Winnipeg Jets 2011-12 Player Leaders and GM Analysis

The new Winnipeg Jets 2.0 would be built on the Atlanta Thrashers hockey team that did not have much to be proud of.  True North acquired a team that were just one or two steps above an expansion franchise.

Winnipeg and Manitoba adopted the team enthusiastically despite the team’s past performance. To begin analyzing how GM Kevin Chevaldayoff has attended to the team here is a list of the Winnipeg Jets skaters (ranked by point totals) and goalies (ranked by games played) for the 2011-12 season, their first in Winnipeg.

Each player who played in 2011-12 is identified by how they were acquired by the Atlanta Thrashers/Winnipeg Jets which can be via a Trade deal, a Draft pick, a Free Agent signing, or a Waiver pickup. Below this table I provide a summary of the makeup of the team and also track the team’s continuity to the 2012-13 season.

NS = Next Season   CD = Cheveldayoff’s Deals

In reviewing the 2011-12 scoring table, the Jets found some success finding scoring from previous unknown sources with having 10 different players scoring 10+ goals. They also experienced a bit of turnover with their roster due to injuries and other issues. It was not clear who the core of the team was which is not surprising since the team had new coaching.

Below I separate out the Jets Roster by the Player Route taken or the way the player got to be part of the Jets. We find that the Jets are getting most of their performance from Atlanta’s draft picks. The Free Agents contributed less than their team makeup while players acquired by Trade made up some missing points but also had the by far worst plus/minus ratings as a group. Ouch!

Now how well did Cheveldayoff do as far as his contributions to the team? Using the numbers above, I separated out those players that he directly had a hand in bringing to the Jets either via Draft, Free Agency, Trade, or Waiver pickup. You can see his 2011-12 transactions here.

So after a full season, we see Cheveldayoff tinkering with the team by introducing some Free Agents, making some Trades, and picking up a few Waivers. Players he directly had a hand in acquiring made up 36.84% of the roster, but they underperformed in all areas. Those players were poor on goals/points and atrocious on the plus/minus. Not a good first year as a GM.

Perhaps this poor performance is a trend that is found across the NHL, but it definitely puts Cheveldayoff’s decisions in a bad light. Still we have to remember that the work of a GM is a long term vision and Cheveldayoff’s impact should be better when his draft picks start to crack the lineup.

Essentially the Winnipeg Jets are just a tad different from the 2010-11 Atlanta Thrashers
with the majority of those players continuing to play for the organization.

The Jets improved their season standing from 34-36-12 to 37-35-10 with essentially the same team.
The slight improvement could be due to the move to Winnipeg which brought a
new management structure and hockey crazy fans with higher expectations.