Video Description:
The conversation about Winnipeg begins at the 15:04 mark of the latest Ray & Dregs podcast, with former NHLer turned analyst Ray Ferraro and TSN insider Darren Dreger discussing the Jets’ recent struggles.
After Winnipeg’s hot 4-1-1 start, things have gone downhill in a hurry, prompting Dreger to ask Ferraro what’s happened over the last three weeks.
Ferraro spoke about the team galvanizing around Connor Hellebuyck’s absence but suggested that could only sustain them for so long. He offered the observation that “eventually you are who you are” and feels what we’ve seen recently is closer to what the Jets will look like when they don’t have their ‘A’ game.
Ferraro also discussed Viggo Björck, who was excellent to start the season, “playing carefree, playing aggressively.” However, he cautioned that the Jets need to take some of the pressure off him, given that he’s just an 18-year-old kid.
Dreger then weighed in on the growing disappointment among Jets fans and the possibility of a coaching change.
“When you see a team go through the struggles like Winnipeg is, one of the first things that you talk about is a coaching change. But I don’t feel it on their radar yet. Could it be on their radar in the very near future? Sure! You can’t lose 15 or 20 straight games and not do something. Change for the sake of change”. Dreger suggested a coaching change could give the Jets a bounce, but cautioned that the team would still have the same personnel and players.
For Ferraro, the point at which the head coach becomes the focus is “when the players lose the pushback. Not for a couple of games but they lose it for an extended period of time.”
He believes that’s what general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff needs to be watching for as the Jets try to work their way out of this slide.
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