OT: Your thoughts...

[Little Fury]

Winnipeg had the same team last season but got horrible goaltending and they missed the playoff while we almost won the Division with Vezina quality goaltending. This year they got Vezina level goaltending and we got horrible goaltending and we missed the playoffs while the Jets are in the Conference finals. So yes, goaltending is huge. Doesn't matter how much depth or how good your team is, if the goalie isn't stopping pucks then the team isn't going anywhere.

I'm not sure with whom you are arguing who claimed goaltending didn't matter or wasn't important but it sure as hell wasn't me.

Not even close.
The defensive effort by this team last season was pathetic at best. It wouldnt have mattered who played in net.
Far far too many dangerous scoring opportunities were given up...thats a recipe for failure for almost any goalie.
The goaltending could have been better but it wasnt the main problem. A lot of things could have been better.
Goal scoring and goaltending were secondary issues.
Defense and effort/execution were the primary issues.

Nah it was goaltending in so far as the team was mediocre defensively in 2016-17 but Talbot stole games. This year the D was a little worse and Talbot wasn't playing at a Vezina level. factor in the special team's issues and there's the story.

 

[Joey Moss]

If we were patient keeping Hall and selecting Barzal we still wouldn't have a Byfuglien. But we would have a better forward group then the Jets.

 

[Spawn]

Beyond the obvious of the Jets drafting and developing much better than us, I think they also had much better support for all that young talent they've been so good at getting.

Their best forward and d-man this season were acquired by a different regime on a different team. And also other guys like Little and Enstrom who are now more support players, but were able to take the load off some of the Jets youngsters over the years.

Goaltending certainly plays a roll in it, but people are kidding themselves if they think the only difference between the two teams is who is in net. We've got the best player, but the Jets have more top end, much better secondary scoring and a d-core that has better top end and better depth.

The Jets team is stacked. It's impressive.

 

[Hockeyholic]

Barring a Hasek like goaltending clinic by Talbot, the Jets would demolish the Oilers ( As both teams are currently constructed) in a sweep or 5 max.

They have way more depth. Scheifele & Wheeler are stars. Their D is better.

 

[Mr Positive]

With the Jets making the WCF, what are your guys' feelings towards our team considering we should be exactly where they are.

Astute drafting, trading, and FA signings. They did not make any (major) boneheaded decisions when they got swept in 2015 to the Ducks. They kept on with their plan.

I don't have any faith in our management team to get us to where we need to be, and should be right now.

Winnipeg inherited a great core from Atlanta. Byfuglien, Little, Wheeler, Ladd, Enstrom, Kane, Bogosian. The Winnipeg strategy was to be patient and fail year after year, waiting for the right opportunity and to find some luck. In that time, they wasted the potential primes of Ladd and Bogosian. Their perennial losing likely brought out frustration in Kane, leading to his trade, and nearly lost them Trouba. Finally, after so many years, luck smiled on them with the Laine lottery win, and this season Hellebuyck unexpectedly took 2 or 3 steps in development. And don't get me wrong, I say they get good credit for turning the disgruntled Kane and broken Bogo into Myers, and making good draft choices like Schiefele and Trouba.

Chiarelli did inherit good pieces, but not the complete team picture that Winnipeg had for years. He could not be patient because he didn't have a core to be patient with. I know it's easy to imagine that if we kept Hall, and didn't get Reinhart, everything would be great now, but that is flawed logic. Hall would never have been as good here as he was in NJ because he is the go to guy there, and has a well rounded defense behind him. As for Barzal, that's a weird one because on a team without Larsson, our defense would be in poor shape, we likely would not have made the playoffs yet, probably Talbot would have been shell-shocked by now, and Barzal would not have developed well in that environment.

 

[McShogun99]

I'm not sure with whom you are arguing who claimed goaltending didn't matter or wasn't important but it sure as hell wasn't me.

Nah it was goaltending in so far as the team was mediocre defensively in 2016-17 but Talbot stole games. This year the D was a little worse and Talbot wasn't playing at a Vezina level. factor in the special team's issues and there's the story.

Not arguing. Just agreeing with you and adding to your point.

 

[Soundwave]

Jets are a better team than last year's Oilers and way better than this year's Oilers that fell back down to Earth.

The Jets have built a legit offensive powerhouse, even last year they were in top 3 for scoring, this year they are even better. Oilers built a slow group around McDavid and downgraded their talent core multiple times the last three years for a mediocre group around McDavid that's only 1 real line deep (in terms of being a big threat).

Even if the Oilers find a way to replace the 60-ish goals lost from Maroon, Eberle, and Letestu being gone (which they won't due to awful management and little cap room), they still scored 247 last year ... the Jets scored 277 this year ... they would simply overwhelm the Oilers with a far better offence (D is comparable with 218 GA for the Jets vs. 214 GA for the Oilers 16-17).

 

[Little Fury]

Not arguing. Just agreeing with you and adding to your point.

Got you. My bad.