Now, at this point is the team done tinkering with a lineup in which its core has qualified for the post-season in four straight years?
Likely not! Especially since they're going to have to remake their fourth line before now and training camp in September with the departures of Nate Thompson, Trevor Lewis and Mathieu Perreault to free agency.
But what this week's bold upgrades illustrate - and with possibly a few more still to come with the NHL courting season firmly upon us - is a strong message to the Jets' players and the team's fans that the window to win for Winnipeg is wide open and there's likely a three-year passage to fly through it.
Why three years?
Simply put, with five key players on the team's roster all having three years remaining on their current contracts the team's fortunes will be tied at this point to the remaining term on those deals.
That list in no particular order, includes Blake Wheeler, Mark Scheifele, Dylan DeMelo, Connor Hellebuyck and Dillon.
In reading the tea leaves, Jets management likely feel they are geared up for a legitimate run at a Stanley Cup for the next three seasons - a forecast that says if it doesn't happen between now and the end of 2024, then the organization will probably need to reassess - and likely start to rebuild.
That in-and-of-itself is a probably a fair timeline since trying to look beyond that would be like trying to nail down the next rain shower in the city.
Sure, everyone talks about winning Lord Stanley's mug coming out of training camp, but how many teams firmly believe it when the puck does in fact drop? It's like horse racing: not every horse in every race is in it to win.
Based on the foundation the Jets currently have, plus the key add-ons this week and maybe more still to come - most could say with confidence Winnipeg will be charting a flight plan toward another playoff spot next spring. And from there a puncher's chance of playing into June.
And if not in 2022, then they'll likely have two more cracks to get there after that before several integral contracts expire.
LANDING GEAR: Through seven rounds of the 2021 NHL Entry Draft last weekend there were a total of 223 players selected. Here are some interesting breakdowns within that grand number courtesy of the league by position, birth country and league. Position:defenceman 81; centres 53; left wings 35; right wings 33 and goaltenders 21. Birth Country: Canada 82; United States 50; Russia 29; Sweden 24; Finland 14 and other nations combined 16. League:WHL 32; OHL 26; QMJHL 24; USHL 19; Russia Jr. 16; NTDP 14; Sweden Jr. 12; Finland Jr. 10; and others combined 29….Of the three Europeans the Jets selected in the draft, it's likely the only one that will be playing in North American this coming season is defenceman Dmitri Kuzmin. His CHL rights are owned by the Flint Firebirds of the Ontario Hockey League and there's a strong possibility the 18-year-old will venture across the pond from his native Belarus to pursue better overall competition and an acclimation to the smaller ice surface game….Finally, our mailbag segment will likely debut in August. In order to help promote your interaction and queries we would like to offer everyone that submits a question a chance to watch a Jets' home game this coming season with a guest in the 680 CJOB broadcast booth. Winner(s) will be revealed in October. Please submit questions to @utilityvoice.
