It's been awhile since the Winnipeg Jets hit the ice and then quickly cleaned out their lockers at the end of their second season in Winnipeg.

It also seemed like a long time before the playoffs started after that last loss to the Montreal Canadiens in late April.

And it seems like even a longer time until the Jets will once again hit the ice.

So cruel - not to have playoff hockey in Winnipeg this time of year.

So cruel the Jets didn't make it.

Fact is, they didn't deserve it.

Watching the upstart New York Islanders and what they have accomplished and seeing the team they put together relates to me that the Jets were not that team - a team that was going to make the playoffs.

With next year's move to a tougher division looming, the Jets have little time or space to make mistakes this off-season and make it a hat trick of playoff eliminiation before the playoffs begin.

It was very interesting how the fans didn't have that same passion this season.

The honeymoon is most definitely over.

It's like in marriage, where year three is a very pivotal and possibly stressful year of the relationship.

Will the fans come back if year three is another dud?

If I see a player jersey on the ice with the names "Hainsey," "Antropov," "Wellwood," and "Miettinen," then we might see some cracks in the relationship.

Truth is, Kevin Cheveldayoff needs to start doing his job at a more elite and trusted level.

The fans are trusting him to make this team relevant.

Because the only thing keeping this team relevant are the fans.

As the off-season continues, Jets All Out will bring you the biggest needs and wants in the Jets organization, show you the future, and predict whether or not this Winnipeg Jets team will be the team that will make a playoff run in the future.

For Jets fans, let's hope that Cheveldayoff does his job.

Prior to the Winnipeg Jets final regular season meeting with the Florida Panthers (which turned out to be the funnest game to go to as a Jet when it came to being absolutely bored in the third period after a 7-2 win), I read the Winnipeg Free Press and immediately was upset by the headline: "Ghosts of Atlanta".

Then, on Thursday, April 11, I had a reason to be angry.  The Jets were still pursuing a playoff spot - something the former Atlanta Thrashers had a very poor habit of doing - and to top it off, the Jets were starting to play some good hockey.

That 7-2 win was the middle of the Jets current five game winning streak.  So what's with this "Ghosts of Atlanta" garbage anyway?

Is membership down for the Winnipeg Free Press?

Official paper of the Winnipeg Jets?  Right.  I want to read a paper that always compares my hockey team to their former selves all the time (tongue firmly in cheek).

In fact, between when the Thrashers made their only trip to the post-season in the 2007 playoffs and their final season in Atlanta, their stretch runs were nothing to write home about.

In 2007-08, the Thrashers picked up only 11 points in 15 March games, while compiling a 4-8-3 record, including a five game losing streak that all but secured them 14th place with 76 points (18 points out) and a quality tee time.  

In 2008-09, the Thrashers had a strong March, winning many one goal games, but a lackluster start to the season saw them bow out and finish in a familiar 14th place with 76 points (17 points out)

In 2009-10, a poor start to March did them in with a five game losing streak from March 6th to 12th along with losing seven of their last ten games only picking up eight possible points for a 10th place finish with 83 points (five points out)

And in 2010-11, if anyone needs reminding here, the Thrashers once again tanked in March en route to losing out in the Southeast Division sweepstakes and winning only ten games in the final three months of the season.  In their final season, they finished in a dismal 12th place with 80 points (13 points out) and a relocation trip to Winnipeg.

Now last year's 11th place finish (12 points out) was not any improvement, but that was last year's team and that was last's years playoff drive.

And yes, the Jets did start to tank things a bit come mid-March, but they have managed to do something that the other guys didn't do very often (save 2009-10) - start a winning streak when it matterered and be tied for a spot with five or less games remaining.

Since the Jets are getting no help from the likes of the New York Rangers, New York Islanders, or Ottawa Senators these days (not to mention the Toronto Maple Leafs, whom Jets fans do not want to get a playoff berth on their watch), the Jets have focused on the task at hand and won their first five games as a franchise since November 2010.

But my reaction and sentiment remain the same: We are Winnipeg! Not Atlanta!

So stop with the same old, same old garbage saying we are Atlanta, becasue we are not.

If we were Atlanta, the MTS Centre would have crickets occupying the 300's and have a goal horn that made 75% of the noise when our team scored.

And also have a team that would not be in this close of a playoff run.

Winnipeg Jets fans should remember why their team left in the first place in 1996.

It was because the management couldn't put together a team that could compete on a regular basis. 

They wouldn't put together the team.

The didn't put together the team.

If Winnipeg wants to keep their Jets again, they need to be more aggressive in their wheeling and dealing.

