over time we may expand upon what information the stat book holds, but even now it enables us to give fans a great glimpse of how our Jets 2.0 players are performing in relation to the players from the WHA and 1.0 incarnations.

As of now we have sortable season and career totals for all of our Jets and we have only included stats that were accrued by our players while the team was in Winnipeg. So that means, there will be very little Shane Doan and no Ilya Kovalchuk. Our history is how it should be.

After the jump I take a look at the all time Jets who laced up their skates at 20 years and younger and how they compare to Kane / Burmi. This is an example of the analysis that will be headed your way.

Edit: I realised I haven't been particularly clear.

The premise here is; we at AIH would like to supply Jets fans with a complete Jet's statistical history. This would separate all things Jets from every Yotes and Thrashers stat. WHA Jets / Jets 1.0 / Jets 2.0 stats complied as though they are one franchise.

Everything Tempo Teppo (Oops!) and Doan did after the team moved does not count in these records. Everything Kane, Slater and Ladd did in Atlanta is wiped too. If we can provide this for you, would it lessen the pain of the Yotes owning our "Official" records?

Let us know what you thoughts are on this subject.

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BREAKING NEWS: Claude Giroux was given a 1 game suspension by the NHL for a hit on Dainius Zubrus during the 2nd period of last night’s game

— Philadelphia Flyers (@NHLFlyers) May 7, 2012

Claude Giroux will miss an elimination game! Colour me shocked! The NHL actually suspended a star player leading up to a big game! I thought the hit deserved a couple games, but honestly I didn't expect it. Now the real question is: If the Flyers win game 5, do they keep Giroux on the bench for game 6? :)

What's your take on the suspension? Was it fair? Too harsh? Too lenient?

Let us know what you think.

Brendan Shanahan's video explanation is available after the jump.

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No Radulov or A Kostitsyn for NSH tonight.

— Bob McKenzie (@TSNBobMcKenzie) May 4, 2012

Well, it is official Rad and Kos will not play tonight. I am not sure if this is the right move. I don't really understand how replacing a 1st line player with a 4th line player is an upgrade. With or without Rad and Kos, a loss leaves the media a ton of ammunition for tomorrows columns. A Nashville win probably means we have to shuffle through a few dozen articles saying hard work trumps talent.

Is this the right call?

Hey all! Here is our feature running Monday through Friday that will bring you up to date on what's going on in the media pertaining to the Winnipeg Jets and elsewhere in the NHL.

Here is what's in the news for Friday, May 4, 2012:

Andrew Ladd and Evander Kane get rolling today in the World Hockey Championships. Neither was cut and according to this article, Alexander Burmistrov is still a go for Russia. As I type this the score is tied 1-1 midway through the 2^nd period. [WPF]

Update: According to the official roster, Burmi is not on the team.

Peppered Pasquale proving his worth. Jets prospect Eddie Pasquale has been doing a great job for our AHL affiliate. He has been busy and has stolen a number of games. If he can keep this up he should be able to land some NHL ice time in the next few years. [The Telegram]

Winnipeg Jets’ own Jim Slater has been named Assistant Captain of Team USA. [WPF]

Then there is this little tid bit that will surely cost a few fans a few dollars.

I'm switching #'s,going from 4 to 44.Tried to switch last year but signed to late and always wanted to wear 44 in the NHL.

— Zach Bogosian (@Bogogo4) May 4, 2012

I wore #44 when I was younger and something I have always wanted to do. Thanks for all the support! #44

— Zach Bogosian (@Bogogo4) May 4, 2012

Sorry for the inconvenience to everyone that has gotten 4 merchandise but now it's 44 from now on! #gojetsgo

— Zach Bogosian (@Bogogo4) May 4, 2012

How many of our readers have Bogo jerseys? I was very close to getting #4 on an away jersey.

Earlier this week Corey Pronman from Hockey Prospectus put together a list his top 5 prospects. Teuvo Teravainen lands in the 5^th spot meanwhile, many experts suspect he may be in play for our squad. [Puck Prospectus]

Winnipeg boy Jordan Tootoo receives some high praise. I personally fail to see how replacing a 1st line player with a 4th liner is an upgrade, but I am not mass media. Tootoo is a UFA at the end of the year. I could see him being on Chevy’s radar. [The Tennessean]

The folk at Flams Nation did a little bit of analysis on the recent addition to their squad Roman Cervenka. I am intrigued by this signing simply because these moves don’t happen very often. Not to mention $4 million for a player who has never laced em up on this side of the Atlantic. [Flames Nation]

Thursday Three:

1. Alexei Ponikarovsky (NJD) 1G, 1A, 2PTS, GWG

2. Ilya Kovalchuk (NJD) 1G, 2A, 3PTS

3. Drew Doughty (LAK) 1G, 2A 3PTS

Is this the league drawing a line in the sand regarding player safety? Is he being treated especially harsh because of his history? Did Shanny simply tack on the missed suspension of Weber and others on to Raffi's tab? I really hope this is something that carries forward, even if the star player is the aggressor. What do you think?

