The one thing with Mark is his game likely can be converted to wing in a few years. I'm fairly certain they take a run at retaining him, whether they can or should get something done is another matter completely.
I don't think they look to rebuild next summer unless things really go off the rails, they didn't hire Bones for a rebuild.
I'm enjoying this season immensely, but if you're Chevy what do you do this offseason? Dubois has said he's going to UFA, in a year when UFAS are going to get paid probably the best they ever have. Scheifele hasn't said much, but you get the sense that he would probably like to play in Detroit, with Copp, and a team that is trending towards contention, slowly but surely.
Hellebuyck hasn't said a lot, but next year is the year Chevy has to decide what to do with him. If there's no extension, can the Jets afford to go the distance with him? I mean he represents the best chance to win.
If the Jets lose any of these guys for nothing, who is going to replace them? Realistically it's extremely optimistic to think Mc Groarty and Lucius can replace Dubois and Scheifele, but if you trade either of the latter this team is not getting a player of the same value back, that's a guarantee. So it smells like a rebuild.
Throw Wheeler, Dillon, De Melo in there, and FWIW Ehlers, Pionk and Schmidt are the next year, that represents a significant transition period.
It's complicated by guys like Heinola who don't want to wait in line.
I don't know how Chevy should deal with it either. The best way to get good, short of acquiring superstar free agents, is multiple draft picks. Jets don't even have a lot of those next year, so it's an interesting time.
To me this year's team feels like the last year, I think if you're in a workforce for a long time, and then all of a sudden there's a transition, it's kind of the same feeling, I'd say the core of this team has been there since 2015-2016, which is a long time by NHL standards. Defense was a complete overhaul around Morrissey, but the players brought in, whether it be Pionk followed by Samberg from Hermantown, and another Minnesota defenseman in Schmidt, and then De Melo, who knew Dillon from San Jose, was strategically done to reinforce that family like dressing room that has always been a True North goal.
Bowness was brought in to keep the room believing in themselves, and provide structure that was sorely lacking. I think he's going to pass the torch to Arniel, and that's going to be a period of uncertainty. I just don't see any way the Jets can avoid a rebuild, maybe signing Scheifele to a long term contract preserves the top line for a couple more years, and re-signing Helly would be good for a couple more years of contention while other pieces develop, but there's going to be a bump in the road eventuall. For a small market team, that doesn't have free agent bargaining power, it's almost inevitable, because being good enough to be a playoff team lowers the quality of player you get in each round of the draft. And winning is important for the bottom line of this team, at this stage.
