from Paul Friesen of the Winnipeg Sun,

On paper, the Jets have everything you’d want to make a deep playoff run: A mix of skill and grit up front that has developed a hunger for more, a goalie who eats pucks at a high level and now a defence that’ll be far less fun to play against.

It’ll all cost a pretty penny, right up near the NHL salary cap, and you know where that leaves the expectations going into Year 11.

“It sets us up to be in a good spot and make some waves this year,” is how veteran Mark Scheifele put it. “I look at myself as being in the prime of my career and you want your team to be in that stage as well. This year, we have a team that can definitely do something and it starts now, it starts in training camp, and it has to continue to grow each and every day.

“Every single guy in that locker room is thinking that and it gets me excited every day.”

The fan who has lived through the previous 10 seasons might wonder what took so long.

But the right players coming available at the right time, with spending room to acquire them while drafting and re-signing your own, is a tricky game. When players want out, it adds another wrinkle.

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