Now that we are through with the "biggest game of the season" it is time to move on to the first of four "biggest games of the season in relation to the offseason." I know that is a bit wordy, but the results of tonight’s game will greatly impact 2012 NHL draft positioning. This is very important!! If you want to proudly say "The Winnipeg Jets finished 3^rd in the South Least", this is a must win. If you are a fan of Tank Nation, as I am, you want a hard fought loss. This is a big game!!

The bottom of the Easter Conference is a complete clusterpuck this year. While the Jets currently sit in 10^th place they are only four points out of 14^th and a lottery pick in the upcoming draft. To add to this, four of the Jet’s remaining five games (Carolina, NYI and Tampa twice) are against teams that currently rank 10^th through 14^th in the east. Every game is a must watch!

Moving on to tonight’s game, the winner moves up the standings (unless the Canes win in OT) and the loser moves up the draft board. So which Jets goalie gets the start? I am going to assume we see Mason for the first time in ages. A Mason start would have nothing to do with tanking the game. This is the first game of a back to back and Mason has played Carolina well this season. Mason is 4-1 against the Canes, Pavelec has been bad. Pavi is 0-1 with a .850 save percentage; remember he also got pulled from an early season showdown. There may also be a couple players returning form injury, it will be interesting to see who dresses.

Keys to the Game, Player Numbers and Lineups coming up after THE JUMP

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Lately there has been a lot of talk about the impact that Winnipeg fan chants have been having on opposing players. Eric Staal went off the other night and scored 2 goals after being heavily razzed all game. Obviously this must be because of the chants right? What other possibilities exist?

So I figured 'Lets take a look at the stat lines of some of the players who have been harassed by Winnipeg fans.'

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Our own King of the Number Munchers aka Gabe aka Hawerchuk put together a list of teams who have had the largest disparity between their home and road records since the lock out. This list combined with recent chatter about which of the Jet's records (home or away) is a better reflection of team talent left me curious.

Curiosity got the best of me, so I had to look at their records the following year. Here is the list of teams with the most extreme home / away differentials. On the left is where they finished in the standings the year of the differential and on the right is where they finished the following year.

2005:
Toronto 90 pts, 9th in E → 91 pts, 9th in E
Florida 85 pts, 11th in E → 86 pts,12th in E

Calgary 103 pts, 3rd in W → 96 pts, 8th in W
Nashville 106 pts, 4th in W → 110 pts, 4th in W
Vancouver 92 pts, 9th in W → 105 pts, 3rd in W

2006:
Montreal 90 pts, 10th in E → 104 pts 1st in E

Detroit 113 pts, 1st in W → 115 pts 1st in W
Minnesota 103 pts, 7th in W → 98 pts 3rd in W
Calgary 96 pts, 8th in W → 94 pts 7th in W

2008:
San Jose 117 pts, 1st in W → 113 pts, 1st in W

2009:
NY Islanders 79 pts, 13th in E → 73 pts, 14th in E

Vancouver 103 pts, 3rd in W → 117 pts, 1st in W
Anaheim 89 pts, 11th in W → 99 pts, 4th in W
Minnesota 84 pts, 13th in W → 86 pts, 12th in W
Columbus 79 pts, 14th in W → 81 pts, 13th in W

2011:
Winnipeg → ?
Washington → ?

St. Louis → ?
Detroit → ?
Chicago → ?

I think the results are quite interesting. It doesn’t appear that the home versus road record has a major impact on future success. Most teams did a little better and a few did substantially better. None appear to have tanked in a major way.

Did these teams “learn to win on the road” and forget how to win at home?

Is the fact that most of the teams trended upwards is a good sign for the Jets going into next season?

With the Anaheim Ducks struggling to start the season, all sorts of rumors are swirling. Rumors say the coach will be fired. Rumors say there will be a fire sale on talent. Personally, I'm not confident the Ducks will actually move one of their young superstars but they have reportedly been receiving calls. At the centre of these calls is Bobby Ryan.

Who is Bobby Ryan?

Bobby Ryan is a game breaking talent and at this point, I think it is fair to say he is a consistent thirty goal scorer. He has also had one of the best +/- totals on his team in each of the last 3 seasons. The nerdier numbers like him too, as he has had one of the best Corsi ratings on his squad over the same time period. Both of these stats were often ahead of those posted by Perry and Getzlaf. He is also young enough that he could help a team for a number of years.

