Winnipeg Jets Morning Papers

Note:  The Jets kick off the first game of their three game road trip tonight in Glendale against the Coyotes.  Sounds like there will be plenty of Jets fans in the crowd.

Jets news:

Winnipeg Free Press:  Jets are men on a mission.  Gary talks about his change of perception of the leadership of this group.

Winnipeg Free Press:  Kane back on the ice; unsure when he’ll play on road trip.  Just like the Jets need a healthy blue line, the team is in desperate need of an infusion of some scoring.  Many will be watching practice to see when Evander switches from a power blue non-contact jersey to a contact one.

Winnipeg Sun:  Bogosian will be back in Jets lineup against Coyotes.  Not a moment too soon as the Jets defence desperately needs the return of #44 and his ability to log big minutes for the club.  Paul also writes about Pavelec being given an opportunity to prove himself with a strong performance.

Winnipeg Sun:  Saluting Selanne.  Plenty of Jets fans will be at the Honda Center to pay respect to the Finnish Flash and pay homage to what he meant to this prairie city starting with his first game in the 1992/93 season to the middle of the 1995/96 season.

Winnipeg Sun:  #JetsArmy ready for 3 games in 4 days.  In this space you can watch for photos, videos, tweets and stories about the Manitoba road warriors as folks head south to take in this road trip.

Sportsnet:  Mid-season report card.  The Jets were given a B+ overall as they ranked the usual factors (goaltending, coaching, etc).

USA Today:  Top 25 NHL potential unrestricted free agents.  Jets fans have to hope that Frolik’s name will be off this list and signed long term by the organization.  

Illegal Curve:  Coach Maurice scrum (audio).  On looking a little differently in the next two weeks.  Will Kane play during road trip?  Byfuglien & Little’s status as neither practiced today.  What does he see differently from Byfuglien this year?  On the players liking the challenge of the upcoming road trip.  Is the challenge fun?  Does he expect a boost for players as regulars return to the lineup?  Has he made any decisions on the goalie?  Returning to a rotation?  How does he see Pavelec during this stretch when he isn’t playing as often as he is used to?  A challenge to stay focused when he doesn’t play as often.  On how prospects in the system change the way they look at the lineup.  How has the process (all the injuries) been for him?  At almost mid way point in the season how does he feel about the team?  Does he expect any injured players to play this trip?  What happens with Byfuglien when everyone returns to defence?

TSN 1290 Winnipeg:  The Big Show (audio).  Paul Edmonds explains why Hutchinson taking over the Jets crease could push Ondrej Pavelec to step up his game.

Prospect news:

Hockey’s Futures:  Jets have a steady group of young pros at work in Newfoundland.  A breakdown of the Winnipeg prospect pool with an assessment of the players.

ESPN:  Grading every team based by WJC prospects.  Jets are one of the highest graded teams with an A. Pronman has notes on every drafted prospect. The article requires you to be an ESPN Insider to read it.

NHL Mid-Week:

Illegal Curve:  Replay.  0:00 – Winnipeg Jets lose to San Jose on Monday, begin a stretch of six games in eight days.   15:14 – Winnipeg Jets vs. Arizona Coyotes Preview.  24:06 – Interview with Tyson Nash, Arizona Coyotes Analyst.  35:46 – Toronto Maple Leafs fire Randy Carlyle.  47:52 – Interview with Michael Traikos, National Post.  1:00:35 – World Junior Hockey Championship Recap.  1:12:15 – Boston Bruins struggles this season.  1:23:48 – Mike Yeo’s meltdown.