Josh Morrissey Post-game The Winnipeg Jets have once again found themselves laying out on the cold hard ground far too early. For the third time in their past four playoff appearances, the Jets registered just one singular victory following the conclusion of the regular season. This time it was a five-game "reverse sweep" (as Dylan DeMelo called it) at the hands of the Colorado Avalanche. Opening the series with a rowdy 7-6 home win, the Jets lost the next four-straight games - and it wasn't even close. "They were a little bit awestruck there in that first game," Jets' head coach Rick Bowness said of his players. "We kept telling them that Colorado, and they knew it, is a much better team than we saw in the regular season. They just saw a team that won the Stanley Cup a couple of years ago." Yes, once again the Jets were heavily outshot in their first round series and have been in six of their seven postseasons since returning to Winnipeg from Atlanta. This spring, it was an average of 37 shots by Colorado to 28 shots by Winnipeg. Again, it wasn't close. The Jets scored 15 total goals, while giving up 28. Not ideal. Winnipeg has now fallen to 18-35-0 in the postseason. Take away the Jets' 2018 run to the Western Conference Final and team is 9-27-0 in playoffs. Not good. "I think the word that comes to mind is 'incomplete.' It's something here that we obviously have to process," general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff said in reflection. "...we want to win. And it hurts. I can't tell you it didn't get emotional after the series. You're in it with these guys and you feel for them. You feel for the organization and I definitely feel for the fans." Whether it was the lack of production from offensive stars, or the absolute monstrosity of what happened in goal for Winnipeg, the team did not play anywhere near the level of hockey that its 52-24-6 record would suggest. "I guess it shows you that the playoffs are a different animal," Cheveldayoff said. "I think that, from our perspective, you have to be prepared to try and play any different way to be successful. "Until you're the team standing there at the end, you've done nothing. The onus is on everybody within the organization to be that 10 percent better." So, what's next? For Cheveldayoff, it is expected to be a summer of change. “Obviously there are going to be changes," he said. "It’s going to be a period of time where there’s going to be lots of reflection. I don’t have all of the answers here right now, I don’t think the players have all of the answers here right now. I do know that several of them, we’ve talked about having some conversations as we continue to go because I think they’re going to be more thoughtful of where things were during this series.” Without a doubt, players will come and go this offseason. A few key unrestricted free agents include defencemen Dylan DeMelo and Brenden Dillon, forward Sean Monahan and goaltender Laurent Brossoit. Whether or not any of them choose to return to Winnipeg - or if the team offers a contract - will certainly show some signs of which direction Cheveldayoff and company plan to move the team. "We will sharpen our pencils and we will do what we can.” Next up, the NHL Draft - to which Winnipeg has just five picks, including just one in the first three rounds due to trades - and the opening of the NHL's free agency period.