First off, the Jets were in need of a scoring forward.  They ended up picking up Mike Santorelli - a former 20 goal scorer in 2010-11 with the Florida Panthers - off waivers.

Santorelli isn't exactly the gem of the trade deadline deals.  He managed only 11 points in 60 games last season and only three points in 24 games before finding himself playing time with the AHL's San Antonio Rampage.

Second and final move of the day was putting Nik Antropov on the injured reserve for two weeks or so.

To say I'm disappointed and upset that the Jets didn't make any kind of deal would be an understatement.

It is frustrating to say the least that the Jets, in the midst of a four game losing streak, did not think to make a move to wake some players up.

The Jets put an uninspired Antropov on the IR and moved an equally uninispired Dustin Byfuglien onto the right win with Andrew Ladd and Bryan Little. 

That is scary and disappointing.

It is true Byfuglien is one of the most inconsistent defensemen defensively, but one of the highest scoring blueliner over the last two and a few seasons.

The actual truth of the matter is that Byfuglien is not a forward and should not be considered for being deep in the zone or in front of the net unless it is a power play - circa against Vancouver Canucks in the 2010 playoffs.

As a forward with the Chicago Blackhawks, Big Buff had 101 points in 226 games, while he has had 127 points in  180 games in his last three seasons on defense.

For the Jets, paying Byfuglien $5.75 million for the next two years and $6 million the year after isn't worth him scoring only 30-40 points as a forward versus 50-60 points as a defenseman, no matter how liable he is defensively.

Which brings us to the next problem, what are the Jets going to do exactly with 2012 first round pick Jacob Trouba?

Trouba decided to forego continuing his NCAA hockey career at Michigan to turn pro at only 19.

Apparently Jets fans and Twitter think Trouba is the saviour of the Jets season.

I'm sorry - but he is not.

Trouba, if anything, needs time in the AHL before becoming a full time defenseman with the Jets, which I am more than sure he will become.

Finishing the season in the AHL will help his gradual development.  

For me, going straight to the NHL is more in the way of the Atlanta Thrashers - not the Winnipeg Jets.

And I'm sick and tired of still being the Thrashers and possibly making the same mistakes they did.

With Ron Hainsey's contract all but going to be up and not resigned (which would be a smart move positionally and financially), Trouba is the next best asset to put into the Jets lineup.

For now though, the AHL would be the best for a proper development.

Lastly, the Jets don't seem to be too aggressive.  It has been almost two seasons and the Jets have yet to make a significant trade or signing.

Olli Jokinen's two year contract this summer at $4.5 million per season has been Kevin Cheveldayoff's biggest achievement so far.

However, this team is still the former Thrasher core along with many different bits and pieces put in here and there, including many second or third liners in the likes of Antti Miettinen, Kyle Wellwood, Eric Tangradi, James Wright, Anthony Peluso, and now Mike Santorelli.

I had a co-worker say that it seems the Manitoba Moose seemed to want to win more when they were in the town in the AHL than the current tenants of the MTS Centre.

It has to be understood that True North and Jets management are taking a very patient approach to how they are building this team, but right now they do not have the core that they need and many tweaks need to be made. 

The Jets missed the memo that the trade deadline was the time to do that.

If the 5-2 loss to the New York Islanders Tuesday night showed anything of the Jets it was that they seemed to not matter what the outcome is.

To say it bluntly - the Jets look like they don't care what the score is, they just want to make money - not win hockey games.

Harsh, granted, but from a fan's perspective, it is evident in their body language and their play.

Time for the Jets to change up the lineup or give Claude Noel walking papers because this season is going the same way that last season did.

Dustin Byfuglien is one player that the Winnipeg Jets love to have some nights, but could do without other nights.

After watching a home game in Chicago this past week, it was apparent that Chicago fans loved their Big Buff when he was in a Blackhawks uniform.

For Jets fans, the same thing is happening - a love affair between #33 and the fans in Winnipeg.

But for me, it doesn't always mean you like Dustin Byfuglien.  

Just like any healthy relationship, you can love the person, but you don't always need to like them.

Watching Byfuglien over the course of the last month, it comes apparent he isn't always a blessing, but sometimes a curse.  His -4 rating over March has been indicative of his true play.  After a +5 February and an even January, it seems that Byfuglien is becoming more and more of a defensive liability.

A slow backcheck or a lazy play on the back end have resulted in more goals against than the Jets coaching staff would care for.  The Jets have a -17 goals for/goals against ratio, which is the worst for a team currently holding down a playoff spot.  The closest teams are the New Jersey Devils at -9 and the Dallas Stars at -8.  

