Can someone please explain again why Winnipeg didn't win?

[Kranix]

Because it's very hard to win the cup, not to mention hockey is luck-dependent and incredibly random

 

[Hisch13r]

Because winning a Cup is very hard and generally takes a very long time. The Jets were a top team for a very short amount of time.

 

[No Fun Shogun]

They were overhyped (albeit good during their window), their window wasn't particularly long, they didn't get much puck luck when they needed it, and Winnipeg was never a premier free agent destination.

All there really is to it. They were a good team for a bit but couldn't take the next step. And pick a year of their contending window, and I'd without hesitation be able to name 3-5 teams that I'd have ranked as being better then them at least with the exception of '18, both in hindsight and contemporaneously. I honestly wouldn't have ever called them a favorite aside from maybe one year.

 

[njdevils1982]

I thought that collection of wingers was insane

I believe that was 2019 they were all together
Connor, Laine, and Ehlers

that young trio
i thought nobody could touch that winger talent

I also remember that magazine that guaranteed the winnipeg core would be specific year stanley cup champions

it was mentioned in post 13

 

[Lady Stanley]

Basically Wheeler/Scheiefele pissed off everyone especially dubois/statsny/copp/both coaches+ more

They lost big buff, 4 months before covid. Could never replace him. They got forced to make a trade for Schmidt who is overpriced, washed up, and would rather party than get upset about a loss.

The money they wasted on Schmidt could have been spent on Copp, which basically killed their forward depth.

The team's best leader is their 3rd line center. So the guys at the top show no resilence.

Worst locker room in the league, in the city where it needs to be the best to survive.

 

[banks]

They were done once Byfuglien was. But while he was there, I agree with the OP, they absolutely should have had some deep runs.

 

[Bjornar Moxnes]

Maurice only made the finals because his goalie caught fire.

likewise, Fleury completely stole the 2018 series.

 

[Jumptheshark]

Now that they are gonna (sorta) blow it up, can someone please tell me? They have had PREMIUM centres - and on sweetheart deals. One of the top 3 goalies in the game. What was a mighty and deep d-corps before it got obliterated, mostly due to extenuating circumstances. Superb winger depth, including top draft picks. Great gritty third-liners who could also chip in. Why the f didn't they win? If not the cup, at least more rounds year after year? And don't (just) say Maurice, because he made it to the Finals this year...

a better question is why didnt the oilers win?

 

[FinlandPanther]

That's why

Almost as bad as “We want florida!”

 

[Khelandros]

It all starts with leadership, and the Jets haven't had it.

 

[Hockeyholic]

Chevy didn't push them over the top, Maurice isn't a great coach, their best players aren't buy-in type guys (Scheifele, Wheeler aren't defensively oriented), their D wasn't as great as you're insinuating, etc.

And even if all of the things I'm saying you want to say are "wrong," it is really hard to win. Like the amount of luck, timing, and good work that goes into winning one is crazy. And think about teams that might not have been as deserving in your mind as say Winnipeg. I'm a Red Wings fan and I think that between ~1995-2010 they should have had more deep runs, more finals appearances, more Cup victories in that window. I don't think it makes a ton of sense that Carolina won in 2006 and Detroit didn't for example. It still makes almost no sense to me that Detroit lost to Edmonton in the first round that year. But it happens nearly every season. Florida beating Boston, for example.

In a 16 year period you believe they should have made more than 6 SCF's. Going 4-2?

As for OP, I don't think the Jets were ever a complete team. And Wheeler has been an awful leader since he entered the league. Too many players forwards wouldn't play a lick of D.

The GM does just enough to not look bad. So he keeps his job. But he rarely does anything to make them great.

They are just kind of...there. Not terrible. Not great. Just ok.

Sports purgatory

Sans a two or three other teams, I can't think of a team in a worse spot moving forward.

 

[Bjornar Moxnes]

In a 16 year period you believe they should have made more than 6 SCF's. Going 4-2?

As for OP, I don't think the Jets were ever a complete team. And Wheeler has been an awful leader since he entered the league. Too many players forwards wouldn't play a lick of D.

The GM does just enough to not look bad. So he keeps his job. But he rarely does anything to make them great.

They are just kind of...there. Not terrible. Not great. Just ok.

