McKenna’s Musings: Oilers, Maple Leafs must solve their goaltending dilemmas…or else

It’s the Fourth of July in the United States. Fireworks are all around. And while the Colorado Avalanche players are still in party mode after securing the franchise’s third Stanley Cup championship on June 26, front offices around the NHL are fully focused on the 2022-23 season.

I love a good fireworks display. And going into next year’s NHL season, I have my eye on a few situations that could prove explosive.

How long until we see a replica jersey thrown on the ice?

The 2021-22 NHL season saw some copycat activity among fans. Jerseys were hurled in several cities, and it could be argued that a flying Orca was the final straw in Travis Green’s tenure as head coach of the Vancouver Canucks.

It’s important for GMs around the NHL to stick to their game plans. But it’s also impossible for NHL organizations not to take their fans into account. Sometimes the tension reaches a fever pitch where the fans simply cannot be ignored any longer.

I don’t think it’s a tactic that directly leads to anyone getting fired in the NHL. But it does show the power of public revolt. Hockey is not a cheap sport to attend and fans want to see a good product on the ice.

From a player’s standpoint: we hate seeing a jersey on the ice. When I was growing up, it was the Mark Messier rule. never let your jersey touch the floor. So when a fan chucks one, it’s a big sign of disrespect. It hurts. And it’s a warning to everyone – coaches and players alike – that the fans want change.

We live in an anxious world where half of the NHL’s head coaches have been with their current team for less than two seasons. My best guess is that it’ll be December before the first jersey tossing of 2022-23. The only question is whether it will be warranted.

Can the Oilers and Maple Leafs stabilize their creases?

Over the course of my career, I heard it several times: goalies get coaches fired. Fair enough. But now – in a salary cap world – I think it goes even further up the food chain.

Think about the Toronto Maple Leafs and Edmonton Oilers, two teams that have had questions in goal for years. Can Leafs GM Kyle Dubas and Oilers GM Ken Holland really afford another season of hoping for a lifeline in net? I don’t think so.

Mike Smith had an incredible second half for the Oilers, but it’s not a guarantee he plays next season or can remain healthy. Jack Campbell, a pending UFA, looked like the answer in goal for Toronto during the first half of the 2021-22 season but then things went sideways for an extended period.

Now each team has to figure out its goaltending via free agency or the trade market. Finding a solution in goal isn’t easy unless it comes from within. And neither the Leafs nor Oilers can bank on their young talent taking the reins.

That’s why I think this offseason is a defining moment for Dubas and Holland. Both have been in power for long enough that goaltending shouldn’t be an issue. Yet it is.

If I’m Holland, I want a young(ish) goaltender that can hold the fort for the next half dozen seasons. And If I’m Dubas, I want a proven winner. The problem is that not many of these goalies are readily available. You can’t just waltz into free agency and pick up a top-tier netminder without paying a premium. And that’s a problem for the Oilers and Maple Leafs, who are right up against the salary cap.

I don’t have an answer for either team. But both GM’s have to hit a home run this offseason in goal. Their jobs might depend on it.

Where do the Winnipeg Jets go from here?

After missing out on the Barry Trotz sweepstakes, the Winnipeg Jets surprised many – myself included – by hiring Rick Bowness as the team’s head coach. I don’t pretend to be an insider by any stretch, but this one caught me off-guard.

I hadn’t heard Bowness’ name amongst any of the Winnipeg chatter. Frankly, I thought after last season when he parted ways with the Dallas Stars that Bowness might be headed for retirement. He’s been coaching for 40 years, an incredible accomplishment.

I love that Bowness still has the fire to be a head coach. He’s highly respected and I think he did a solid job with a somewhat wonky roster in Dallas. But I really hope that the first several months of the season go well in Winnipeg. Because if the Jets get off to another middling start, his hiring will be judged harshly – even worse than it currently is on social media.

Had Winnipeg brought in a coach with little-to-no prior NHL head coaching experience, it would have represented a blank slate. There would have been a degree of forgiveness in the early going. But by hiring an experienced head coach like Bowness, that leeway won’t exist. It tells me Winnipeg has no desire for a full rebuild.

And I haven’t even talked about the roster decisions GM Kevin Cheveldayoff has to make. Pierre-Luc DuBois. Blake Wheeler. Mark Scheifele. Do they stay or go? What pieces can Winnipeg add in free agency? Does any of this affect Connor Hellebuyck?

The Jets have underachieved for too long. And I don’t think that’s all on the past coaching staff. Paul Maurice effectively threw his hands up in the middle of last season, saying the team needed a new voice. Winnipeg now has a hand-picked one in Rick Bowness.

The Jets are a real wildcard going into the 2022-23 NHL season. Bowness needs a great start. Or else I fear things might get ugly in Winnipeg.

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McKenna’s Musings: Oilers, Maple Leafs must solve their goaltending dilemmas…or else

How long until we see a replica jersey thrown on the ice?

Can the Oilers and Maple Leafs stabilize their creases?

Where do the Winnipeg Jets go from here?

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