How Do You Define Success for the 2024-25 Winnipeg Jets

[Do or Die]

Play up to demonstrated capabilities.
If that happens, we will have a nice playoff run......

 

[Mortimer Snerd]

Obviously we are witnessing a historic season for the Winnipeg Jets. No matter what happens in the playoffs, this season has been a hoot!

What end result would make you think "I was really happy with this season"?

I might say President's Trophy - but the PO would still not be inconsequential. And that Trophy seems to be jinxed.
I might say that making the 3rd rd would erase the horror of the last two 1st rd exits - but getting that far and then losing would suck.
I might say making the SC final - but that would be the same as getting bounced in the 3rd rd.
That leaves SC or bust - but this season has been too good to spoil with unrealistic expectations.

I'm going to say it will be a success as long as there is no outright collapse anywhere. Must win 1st rd though. After that if we lose a hard fought 7 game series in whatever rd, this season will still have been a huge success. Of course, I will prefer 16 PO wins, but that is not necessary for me to have been happy with this season.

Truth is, I would have been happy with last season, even losing in the 1st rd, if only we hadn't been blown away. Losing to a very good team in 7 games, all decided by 1 or 2 goals, a couple of them in OT, would have been no disgrace.

Edit: Can't quite vote for any of the options there.

 

[bumblebeeman]

It's missing the option I would pick, which is that I'm already super happy with the team and how they've played this year. Maybe if they fall apart it would change how I feel, but we've been watching the best Jets hockey ever this year, and watching potentially two weeks of disappointing hockey in the playoffs doesn't undo 5 months of amazing hockey during the season for myself personally.

 

[GNP]

The biggest change I’ve seen with the Jets over the last 2-3 years, is the culture change. Most important was buying out Wheeler, who was very bad for team chemistry, thanks Bowness, the next was getting rid of PLD and acquiring some great players, most important being Villardi, who’s scoring at a great clip. Lastly the hiring of Scott Armiel, and the new support coaches behind the bench, and it’s very clear the players want to play for them, and you can see it on the ice. I was not sold on Armiel, and am happy he’s proven me wrong. The proper use of Ehlers is a a very good example, and him being on power play # 1 has made a massive difference.

Do I think the Jets have the talent to win the Cup, definitely yes.

Do I think they have the heart and grit to do what it takes to go deep into the playoffs ? This means playing when your physically and emotionally exhausted and playing thru pain - well this is the big question, and so far the answer has been NO. Will this year be any different? - we’ll if Helle can shake off his past playoff poor performances, and Sheif and Morrissey can step up and lead this team - this could be the year, as the team wants to get that monkey off their back.

What would I be happy with - it would be to get into the 3rd Round, and win or lose, if they put up a valiant effort, and gave it their all, I’d be happy with that.

I’m also inclined to think they should go with the players they have now, rather than acquiring a new player rental that hasn’t worked, as shown with Monohan, and Tofolli, who really did nothing. If an exceptional player became available, I may be inclined to make that deal, and it would be a defenseman.

 

[Keystone]

They need to win the first round. After that, the quality of competition is so high I won’t be too disappointed as long as the effort is 100% and they don’t get blown out.

 

[Gm0ney]

In practice, winning the Stanley Cup is the only thing I can 100% say I'd be totally happy about (although I accidentally picked the SCF option for some reason - so minus 1 for SCF and +1 for winning the Cup).

In theory, making it to the SCF sounds great...but then imagine losing to the Leafs. Objectively, sure, a pretty successful season...but emotionally I might never recover.

 

[jetsforever]

President's Trophy and 1st Round Exit would still be a success IMO (but extremely disappointing)
If not that, then at least 2nd Round, probably 3rd to have some satisfaction

 

[Royale With Cheese]

I think getting to the Western Conference Final is the minimum for me.

 

[wraithsonwings]

I would be so happy to win the conference.

 

[Jaytee]

I tend to take a skewered view of things, so I know this isn’t accurate, but in my mind the Jets won the championship in 2018.
They and the Predators were the two best teams that spring, and the Jets-Nashville series might have been the best seven game series of this century so far. When the Jets won that series they had nothing left in the tank. They were a far better team than Vegas (or Washington), but they had nothing left. But they won the toughest series, and they were the best team.
If something like that happens again this year, I can live with it.

