Level Flight Ep. 89: The Winnipeg Jets’ 2023-24 Season is Over

Brian & Connor are back to discuss the Winnipeg Jets’ 2023-24 season ending in Game 5 with a 6-3 loss to the Colorado Avalanche. They talk about the series and season as a whole, and predict what the biggest offseason storylines will be.
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Go Jets!
#GoJetsGo

[@user-lt3td9dv5z]

Avalanche fan here. No offence, but your coaching staff didn't do their homework. Nuke plays on the top line often with Mack and Rantanen, and its deadly. And the Jets season wins gave your team confidence.

[@tconapauli1630]

WELL GOOD SHOW SORTA
NOT ALL OF US SURPRISED THO
HAD AVZ IN 6
HARD TO GO AGAINST THAT CUP PEDIGREE
ALLTHO I XPECTED MUCH CLOSER GAMES
LIKE IT OR NOT
JETS MADE MISTAKE NOT STARTN LB GM 4, TEAM NEEDED SHAKEUP N HELLY NEEDED BREAK

[@JasonSmith-pe5py]

I think you guys OVERRATED how ordinary your blueline is-other than Morrisey-especially against the Avs top 2 or 3 blueline.Ans you also overrated the gap in overall forward depth.As an Av fan-Id still say the Jets forwards are slightly deeper-though you'd never know it watching the series. But 5 game series is always a small sample size,etc. I think coaching was a factor but I've said all season that the Jets overachieved all season-relative to talent,& that you gotta credit coaching through the regular season.Jets have good talent but not elite.
II do kinda feel foolish for not sticking with what I've said all season that there is a talent gap,& Cup experience gap between these teams. But Giorgievs awful stretch late in the season scared me off of picking the Avs,& that we didn't add a veteran #2 or #3 goalie at the deadline.If Giorgiev couldn't get it done. Only guy we could really turn to was Aninen-a rookie who's played like 10 NHL games.(& maybe lucky for us got sick or they might've replaced Giorgiev after game 1....I would have-but it would've been a mistake with hindsight.) I also got scared off by Droins injury,you taking home ice at the end,& while season series head to heads never mean much-& I knew that-that last game at Ball arena did play a role in changing my pick.
Not that you beat us in that game-but getting shelled 7-0 in a late season game that both teams should've been uber motivated in-cuz it essentially decided home ice-that was an eye opener to witness in person. .I knew the Avs wouldnt get swept or run over-like so many thought,(even many Avs fans)-but I did go against my beliefs that we have the better roster,& Cup experience does matter,& I did pick WPG in 7. Ironically,many of the points I made this season,& advantages I saw for the Avs-\played out this series to an even greater degree. But in the playoffs-goalie is often the 2nd most important position in sports. You don't have to have elite goaltending-with talent like the Avs-but can't be awful- especially vs a guy like Hellunbuck. Although we all know Hellunbuck wasn't himself-I don't think much of this series really was his fault.But he wasn't remotely the difference maker many of us Av fans feared.
But getting Monahan early gave him more time to adjust,& fit in with your lineup-time Middlestadt didn't have here. But by the time the series started-Middlestadt started to feel comfortable just in time. As an Avs fan I looked foolish late in the reg season after saying at the deadline that Middlestadt is the superior player right now in 2024. Monahan was great during the reg season for you,& it surprised me he was that good. But I feel vindicated this series- that Middlestadt did look like the far superior addition this series. Again that doesn't mean Monahan is garbage like he looked this series -but when I said we got the better overall player-I think that played out. I was right on so much-lol the presumed goaltending gap caused me to overlook it all-even though I still believed we had the better overall team.
Also getting Walker was huge. Not just adding him to our lineup but keeping him away from especially WPG-since you are in our division but also Edmonton,& Vancouver-other West teams I heard were in on him.But the team that really desperately needed a guy like Walker-probably was WPG looking back.But great analysis guys-love the show even though we root for different teams.