Winnipeg Making Their Two First Big Mistakes

[moltendurka]

ill start with the not so serious one. winnpeg jets will be the new name of the atlanta thrashers after the relocation. i think this is a huge marketing mistake and also bad for the old winnipeg jets fans. that team has history and has ties to the coyotes, not the thrashers

second, winnipeg selects mark scheifele 7th overall. now ive been following the draft closely and i most of missed his name because i first heard about him after winnipeg drafted him. now the mistake for them is that i thought they would and should have selected sean couturier. i think couturier is one out of 2 players who are nhl ready and they could have used him to start off the new winnipeg jets with a bang. maybe ill be wrong and this scheifele guy will be a better fit on the jets

your thoughts?

[qwas]

As long as the kick butt on the Maple leafs no one will care what else they do.

[RGM81]

The overwhelming majority of the public demanded that the team be called the Jets. I don't see how that's a marketing error by any stretch of the imagination. People in Winnipeg have an affinity with the brand, not the individuals nor the precursor team. After the comments made by some Coyotes players this past year, they're going to be booed lustily, as will the Flyers with their over-priced goaltender.

Regarding the draft choice - that won't be known for a couple years at least. There's a reason that Couturier fell from the early season #1 draft ranking all the way down to 8th place. With prospects there's nothing set.

[tdavidautos]

In regards to the rookie they selected, I honestly don't think it matters. This is a weak draft that reminds me of 99. I don't see any of these guys being star quality.

Finally, GO JETS!!!

[duwal]

I can not believe that they went back to the old name. I would think that the fans would want a fresh start and not a reminder of the team that was ripped away from them in the past

[maddysdaddy]

As someone in Winnipeg throuhout the whole process, the demand for the team to be called the Jets was very clear. Regardless of where the team moved from, it is our team now, and most Winnipegers will always refer to their team as the JETS. I have to give Mark Chipman a lot of credit for listening to the public, as opposed to following his gut feeling.

Either way, he will not be missing out on any marketing money, or merchandise money. Everybody is going to eat up the new merch...

As far as the Draft goes, a lot of people are all over them for not taking Coutourier. My personal opinion, is his skating hurt him. Yes he is probably better off to start in the NHL next year, but the draft isnt about making the right pick for the next season. It is about making the right pick long term.

From everything I have been able to find out about Scheifele, he has all the tools to be a strong 2nd line center. He has very strong leadership qualities, and there were no questions about his attitude. In fact it was suggested that he scored very high in all of the interviews and off ice tests.

I think they were actually planning on taking Zebenijad if Ottawa didnt snag him right ahead of them. I was kind of hoping they would have taken Hamilton... but since they didnt looks like I am going to have to start a Mark Scheifele PC... pretty sure there isnt anything out there yet.

[NastyPatches]

Well it was pretty clear the demand for the Jets name was there. Give the fans what they want. They will have no problem selling the new jerseys and by Dregers tweet yesterday "I haven't seen the Winnipeg Jets new logo or sweater design, but I'm told it's very impressive" Sounds like the jerseys might be completely different then what they use to be.

As far as picking Scheifele, well it was a reach for sure but who knows, he has rocketed up the rankings fairly rapidly this year. I personally would have taken Couturier myself but obviously the scouts saw something they loved in Mark. We will have to wait several years to judge them on that.

[canucksfan007]

The only marketing error would be is if they kept the old Jets logo .... and of course they wont do that. The Jets name is fine.

Also, dont really know much about their draft pick ... but its way too early to call that a mistake

[Craig2]

I don't see how keeping the Jets name is in any way a mistake. That was the wish of the majority of fans, and the name still has resonance in the city.

When Cleveland got their most recent incarnation of the Browns, the previous group had only been gone for five years but nobody cared about potential ties between the previous team and the Baltimore Ravens. They just wanted their old team back, with the same name and colors, and that's what they got. I think the situation in Winnipeg is very similar.

[Shappy30]

See what Atlanta/Winnipeg has in their farm system and no need to worry, they have some fine players coming up.
Last thing you wanna do when getting a team back in Winnipeg is tick them off when 75% + wanted the Jets name back