 

[voyageur]

Winning the Conference and Division would be a cornerstone mark for the franchise. Maybe the water mark.
Win one playoff round at a time. Stay healthy that's the key.

Grateful to be able to watch such a good hockey team in Winnipeg.

 

[The Blue Baron]

Cup or bust!
No cup = move them to Regina!

 

[PhilJets]

THOSE PESKY!! Washington Capitals, The Jets can’t shake them off

 

[SUX2BU]

The amount of booby gifs i see in May...

Or now ….

 

[Jets 31]

I would love the President's trophy banner forever hanging in the arena . Then win the first round and go down fighting in the second i will be a happy Dude. Now they can twist my rubber arm and win the Cup if they have to , i could live with that.

 

[Jaytee]

The Jets will be the next Canadian team to win the Stanley Cup. It may not be this year...the odds are against every team in any given year...and it may never happen, but if it never happens for the Jets, it'll never happen for any other Canadian team, either.

I've said this ever since Jets v1.0 left in 1996, and after almost 30 years, I haven't been wrong yet.

My qualifications for making such a comment? About the same as every other poster's qualifications for saying anything whatsoever. I'm probably full of crap, but no more than everybody else.

:-P

 

[Yukon Joe]

A few different thoughts...

First put me down for honestly, seriously, not caring very much about the Presidents Trophy. I mean I wouldn't deliberately lose games to avoid it, but it's just not a priority.

"Cup or bust" though always seems much too negative. Only one of 32 teams will win the cup. I don't think that means 31 teams have a bad year every year.

I am a little tired of the "Jets/Helley can't win in the playoff" narrative I sometimes hear. So I definitely want to see some playoff wins. A President's Trophy followed by a first round exit would be a huge failure.

So I think we need to see at least a WCF appearance in order to consider this year something of a success. The team window isn't going to stay open forever, and the core players are in their prime or even aging beyond it.



But really - as Jets fan living in Edmonton I just need to see them take out the Oilers.

 

[Gm0ney]

The Jets will be the next Canadian team to win the Stanley Cup. It may not be this year...the odds are against every team in any given year...and it may never happen, but if it never happens for the Jets, it'll never happen for any other Canadian team, either.

I've said this ever since Jets v1.0 left in 1996, and after almost 30 years, I haven't been wrong yet.

My qualifications for making such a comment? About the same as every other poster's qualifications for saying anything whatsoever. I'm probably full of crap, but no more than everybody else.

:-P

I thought the Curse of the Jets Leaving Winnipeg was that the Phoenix/Arizona franchise would suffer forever. I got a little worried when the Coyotes made it to the WCF the very year the NHL returned to Winnipeg - thought maybe it was finally broken - but it turns out the curse ultimately won.

Hopefully, your long-standing curse can combine with the power of the completed Phoenix/Arizona curse and come to fruition in the most beneficial way possible for the Jets.

 

[SUX2BU]

Things I would like to see happen to the team ....

-Winning the Central
-Winning the Western Conference
-Winning the President's Trophy
-Going at least 2 playoffs rounds and being competitive/resilient in the Playoffs this year and going forward in all aspects of the playoff game (offense/defense/power play/penalty kill/goaltending/coaching/GM)

 

[Jaytee]

I thought the Curse of the Jets Leaving Winnipeg was that the Phoenix/Arizona franchise would suffer forever. I got a little worried when the Coyotes made it to the WCF the very year the NHL returned to Winnipeg - thought maybe it was finally broken - but it turns out the curse ultimately won.

Hopefully, your long-standing curse can combine with the power of the completed Phoenix/Arizona curse and come to fruition in the most beneficial way possible for the Jets.

That must be another curse.

I made my own curse, in 1996 after the Jets left. I said that no Canadian team would win the Stanley Cup until Winnipeg got an NHL team again, and Winnipeg won the Stanley Cup. 28 years and it's still holding, even though Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Ottawa, and Montreal all made it to the finals. You'll note that some of them then lost in the most gloriously unimaginable, painful way imaginable, and I loved every minute of it.

Seriously, if any Canadian team wants to ever win the Stanley Cup again/for the first time, they'd better hope that Winnipeg gets there first, because only that will open the floodgates for them.

This curse is not applicable for the Leafs of course, who will f*ck it up every year without my help.