In their now 15 years of existence, it would be difficult to find a comparison to any previous campaign that offers the excitement and anticipation that this camp starts with for the Winnipeg Jets and their fans.
Sure, 2011 was monumental for the team’s return to the city and 2018 holds a lot of value for the deep run the Jets made the previous spring, but this year is different in the tangible fervor leading up to the puck dropping in October.
As one player mentioned this week in earnest, there are a few simple reasons for that: namely, the signing of local star Jonathan Toews along with other NHL veterans in Gus Nyquist and Tanner Pearson. Between them, they have four Stanley Cups and more than 2,500 NHL games played.
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Even without Nikolaj Ehlers in the mix, the sentiment in the Jets’ room is that they believe they upgraded their roster this off-season with those acquisitions and, to a player, are excited to prove it.
With a bolstered lineup focusing on adding more depth for a second straight summer, netting a legitimate second-line centre and a few more NHL miles on players like Cole Perfetti, Morgan Barron and Dylan Samberg, the Jets feel they are even better prepared to not only navigate the long season ahead, but perhaps find uncharted waters next spring.
Now, what should be made clear here is that even with the team’s strong belief in themselves, there will be obstacles along the way – many of them in fact, as a new season commences – but the barometer of success shouldn’t be to repeat as Presidents’ Trophy champions, but rather how they perform after Game 82 is concluded.
To surmise, there is an old saying that suggests with great power comes great responsibility. In the case of the Jets this season, it might be more appropriate to say that with great excitement comes great expectations. And with training camp starting Thursday, those expectations might be incomparable to anything the last 14 seasons have presented.
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