NHL teams
Ryan Wagman, Hockey Prospectus 10y

Summer Skate: Winnipeg Jets

NHL

Summer Skate series index

Although the weather doesn't necessarily make us think of winter pursuits, it's a good time to take the temperature of every NHL team. Hockey Prospectus will guide us through the league-wide tour and spotlight one player trending up and one player trending down for each club, as well as a key statistic as we look ahead to the 2014-15 season. References will be made to goals versus threshold (GVT), a Hockey Prospectus proprietary statistic; for more on GVT, click here. All other advanced stats are courtesy of Stats.HockeyAnalysis.com.

Although the Winnipeg Jets might be the NHL's most anonymous lineup, the resuscitated franchise also has the most overlooked roster. The regular lineup is chock-full of talented players, most of whom still carry the bloom of youth and untapped upside. Unfortunately, they have generally been undone by suspect goaltending and a front office that has done next to nothing to fortify the team with either in-season or offseason trades.

Although the Central is the NHL's strongest division, the Jets have a core group that should be capable of competing year in and year out for playoff spots. This core includes Mark Scheifele and Jacob Trouba, two rookies who impressed in 2013-14. But the supporting cast has been a letdown, as the fourth forward line and the third defensive pairings have both been subpar, while the goaltending, particularly incumbent starter Ondrej Pavelec, have been among the NHL's worst.


Trending Up: Evander Kane, LW

Last season: 5.4 GVT
VUKOTA Projection: 9.4 GVT

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