Both teams either are very shutdown defensively or are very good offensively.

Despite his inconsistent defensive play over the last three seasons as a full-time defenseman, Byfuglien has been able to post 127 points in his last 178 games - one of the top producing blueliners over that time.

Along with his regular defensive partner Toby Enstrom, the Jets have one of the best offensive pairings in the league, but still lack that defensive shutdown capabilities.

A positive can be seen in that Byfuglien has improved from a -8 rating last year to a +1 rating this season so far, but there is much to still learn for the Jets Big Buff.

Love him or hate him, he is something the Jets need but sometimes can do without.

It may have been one game the Winnipeg Jets were never in.

Yeah, the Jets have Zach Bogosian, Dustin Byfuglien, Evander Kane, Blake Wheeler, Andrew Ladd, and Toby Enstrom.

But the Pittsburgh Penguins have Chris Kunitz, Brandon Morrow, Brooks Orpik, Evgeni Malkin, and the best player in the world - Sidney Crosby.

Oh and they just added another all-time great Jarome Iginla.

Getting outshot by the Penguins two to one was bad enough Thursday night, but it shows some perspective on where this team is, was, and were it wants to go.

In Atlanta two years ago, this franchise looked to be going nowhere fast.

Now in Winnipeg, it seems that there is a need to improve this team and do it the right way: with patience.

Pittsburgh, not even a decade ago, did what every cellar-dwelling team dreams of: building a powerhouse that becomes a dynasty.

It wasn't that long ago I remember watching the Montreal Canadiens beat up on the last place Penguins on a Sunday afternoon 8-1.

Gaining pick after pick, the Penguins have risen to the top.  That top includes two Eastern Conference championships and one Stanley Cup - with much more hopefully on the way.  Picks included Marc-Andre Fleury, Malkin, Crosby, Brooks Orpik, Kris Letang, and trading and signing for the likes of Paul Martin, James Neal, Brandon Morrow, Jarome Iginla, and Chris Kunitz.

For the Jets, they have taken a similar route, but it has taken more time to evolve because of the former managment's poor management.  Picks include Kane, Bogosian, Bryan Little, Ondrej Pavelec, Enstrom, and Burmistrov.  Trades have brought in talent such as Wheeler, Byfuglien, and Ladd.

The biggest push for the Penguins to attain even more talent than they did before is their ability to attract the talent with their talent heavy lineup.  Pittsburgh is a desirable place to play in the NHL.  Players want to win, since why Iginla had the last word in his trade to the Penguins over the Boston Bruins.

For Winnipeg, the time is coming, slow as it may seem.

Many current Jets players have enjoyed their stay and have signed long-term extensions.  Point in case, Toby Enstrom, Andrew Ladd, and Ondrej Pavelec.

Others, such as Bogosian, Wheeler, and Little have the onus on resigning long-term contracts and have good feelings of resigning because of the time they have had in Winnipeg.

Recent picks, including fan favourites Mark Scheifele and Jacob Trouba, only add to the optimism that can be felt amongst Winnipeg Jets fans.

It may take awhile, but Jets fans should sit and watch Penguins fans joy at being elite.

Becuase right now the fans are the most elite in the league in Winnipeg and they are helping their team to become just that too.

One of the most interesting prospects in the Winnipeg Jets organization has to be Guelph Storm right winger Scott Kosmachuk.

Known as a feisty power forward for the 39-23-2-4 Storm this season, Kosmachuk has led the team in scoring with 65 points in 68 games - including a team high 35 goals.

Not to mention his 105 penalty minutes and plus three rating, Kosmachuk continues to improve steadily and consistently.

In his third full season in Guelph, the nineteen year old Toronto native has seen his production rise from 21 points in 68 games in 2010-11 to 59 points in 67 points in 2011-12 to this year's total of 65 points in 68 games.

His rise from 21 points (six goals, 15 assists) in 2010-11 to 59 points (30 goals, 29 assists) in 2011-12, it made him a third round, seventieth overall pick in the 2012 NHL Entry Draft.

Coming into the 2012 NHL Entry Draft, Kosmachuk was ranked 24th amongst North American skaters, but saw 25th ranked Tanner Pearson go before him at 30th overall (ranked 25th in North America), Scott Laughton go at 20th overall (ranked 28th in North America), and even fellow Jets pick Lukas Sutter go before him at 39th overall (ranked 39th in North America).

For where Kosmachuk went, it could be one of the biggest steals of the draft.  Kosmachuk was more apt to be a middle-to-late second round pick to an early third round pick (where he ended up being taken).

