Advertisement

Jets turn back to Ondrej Pavelec to save season he was sinking

Getty Images
Getty Images

The Winnipeg Jets are 20-23-4, and their 44 points puts them four out of the wild card in the Western Conference. This isn’t great, but it’s also not insurmountable – really, it’s nothing they couldn’t overcome if they could just keep the puck out of their own damn net once in a while.

Therein lies the problem: Connor Hellebuyck, the team’s goalie of the future, has been wildly inconsistent with a .907 save percentage. Michael Hutchinson has been … not good, with an .893 save percentage and a 3.23 GAA in 20 games.

They were given the net when Ondrej Pavelec, the beleaguered ex-starter, was dropped on waivers and sent to the AHL. Now, with their goaltending still in shambles, he’s been recalled to solve the problem that the solution to his problem has failed to solve. (Everybody got that?)

From the Jets:

The Winnipeg Jets Hockey Club, in conjunction with its AHL affiliate, the Manitoba Moose, announced today they have recalled goaltender Ondrej Pavelec from the Moose. Ben Chiarot has been placed on retro-active injured reserve to Jan. 11 with an upper-body injury.

Pavelec, 29, has played 18 games for the Manitoba Moose this season, registering an 8-7-2 record with a 2.78 goals against average and .917 save percentage. Prior to this season, the native of Kladno, Czech Rep., spent the previous five years with the Winnipeg Jets. Pavelec has played 371 NHL games over nine seasons and has a 148-154-47 record with a 2.86 career goals against average along with a .907 save percentage.

If nothing else, a three-headed goalie system will take some pressure off of the 23-year-old Hellebuyck, who is regressing in his second season in the NHL. But as a solution to the team’s goaltending problems, it’s hard to imagine this works. We’re unfortunately looking at something systemic.

Is this on Paul Maurice? Steve Dangle and Andrew Berkshire had an interesting look at whether he’s a coach whose systems simply produce bad goaltending, no matter the team:

Since Maurice’s career began in 1995, with the exceptions of only Burke, Barrasso, Legace, and Montoya, Maurice has always had below-average goaltending. That’s simply astonishing.

This isn’t to say some goalies have never had strong single seasons for Maurice. Pavelec had by far the best season of his career in 2014-15 with a .920 save percentage in 50 games. Ward posted a .923 while playing in a beastly 74 games for the 2010-11 Carolina Hurricanes. Weekes posted a .912 in 66 games for the 2003-04 Hurricanes, which was a blessing because the two guys behind him posted an .899 and .878.

With the exception of a few glimmers in net for Maurice though — oof.

But Ted Wyman of the Winnipeg Sun argues there are also Jets-specific issues that go beyond the coach:

Through 46 games, the Jets are allowing 3.02 goals per game, which is higher than how they finished in any other season. Their goals against per games played was 2.88 last year, 2.49 in 2014/15, 2.82 in 2013/14, 2.94 in 2012/13 and 2.95 in 2011/12. It adds up to an average of 2.846 since the beginning of the 2011 season, ninth worst in the NHL.

In terms of where they have ranked season by season in the league, it’s even worse. On average they have placed 25th. This year, they are 25th.

From head coaches Claude Noel and Paul Maurice to defensive coach Charlie Huddy, and goalie coach Wade Flaherty, to general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff, the Jets have not been able to do anything to become a better defensive team and have high-quality goaltending.

Despite having a familiar core of defencemen, including Dustin Byfuglien, Toby Enstrom, Tyler Myers, Mark Stuart and Jacob Trouba the Jets still allow far too many high-danger chances.

Again, it has to be embarrassing for the Jets to have to turn back to Pavelec, whom they banished to the AHL to solidify their goaltending. Instead, the Jets have a team GAA of 3.06. If the season ended today, that would make it the worst defensive team since their return to Winnipeg.

What a last laugh it would be if Ondrej Pavelec turned out to be their savior.

Greg Wyshynski is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Contact him at puckdaddyblog@yahoo.com or find him on Twitter. His book, TAKE YOUR EYE OFF THE PUCK, is available on Amazon and wherever books are sold.

MORE FROM YAHOO SPORTS