5 Stanley Cup playoff teams from 2019 that won’t clinch in 2020
By Kyle McKenna
3. Winnipeg Jets
The news that Dustin Byfuglien wouldn’t be skating with the Winnipeg Jets this season was shocking, but the Jets’ overall struggles have been a surprise too.
Or maybe not considering the team’s blueline no longer entails Big Buff, Jacob Trouba or Tyler Myers. It appears that Winnipeg is missing the same overall depth it once possessed for the last couple of seasons, and now the Jets are suffering in the big, strong and deep Western Conference, let alone a revamped Central Division.
Similar to San Jose, fans are quick to put all of the issues at the feet of head coach Paul Maurice, who has coached the Jets since taking over for Claude Noel in 2013-14. Winnipeg may need a new perspective and voice behind the Jets’ bench, but this team was picked by most to at least reach the Stanley Cup Final last year.
In the blink of an eye, the Jets’ Cup hopes are on hold, especially with their average start of playing .500 hockey to start the first month of the season. There’s no balance nor consistency to Winnipeg’s game, which won’t fair well in the standings with teams such as the Colorado Avalanche, Nashville Predators and St. Louis Blues all bidding for a Cup Final this year.
Speaking of revamped divisions, the Pacific Division teams decided that they’ll spice things up this year, as it appears that it will send five teams to the playoffs in 2020. That’s just one other factor the Jets will have to compete with if they want to clinch a berth in the playoffs for the third-straight season.