Jets embracing lofty expectations

Expectations can often be a tricky subject to navigate, though that did not prevent Scott Arniel from going down that road during the first on-ice sessions of training camp.

With medicals and physicals in the rearview mirror, the head coach of the Winnipeg Jets leaned in on the pursuit of the ultimate goal in his first question and answer period with reporters on Thursday at Hockey For All Centre.

“Every one of us in this room, we’ve talked about it and we’re not afraid to talk about the Stanley Cup,” said Arniel, back for a fourth season and the second as the head coach after finishing second in Jack Adams Trophy voting behind Spencer Carbery. “There’s a ton of work that has to happen to get there. Our group realizes that when we play our style, when we attack the way we attack, when we defend the way we defend, our specialty teams are good and we get real good goaltending, that we’re as good as anybody in this league.”

Looking for more proof?

The Jets captured a second consecutive Jennings Trophy for allowing the fewest goals in the NHL last season, they had the top power play in the league, showed improvement on the penalty kill, and finished in the top-10 in goals scored.

They got off to the best start in NHL history (15-1) and set franchise marks for wins (56) and points (116) on the way to capturing the Presidents’ Trophy as the best team during the regular season.

In short, the Jets do a lot of important — not to mention difficult — things really well.

They know what they’re supposed to look like and they bring that to the ice on a consistent basis.

This group has built an identity, one that includes being fully committed to defending well while also having the ability to create offence.

Even with all of those things going the Jets’ way, they were left disappointed after a heartbreaking, overtime loss in Game 6 in the second-round playoff series with the Dallas Stars.

No, this wasn’t a third consecutive first-round ouster, but the memorable season still ended up 10 wins shy of the ultimate goal.

So, as much progress was made — and make no mistake, there was significant progress — there is further ground to cover before a parade can be planned.

“Obviously that has to all come into the playoffs, and we won’t really talk about that yet,” said Arniel. “It’s all about building to get there. But this group, in the last three years, we’ve won the most regular-season games in the league. Florida has played the most playoff games, 63 playoff games. That’s the next goal, that’s what we have to get to.”

So how do the Jets get there? And how do they get over the hump?

That’s what the coaching staff, management team and players spent the summer trying to figure out individually and collectively.

Lessons have been learned, including some painful ones that left scars — though it’s often said that the toughest portions of the trek are what often makes the pursuit worthwhile.

“It’s the opportunity that’s in front of them and the hunger and the scars and the pain that get left behind when you don’t get as far as you collectively want to,” said Jets general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff. “Every group learns a certain something along the way. Very fortunately for us, this group shares in its successes and shares in its disappointments. It’s about even taking it to another level.”

As an organization looking to take the next steps and reach that next level, speaking with confidence is only part of the battle — though having belief in the program that has been installed and the players that surround you is essential.

Adding three players with Stanley Cup pedigree since the last NHL trade deadline — Luke Schenn in a deal with the Nashville Predators and Jonathan Toews and Tanner Pearson in free agency — was not a coincidence.

“That’s the dream. That’s the goal. You don’t just get to the dream, you don’t just get to the goal,” said Cheveldayoff. “You have to embrace that journey. One thing I know for sure, you can’t win the Stanley Cup by yourself. It has to be a group. It has to be a team. And there’s never going to be a straight line to that success.

“There are going to be peaks and valleys and twists and turns. To have people that have endured the peaks and valleys and the twists and turns and have been able to hoist the actual prize, those are valuable things that you always can learn from.”

On-ice actions will ultimately speak the loudest, but Cheveldayoff has consistently shown that he believes in this core group and that core group continues to believe in what is being built.

That’s why so many homegrown players have made a long-term commitment to sticking around and seeing it through.

Certainly there have been some notable departures, but the additions to personnel should allow the Jets to remain in the legitimate contender category — though they’re not overly concerned with the outside noise or whether or not they’re being chosen by the pundits during prediction season.

“You didn’t use the word — that ‘window’ word — but for me, it’s the worst word a coach could ever hear because if that window closes and you’re still here, that’s usually not good,” said Arniel. “We’ve been trying to build a foundation. Our structure, our dressing room has become unbelievable. Our leadership has really stepped up. All of these different things that helped us to build these last couple of years.

“We’re trying to win a Stanley Cup. We’ve put a lot of good pieces of our foundation in the last couple years and now it’s time to step forward again this year. Hopefully it’s this year but it’s all about what we’ve been building to get to this part.”

Now comes the fun part.

As the Jets found out after their lone trip to the Western Conference final back in 2018, future playoff success is far from a guarantee — even when a lot of the building blocks appear to be firmly in place.

The 82-game regular season is a grind and it requires a team’s full attention. It is not a time for shortcuts and you don’t get to just pick up where you left off the spring before. Good habits are mandatory and incremental growth must be a constant.

There’s a heightened sense of urgency for a group that features plenty of key players either approaching or are already north of 30 years old.

“They’re driven to win,” said Arniel. “They recognize how good of a hockey team we are. Sure, we lost some players that were a big part of this organization that helped us have success the last couple of years, but we’ve also added some really good pieces.

“If we go out and do what we expect and hope that we can do… we’re going to be a successful hockey team again.”

Just how successful a hockey team won’t be determined until Games 83 and beyond, though it’s easy to see why there’s plenty of optimism around these parts.

ken.wiebe@freepress.mb.ca

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