What is Bobby Ryan's value?

This is a little tougher to nail down. Young thirty goal scorers don't end up on the trade market very often and even in the draft, they aren't easy to hammer down. Last year there were only twenty nine 30 goal scorers across the league. That is less than one per team on average. Most years (in this era) there are less than 40 such players. Ryan is also one of only 8 players on the league who has scored 30 goals in each of the last 3 seasons. Combine that info with his high +/- and Corsi and I think it is fair to say Ryan is a pretty valuable player and the Ducks will likely be looking for a lot if they are going to move him.

So... What is Bobby Ryan worth?

This is where things get complicated and obviously this will depend largely on any potential trade partner. It will also depend on what Anaheim is hoping to get in return.

That said, Bobby Ryan is easily the kind of player who could / should command 2 early first round picks and probably more. If you are a playoff team that will not be drafting anywhere near the lottery for the foreseeable future, this might be the only way you can get a hold of a player like Ryan outside of spending big dollars on the free agent market. If you are a lottery team and you are willing to move a few pieces and a high pick in order to acquire a player is closer to a "sure thing" I suppose you can go in that direction as well.

Should the Jets look at trading for Bobby Ryan?

Obviously any credible GM will do their due diligence any time a player of this caliber becomes available and if there is a deal that makes sense, you have to take it. That said, a team in the Jets situation, probably should not trade a ton of draft picks for Bobby Ryan. Even though the Jets have shown the ability to hang with almost any team in the league, the standings say they are the 7th worst team. At this point, the Jets are closer to a lottery pick than they are to a playoff spot. Those lottery picks are extremely valuable.

What kind of package could the Jets put together for Ryan?

If the Ducks move Ryan, they will likely be looking to add depth, draft picks and the rumors say they are looking for a big defense man. They will also probably want to shed or maintain their cap number. I will throw together a few possible scenarios simply for discussion sake, I don't necessarily agree with them either.

Bobby Ryan for Dustin Byfuglien

Bobby Ryan and Peter Holland for Johnny Oduya, Arturs Kulda, Blake Wheeler and a 1st round pick.

Bobby Ryan and Emerson Etim for Alexander Burmistrov, Brett Festerling and Arturs Kudla and a 2nd round pick

Bobby Ryan for Mark Stuart, Kyle Wellwood, Paul Postma and a 1st round pick.

As I have stated, I don't think Ryan will be moved. I do think he is one heck of a talent though and he could definitely make our team better. Imagine Kane one one side, Ryan on the other. Pick a centre, it would be fun.

I know the Jets have been on a bit of a roll lately, but that doesn't mean the roster is perfect. There is always room for improvement. According to Bob McKenzie Blake Comeau and Nicklas Bergfors have been waived by the Islanders and Predators respectively.  Both players have some talent and could conceivably slide into Jason Jaffray's roster spot and offer an upgrade.

Blake Comeau

Blake has done nothing this year aside from watching his opponents score, but he tallied 24 goals last season. Of course he did this on a terrible team where he was given way too much ice time, but he could still be an upgrade over Jaffray. He isn't a game breaker or an elite talent, but he did put up solid numbers last year. Worth a look? 

Niclas Bergfors

I know he was already part of the Thrashers organization at one point. I also know his work ethic has been questioned at times. That said, this kid is available for dirt cheap on a two way contract and he has produced. He is young and he has a 20 goal season under his belt. He has also had some decent corsi numbers throughout his career. He might not fit the TNSE mold, but he should be able to help a team somewhere. 

I am not saying we need either of these guys, or that they are can't miss pickups, but they might be worth a look. 

The Jets finally seem to have two lines rolling and scoring goals with Ladd / Antropov / Wellwood and Kane / Little / Wheeler, but that leaves Burmi and Fehr hung out to dry with Jaffray who isn't being trusted with a lot of ice time.

Would one of these guys, who offer a little more offensive flair, upgrade that line? Both players have potential and will be RFA's at the end of the season. If they sign one and they flash potential, it wouldn't be hard to score a couple more years for dirt cheap. 

Thoughts?

This logo has leaked to the internet and has the winnipeg Twittervere quite a buzz. This is supposedly the Jets' new logo. It may be. Might be a shoulder crest. It may be all together fake. Looks kind of plain to be the main emblem in my opinion. Hopefully we will be finding out soon.

This pretty close to exactly matches the rumours I had heard. Blue and silver, Jet in a leaf, compass pointing True North. Hmmm...