Sports purgatory

Sans a two or three other teams, I can't think of a team in a worse spot moving forward.

Jets are always great with drafting so they should be okay. But not great.

 

[Sky04]

Because Scheiefele skimps out on paying his chefs

 

[Despote]

30/31/32 teams. About half of them can realistically win the Cup. Chances weren't on their side.

 

[Figgy44]

I thought they had the right mix, but lacked glue players and a unified vision/buy in for all players and coach.

Kinda like having a race car with bald tires and bad brakes. They had a great shot at winning, but ended up basically DNF.

 

[Lady Stanley]

The GM does just enough to not look bad. So he keeps his job. But he rarely does anything to make them great.

They are just kind of...there. Not terrible. Not great. Just ok.

Sports purgatory

Sans a two or three other teams, I can't think of a team in a worse spot moving forward.

Guy does an amazing job in an impossible situation.

Laine/dubois situation tells you everything you need to know.

There's zero point in a rebuild, because all it takes 1-2 RFA to ruin your franchise.

It's simple, ELCs aren't a way of building a team.

Resigning an RFA/UFA is much the same as attracting a UFA.

This isn't a market when you can trade an expiring contract for another expiring contract.

So basically all you can do is trade an expiring contract for a much lessor player who is already signed long term on a bad contract,

There's no way the jets can win.

 

[MardyBum]

They had 2 years. 17-18, and 18-19. Byfuglien retired, Trouba was traded out. Myers and Chiarot walked and even though they were mid they couldn't replace even that. Stastny was gone. Little had his career ended early in the 19-20 season.

They really just had those 2 years. After that is was a forward core not interested in defending and Hellebuyck standing on his head.

 

[NyQuil]

 

[Three On Zero]

Now that they are gonna (sorta) blow it up, can someone please tell me? They have had PREMIUM centres - and on sweetheart deals. One of the top 3 goalies in the game. What was a mighty and deep d-corps before it got obliterated, mostly due to extenuating circumstances. Superb winger depth, including top draft picks. Great gritty third-liners who could also chip in. Why the f didn't they win? If not the cup, at least more rounds year after year? And don't (just) say Maurice, because he made it to the Finals this year...

Easy, they failed to put the puck in the net more than the opponent did

 

[Jimmy Firecracker]

Losing Byfuglien, Trouba, and Myers in one off-season decimated what was a great D-Corps and they were never able to adequately replace them.

 

[PullHard]

In a 16 year period you believe they should have made more than 6 SCF's. Going 4-2?

I gave a wide window of what I considered the peak of Detroit's 25 year playoff streak.

Considering a ~decade of it came before the cap existed... yeah?

BUT , you missed the entire point of my post. I made that point to discuss what it feels like to be a fan of a team. I was trying to point out how the subjective feelings of being a fan of a "Team That Should Win" (whether that is a playoff series, multiple playoff series, a Stanley Cup -- insert what you want here) don't match objective outcomes. Teams that are "worse" or "undeserving" or whatever you want to say win all the time. And teams that "deserve" to win, don't.

 

[Romang67]

A bunch of people have brought up many different reasons, and I agree with many of them. The window wasn't long enough, it's actually really hard to win the cup even if you're a contender on paper because of those pesky other teams, the top players on the team stopped caring about defensive play (or stopped being able), Buff got injured and retired (really the killing blow to the short window). Another big reason:

The cup contending Winnipeg Jets never had a truly elite goaltender, and Vezina level Hellebuyck never had a particularly good team in front of him. Hellebuyck's prime started a year or two too late. He was good, not great, in 17/18, and meh in 18/19. By the time he became what he has been the past few seasons, we had one D-man remaining from what the contender days and our depth had gone to shit.

 

[eojsmada]

The Jets best chance was 2017/2018. They had good depth, strong defense and a bunch of great players on ELCs. They didn't win that year because Helle choked against VGK and let in a bunch of back breaking goals at the worst possible times.

The Jets started to get into cap trouble in 2018/2019 and lost some depth. They were still elite though. Unfortunately the whole team choked and underperformed under heightened expectations. The room started to fall apart as the players got frustrated.