At 6'0, 177 pounds, the gritty winger has potential to be a Dave Bolland type player with his power forward type play and his scoring touch as of the last two OHL seasons in Guelph.

With one more year of eligibility in the OHL, Kosmachuk could potentially gain more of a scoring touch and take that last step in junior to becoming a good professional.

The Guelph Storm winger isn't on a steep learning curve as say first rounders Mark Scheifele or Jacob Trouba, but he is one of those players to look for coming up through the AHL ranks.

It is more than likely that Kosmachuk will need more seasoning not only in junior but in the AHL as well.  Look for him to not make any attempt at the Jets lineup for a few years or until he has had a year or two under his belt in St. John's.

Scott Kosmachuk is one player to be looking out for on our Jets All Out Propsect Predictor.

It's time to see whether Kevin Cheveldayoff practices what he preaches.

It's also time to see if the Winnipeg Jets franchise is going to stay true to their word when it comes to young, promising prospects.

They have been on pace with their first ever draft pick in Mark Scheifele, as the young centre is playing in his second OHL playoffs since being drafted in 2011.  With only eleven games of NHL play in two seasons (at the start of the season mind you) and only one goal, it only made sense to not rush Scheifele and give him time to develop.

It would even make sense to play him an entire season in St. John's and the AHL to develop professionally before bringing him up full-time into the NHL.  Why not?  The Jets are in no hurry as their predecessors were, if some of the current players can give any proof of.

The Jets do not want Scheifele to become another Alexander Burmistrov - because they already have one player the likes of him - a player rushed into the NHL with only one year of junior hockey under his belt because of the need for upper class players in the lineup to put rear ends in seats in a non-hockey market.

Now that the team is in a hockey market, there is no need to that with Scheifele or any prospect for that matter.

That is why the Jets are in a good situation with their most recent first round pick - defenseman Jacob Trouba.

After a very solid rookie season in the NCAA with the University of Michigan where Trouba scored 29 points (12 goals, 17 assists) in 37 games, there are whispers that Trouba is thinking of turning pro despite only one year of college hockey under his belt.

Trouba, who finished third in Wolverine scoring this season, is also up for many different awards, including CCHA rookie of the year, CCHA best offensive defenseman, not to mention he was a first-team CCHA All-Star to boot.

All in all, Trouba possesses the game the Jets needs - a player who has been described as having the tenacity, grit, and raw power of a Scott Stevens combined with the grace and elegance of a Nicklas Lidstrom.

While there is no doubt Trouba has the potential to be even better in his second year in the CCHA with the Wolverines, would the right choice be putting in a year (or two preferably for the Jets currently crowded blueline) in the AHL to learn the pro game before donning a Jets jersey full-time?

At this point, the situation is very uneasy depending on the decision Trouba makes followed by the choice the Jets make after.

For Trouba, if he were to state his intentions (which he would need to do soon) to the Jets that he would like to turn pro, the Jets would have to negotiate with him without an agent representing him since he is a college player (there are safeguards against taking advantage of a player without an agent and I'm sure Cheveldayoff and Jets management would be in all cases more than professional).  

If Trouba were to hire an agent to negotiate with the Jets his college eligibility would be forfeited.

If he were to reach a deal, he would be eligible to play in the AHL or NHL.

For the Jets, if they were to send him to St. John's, Trouba would have to sign an amateur tryout contract alongside his  regular entry level contract of three years.  However, an amateur tryout contract would forfeit his college eligibility again.

So for both parties, there is a fine line to be walked upon and there is no easy answer for either side.

For Trouba, it is the expectation that a good year in NCAA may mean that he could be ready to turn pro.  The question is: What level of pro?  AHL or NHL?

For the Jets, is there the need to rush Trouba?  The answer is a simple no.

Currently, the Jets have ten defenseman with the big club (including the injured Zach Redmond) and, at this point, have no need for an eleventh especially with the solid play of Ron Hainsey this season along with Derek Meech finally playing a full-time role in the NHL.

If any were to go down, the likes of other young defensemen, such as Paul Postma or Arturs Kulda, are both ready to jump into the lineup.

The only spot for Trouba to continue developing at any pro level without hindering his progress would be in St. John's, where they are without Postma, Kulda, and Redmond - the three big defensemen they relied upon last spring in their run to the AHL's Eastern Conference Finals.

Again, the Jets could simply let Trouba know their intentions of not rushing him along.  He has only one year of college hockey under his belt and another season (or even two) would not hurt his development of his skills and his body.

The Jets could simply use their example of how Mark Scheifele has been handled over the last two years.  Despite Scheifele's playing eleven games in two seasons with the team, there has been patience there that the Jets have needed.

