Disappointment the main theme as Jets reflect on season

WINNIPEG -No matter what was discussed over the past week - personal milestones, four consecutive wins to close the season, or otherwise - one central theme emerged as the Winnipeg Jets closed out their 2021-22 season.
Disappointment.
A team that had made moves in the offseason to add names like Brenden Dillon and Nate Schmidt to the blue line, along with the potent offence provided by names like Kyle Connor, Nikolaj Ehlers, Mark Scheifele, and Blake Wheeler, was expected to be in contention late into the spring.
Or at least they would be one of the teams beginning the Stanley Cup Playoffs on May 2.
Unfortunately, that's not the case.
"We came into training camp talking about how we want to play the game," said Wheeler, who finished the season with 60 points in 65 games played.
"We have a forward group that can move really well, and a defensive group that can move the puck really well, so it seemed to be a great fit. Our goaltending speaks for itself. Nothing in particular stands out, but I feel like for stretches of the year we were bogged down, we were stuck, we were playing slow - just in a rut."

The Jets finished the season with a record of 39-32-11, but behind those numbers is a story of obstacles the team eventually wasn't able to overcome.
They started the campaign with consecutive losses in Anaheim and San Jose to open the season, losing Wheeler shortly after to the team's first positive COVID-19 test - which was an ongoing challenge throughout the season.
In the third game of the season, Winnipeg was clinging to a 5-4 lead over the Minnesota Wild when it appeared that Mark Scheifele had given the Jets a 6-4 lead with 1:14 left with an empty netter. The goal was called back due to Kyle Connor being offside, and the Wild not only tie the game shortly after, but win it 6-5 in overtime.
It was early in the season, but with hindsight being 20/20, it sure seemed like a sign of unfortunate things to come.
COVID-19 went through the team - not all at once, but slowly and methodically - long-time head coach Paul Maurice resigned in December, and lengthy injuries to Wheeler and Nikolaj Ehlers seemed to keep the Jets on their back foot. Toss in schedule changes related to COVID-19 (and two games with a near empty building), another to a blizzard, and an 11-19-2 record against the Eastern Conference, and it all added up to a season that fell short of expectations.
"We're mad about the way that it's gone and the only guys that can right the ship are the players," said Josh Morrissey, who had a career high 12 goals and 37 points. "It's an underachievement in my view and I think most guys in the room share the same opinion."
Within all the disappointment, there were positives from the season, even if no one in the organization was in a mood to celebrate them after missing the postseason for the first time since 2016-17.
Kyle Connor set franchise records for goals (47) and points (93) in a season and is a leading candidate for the Lady Byng Trophy as the player judged to have exhibited the best type of sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct combined with a high standard of playing ability.
His chase for 50 goals went right down to the final home stand of the season, but missing three games late in the season - due to his own positive COVID-19 test - kept him from reaching that number.
"You guys know me by now, it's not like I'm popping champagne because I hit a certain amount of goals or something," said Connor. "You expect it of yourself. You put in all the hard work and so when the results come, you're ready for it, you're ready for this stage."
Along with Connor's milestone, Paul Stastny hit 800 career points, Wheeler played his 1,000th NHL game, Eric Comrie earned his first NHL shutout, Dillon hit 700 career games, Schmidt his 500th, Scheifele his 600th, and many more.
Winnipeg also had six players make their NHL debuts - Mikey Eyssimont, Declan Chisholm, Dylan Samberg, Kristian Reichel, Johnathan Kovacevic, and Cole Perfetti.
Perfetti, Winnipeg's 10th round pick in the 2020 NHL Draft, started the season with the team, played 17 more with the Manitoba Moose, then rejoined the Jets before an injury ended his season on February 17.
The 20-year-old scored his first NHL goal against the Washington Capitals, and finished the season with seven points in 18 NHL games.
Perfetti was skating with the team in a non-contact jersey by season's end.
"This is going to be a big summer for me," said Perfetti. "It's four months where I can get stronger, get faster, do what I need to do to make sure that when I come back next September I'm in the best shape and my health is in the best spot."
A big summer can have an impact no matter what the age, as Pierre-Luc Dubois proved this season.
After being acquired from the Jets in January of 2021, Dubois had to serve a two-week quarantine, then battled injuries throughout much of his first campaign with the Jets. He had a regular summer of training leading into this season, and exploded with a career-high 28 goals and was one point shy of matching his personal best of 61 career points.
"We were one of those teams at the beginning of the year that did feel like we had a chance to win the Stanley Cup," said Dubois. "To not make the playoffs and be eliminated with like six games left, it's frustrating and very disappointing."
As for the new additions - Dillon and Schmidt - they shared the disappointment of not getting the team into the postseason.
Dillon was second on the team with a +16, the second highest in his career.
"We've all got to at least take that and say I want to get better this summer," said Dillon. "I want to come back and help the Winnipeg Jets get better because this year really was a, it does feel like a waste of a year when you think about what could have been. Those are just the thoughts and the times now that for the next four or five months you have to think about and not being able to change, unfortunately."
The players, coaches, and staff will all go through year-end interviews and then it's all in the hands of general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff to chart the course of the off-season.
There are no easy decisions, but Dillon feels the Jets need to come into next season with a chip on their shoulder.
"Everybody goes through the tough times," he said. "I think that's bringing experience from our past teams, good and bad, to be able to relate with guys and kind of help them along the way and help everyone stay in somewhat of a positive mood and understand the greater goal, which is once again, to get in the playoffs and then anything can happen."