Can the Jets escape Atlanta?
BY DEREK CARSON - FAN FUEL BLOGGER
The second half of the 2011-2012 NHL regular season is underway and as we head toward the All-Star break, our teams have some soul searching to do.
In a seven-part series, I will present the burning question that will be keeping the players and fans of their favourite Canadian team up at night. Today I look at the Winnipeg Jets and wonder if they can get their own identity and escape their Atlanta Thrashers past.
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Hockey fans in Winnipeg inherited the uninspiring Atlanta Thrashers this past off-season and the Jets' GM, Kevin Cheveldayoff, needs to take a day off (hilarious) to fully assess which players are going to remain with the club for the future and which players just aren't Winnipeg Jets material. Cheveldayoff needs to resolve the identity crisis of a Canadian NHL club trapped in a southern U.S. franchise's body.
There's no danger of losing fan support if the team trades away any of its few marquis players (Dustin Byfuglien, Evander Kane or even the captain, Andrew Ladd) so the Jets pretty much have a blank slate to work with. It's an NHL GM's dream come true. Only time will tell if Cheveldayoff has the creativity and panache to turn this team into something Jets fans can be proud of.
This franchise needs to send a statement to the entire league and hockey fans everywhere that moving the Thrashers to Winnipeg was the right choice.
If you were in charge, what moves would you make?
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