Quote:
Originally Posted by The Original FFIV
...As for the "Winnipeg" problem, look back to the first incarnation of the Jets and that issue may be overblown. You had players who came there who genuinely liked playing there (Selanne, Hawerchuk) and only left because ownership wouldn't pay the market rates Tkachuk liked it there as well enough to marry a local girl and ended up moving with the team to Phoenix). Yes, there will be players that avoid it like the plague but maybe they take an approach like the Raptors do in the nba and draft more Europeans who don't have that perception of Winnipeg that North Americans seem to.
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It's not the same now as it was in the nineties when the Jets were moved. Players of the current era seem to harbour fewer team loyalties, and will follow the money and the chance to win. In spite of their "willingness" to spend, the Jets are still a bottom-third NHL team in payroll, in a League where the current cap is $69 m., and likely to continue to rise. They need to be managed better, but at this point one can't help but wonder about the long-term stability of the balance between fan patience, ticket prices, and the time required for the team to start winning, against the likelihood of becoming close to a cap team in order to become more competitive.