Utah were full value for that one. They hardly gave Vegas a sniff in the last 15 minutes.

Everyone will fixate on Chevy or Arniel, and lord knows they should go, but one sign I'd take as a serious recognition of the issues? Changing the AHL/scouting staff including Zinger and Hillier. This team has to be way better at drafting and development. You can't just warehouse your pals there.

I'll just repeat what I routinely said to Oiler fans during the decade of darkness: A team going bad almost always starts with ownership. Chipman has to want change. If he can't get employees to change he needs to have different employees, but he has to want change and be willing to make it happen.

That's the best state for the Bruins: beaten and confused. Long may it continue.

Apparently Tage has had enough of that shit.

Yeah, I expect one of the more insular owners in the league isn't about to change things. They've fired one meaningful guy (Noel) in 15 years.

I guess they've had enough of getting launched by the Oilers, but yeah, they're in trouble.

Or a bodega.

Also, for all you kids out there, when a team starts to slide, it almost always starts with ownership. If the Jets keep on with their current management and development staff, that'll be on the owner, and no one else. I'm no Chevy fan, but he doesn't sign his own paycheques.

Thank the deity of your choice that's over.

It's just astonishing, really. Endless logrolling, to use an old Spy Magazine term.

Like I mentioned earlier tonight, he'll outlast Chevy.

Tough game to play? One team played last night and the other looks like they belong in the SPHL. There's no excuse worth mentioning. They're exactly what their record shows.

Young skill vs. whatever the Jets are is not really a fair fight tonight.

Sawyer's endless excuses are something else. He'll have a job longer than Chevy.

I'm not putting any stock in this particular game, but one thing that the Jets have done for as long as I can remember is be second to loose pucks. A lot of it is their historic lack of mobility on defence, but some of it is that so many of their forwards tend to glide into puck battles.

Man, the Flyers and Bruins make the playoffs and you turn on them. Sad :)

If I were a Blue Jays fan I'm not sure I could watch Hoffman try to close games unless I was in the fetal position.

The Jets have never looked competitive in Utah. Tonight isn't a good barometer, but the games last year looked the same.

Play him and Chibby top nine minutes tomorrow and Thursday. I'd say let Ville have a run as well, but my realism gets in the way.

I'm sure Chevy/Arniel/Chipman will have their excuses, and Hellebuyck's injury was clearly a serious issue, but Chevy in particular shouldn't be given a moment's grace. This fiasco has been brewing since last year's deadline/off-season. Mix in some iffy drafting/develoment, and here we are.

Yeah. I think they have to be very careful about letting guys go to their walk year. Getting zip for Ehlers was understandable given where the team was in terms of competing, but I don't think that can happen again in this market.

No, and they're ultimately responsible for their effort. I just think they're an old team and they only have so many maximum effort nights in them. They had nothing tonight and the goalie was shit too, so it snowballed. It happens, but historically Helle has carried them in the past.

Yeah, that recognition and being willing to move on was very smart. Chevy likely would have kept Huby and Weegar because that would have been the safe play. Of course, Chevy's boss likely would have horned in as well, which is another matter. Most bad teams are bad from the owner's suite on down.

I have two thoughts on this. First, if you can't be ready in game 79 in a must win, that's not great.

That noted, the Jets lack talent, particularly at forward, compared to good teams. It's hard to outwork your skill deficit in a league where every good team puts in a shift most nights.

Also, instead of taking a victory lap, Florida intentionally broke up that 122 point team and hired a new coach the following off-season because their GM didn't think they could win 4 rounds. They prospered in the aftermath. Not expecting that type of approach from Chevy.

This is the 5th full season since the pandemic. Here are the previous 4 President's Trophy winners' point totals followed by their next year:

Florida: 122-92, -30
Boston 135-109, -26
New York Rangers: 114-85, -29
Winnipeg 116-82 so far, at least -28.

This really is the best possible result. The Jets really weren't good enough last year (9 goals in 6 road playoff games was a tell), but this team is openly bad and Helle has mostly been playoff Helle since his surgery. They need a slap in the face and high draft picks.

I'd be more worried that Chevy doesn't ask because that's not the True North way.