The defence was decimated over the 2019 off-season with our entire right side leaving. The Jets didn't have the cap to fix it and Chevy didn't want to trade a star forward for some reason. Our right side went from Trouba-Byfuglien-Myers to Pionk-DeMelo-Poolman if memory serves. You can't win anything with that kind of defense.

The Jets languished with no defence, no depth and increasing locker room dysfunction for a few seasons. Eventually Chevy traded for Schmidt and Dillon. The move was widely cheered by Jets fans despite the fact that neither of those guys are especially good. They also traded for PLD. This should have boosted the team considerably. Unfortunately Dubois was upset he hadn't been traded to Montreal and never played up his billing. Eventually Maurice had enough and quit leading to a total collapse.

Jets ran it back this year for one last hurrah under Bowness. Despite all the negativity, I thought they played VGK pretty hard in the playoffs. They had no chance when Helle was outgoalied by a career back up and lost Scheifele, Morrisey and Ehlers to injury. Most of the remaining players decided it was hopeless in game 5 (I don't blame them, I had given up too) and preferred to play to avoid injury above all else. This led to Bowness throwing a temper tantrum in the media marking the unofficial end of this core and the start of a rebuild.

This. The battle royale loss to Nashville in 2017 was heartbreaking and then losing to VGK in 2018, combined with a bunch of bad moves by Chevy, losing all of the defensive cornerstones they had and then never restocking the cupboard because they thought they had enough forwards and Hellebuyck to make up for it, was just too much. And then the implosion on the Wheeler/Scheifele insanity tour during the Bubble Cup Playoffs, followed by the Laine/PLD trade, combined with still never getting any defensemen, has basically ended Winnipeg's window where you see the fallout from that, now, with everyone wanting to jump ship.

Chevy should have re-made the team back in 2019, but they doubled down on Wheeler with that boat anchor of a contract and thought they could just keep running it back and that they would eventually be able to replace the defense...but that never materialized and Chevy had some bad drafts. 2015 they got Connor but busted out on everyone else. 2016 they got Laine, but busted out on everyone else. 2017...everyone busted. 2018...everyone busted. 2019...unless Heinola can show up...will be a bust draft for them. And Perfetti seems to be the only one so far to be okay from 2020 to the present.

 

[pi314]

The Winnipeg Jets, like any other NHL team, have faced various factors and circumstances that have contributed to their inability to win a Stanley Cup. It's important to note that winning the Cup is a highly challenging achievement that requires a combination of factors to align perfectly for a team.
There are several reasons why the Winnipeg Jets haven't won a Stanley Cup to date:

1. Competitive Nature of the NHL: The NHL is one of the most competitive professional sports leagues in the world, and winning the Cup requires consistently strong performances throughout the regular season and playoffs. The Jets have faced tough competition from other talented teams, making it difficult to secure the championship.
2. Team Development and Building: The Jets returned to Winnipeg in 2011 after the franchise relocated from Atlanta. Building a successful team takes time, patience, and a well-executed plan. It often involves acquiring and developing talented players, establishing team chemistry, and making strategic coaching and management decisions. The Jets have been working on building a competitive team since their return.
3. Playoff Performance: The playoffs are a different environment where anything can happen. While the Jets have made the playoffs multiple times since their return, their performance in the postseason has been inconsistent. Success in the playoffs requires a combination of skill, health, luck, and timely performances.
4. Injuries and Roster Challenges: Injuries can significantly impact a team's chances of winning the Cup. The Jets, like any team, have had to deal with injuries to key players at crucial times, which can disrupt team chemistry and performance. Additionally, managing the team's roster, salary cap constraints, and player contracts can present challenges in maintaining a competitive team over the long term.
5. Depth and Defensive Issues: Winning the Stanley Cup often requires a deep roster with a balance of offensive firepower, solid defense, and reliable goaltending. The Jets have occasionally faced challenges in terms of defensive depth and goaltending consistency, which can impact their chances of going all the way.

It's important to remember that winning the Stanley Cup is a challenging and elusive feat that even many successful franchises have not achieved. While the Winnipeg Jets have yet to win a Cup, their organization continues to work towards building a competitive team that can contend for hockey's ultimate prize.

Thanks ChatGPT

 

[Bizz]

because they were a terrible team heading into the playoffs including an embarrassing blowout against an abysmal Sharks team in the final week.