from Damien Cox of Sportsnet,

... the lingering uncertainty of soon-to-be-free-agents Dustin Byfuglien and captain Andrew Ladd certainly hangs over this team, along with the larger question of whether the Jets are ever going to try and compete more aggressively by becoming a cap team and thus rewarding those who pack their rink every game.

We can talk about how the Jets take more penalties than most teams, and give up more power plays than anyone else. They give up more goals per game than they score and have anemic special teams and are, generally, much better at home than on the road.

Blake Wheeler plays like an elite forward most nights, and Drew Stafford has been very good after giving the Jets organization a shot in the arm by choosing to re-sign in Winnipeg last summer after coming over as part of the Evander Kane trade.

But at the end of the day, you have to ask: Do the Jets, with $11.5 million of unused cap space, have the talent to match up with the real contenders in the NHL?

The answer is no, at least not right now. And if Ladd and Byfuglien both leave, it’s hard to see any time soon when the Jets will be able to say they’ve got the talent to really challenge.

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