For Trouba, the decision is still up in the air, but the situation could be good for both parties involved.

If there is one thing the 2012-13 Winnipeg Jets have taught me, it is that they can confound me one night and then bring me utter joy the next.

As my sister-in-law put it, "This team just frustrates me."  And to boot, she can only stand watching the Jets for a certain amount of time before she will flip it to the nearest Vancouver, Pittsburgh, or Chicago game to see a team that has it going already.

That's something interesting, I thought.  That a hometown fan would rather watch another, more mature team that knows the difference between playing with consistency and just playing in the NHL than watching her own Jets play despite the mesmerizing eggs they lay on occassion.

Fair enough - is the conclusion I have come to, for I, myself, have felt the exact same feeling.  Turning off game after game that the Jets laid an egg.

For instance, the past weekday back-to-back home series with the Washington Capitals.  Outscored 10-1 in two games and now 13-1 at MTS Centre against a divisional opponent this season - I had no other choice that to turn the game off (with authority on my TV remote).

It hurt even more when you add the fact that I had to personally experience the first 3-0 loss back in early March.  Painful, yet it was a learning experience - for both the fans and the players.

Claude Noel is a very honest, upright, and forward man.  That's what it takes to be a coach in the NHL these days it seems.  He is never willing to back down from any challenger from the press (which makes him tied for the most amusing post-game comments and interviews) or from making his team better.

Better in being prepared for the game and better by taking the heat and carrying the load on his shoulders rather than resting it on Jets players who, for the majority, are under the green, young age of 26 or so.

Unlike the philosophy of Atlanta, where the likes of Bryan Little, Evander Kane, Zach Bogosian, and Alexander Burmistrov had to face the throws of the NHL from Day 1 in their professional careers (together they make up 61 AHL games with Bogosian and Kane having never played in the AHL after juniors), Noel preaches patience and lets these players know they won't simply be given ice time any longer.

It has to be refreshing for these players after being sold the same old garbage down in Atlanta where they were given the keys to the house and expected to clean it up all the time without being told how.  

No longer are they getting first line ice time for the sake of being the star draft pick - they are earning it and responding.

That is where Noel's challenge to his players comes into full swing.  They understand their challenge, they accept it, and then they go out and prove what they need to do.

It also comes in full circle when captain Andrew Ladd and defenseman Dustin Byfuglien have Stanley Cup experience to impart on many of these younger players.

And to quote one of the most widely quoted movies (and not to the exact quote either), if you preach consistency, it will happen.

If you give them something to strive for, they will respond.

When the Jets put the ink into Ondrej Pavelec's pen to sign a new five-year, $19.5 million contract this summer, my eyes rolled as far back into my head as possible.

I knew it would be a break or bust kind of deal.

But the Winnipeg Jets cannot be condemned for making this signing - Pavelec is their only real legitimate goaltender capable of being a number one.

Last year's backup Chris Mason had shown signs of aging and rust as his numbers the year before the move in Atlanta were not great (13-13-3, 3.39 GAA) and his numbers as Pavelec's backup were not anything to bank on either (8-7-1, 2.59 GAA).

Al Montoya - the Jets new backup - shows promise of a legitimate backup goalie but doesn't sport the same pedigree of a starting goalie as Pavelec has shown he can be capable of (if he plays up to potential) the last two seasons.

Pavelec's last consistently good season as a goalie came a few years back - in 2007-08 to be exact - when he went 33-16-3, 2.77 GAA leading the AHL's Chicago Wolves to a Calder Cup Championship.

Even then Pavelec's GAA wasn't the greatest and I'm unsure why anyone thought it might improve in the NHL, which sports much better players than its minor league affiliate.

Even Pavelec's junior career numbers were not extremely promising - 55-20-0, with a 2.51 GAA in two seasons with the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles (oddly enough coached by Jets assistant coach Pascal Vincent).

The fact that Pavelec hasn't played a single game of playoff hockey - NHL or AHL - since 2008 has me worried if he can get the Jets there and whether he can do anything more when he does.

The main problem: inconsistency.

From a 9-8 win over Philadelphia early last season to games where the most suspect of goals would go in at the worst possible times - remembering an early December 2011 game against New Jersey.

Even recently against the Ottawa Senators, two suspect goals of the four by Ottawa were saves not made at crucial times.

It is not up to Pavelec to score the goals, but it is his job to stop the pucks.

The Jets need for consistency cannot be stressed enough and if the Jets want to compete for anything - nevermind a playoff spot - they sink or swim with Pavelec.