"This one stings the most" Jets Defenceman Dylan Demelo left perplexed
No words were minced from the Winnipeg Jets at the annual end-of-season media availability on Thursday afternoon from Canada Life Centre. The 52-24-6 Jets were knocked out of the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs in Game 5 on Tuesday by Lord Stanley’s 2022 champion, the Colorado Avalanche.
Many of Winnipeg’s culture carriers, such as Adam Lowry, Josh Morrissey, and Brenden Dillon all gave very honest assessments of the team’s play this postseason in their respective media debriefs.
No one was as candid as 31-year-old defenceman Dylan DeMelo.
“We just didn’t execute well, we didn’t play well,” DeMelo said. “They (Colorado) went to the net harder than us, their special teams were better than us, they were on the puck faster, they were just better in all aspects.”
The veteran blueliner from London, ON. said he’s still searching for answers regarding what went wrong in the best-of-seven clash against the lower-ranked seed.
“I think if I had an answer for you so fast we probably wouldn’t be here,” DeMelo said. “I am truly kind of puzzled why it didn’t work because I thought we had a really good group.”
The Jets, who were outscored by the Avalanche 28-15 in just five playoff games, became the first team in NHL history to allow five-plus goals in each of the first five games of a team’s postseason.
Saying this is uncharacteristic of the Jets’ identity would be a massive understatement, as the foundation of Winnipeg’s success this regular season relied on prioritizing defence. With the solid defensive structure employed by head coach Rick Bowness, his squad led the entire NHL with the least number of goals against (199) over the 82-game calendar.
“We were nowhere close in all aspects of playing our best hockey, so that’s why this one hurts the most for me,” said DeMelo. “To underachieve is what stings the most. That’s why it’s going to take me a minute to really process why this happened and really why this one stings the most.
Although his team ditched its identity in the postseason, DeMelo played his role quite well in the five-game series; however, he is well aware there is plenty of room for improvement.
“I’ll look in the mirror at my own game at what I could have done better,” he added.
Averaging over 22 minutes of ice time in the series, DeMelo tallied three blocked shots, 20 hits, and accumulated only a minus-one rating after his team closed the postseason with a minus-13 goal differential. And although he only racked up one assist through five games, points are far from what makes DeMelo’s services so valuable.
Over the past three seasons, he has been one of the Jets’ most undervalued blueliners, providing a stabilizing force on the top defensive pairing, allowing partner Josh Morrissey to step in offensively and establish himself as one of the league’s elite defencemen.
Playing in the final season of a four-year, $12 million contract ($3 million AAV), DeMelo is included in the long list of Jets players with expiring deals this summer: Tyler Toffoli, Sean Monahan, Cole Perfetti, David Gustafsson, Dillon, Colin Miller, Logan Stanley, and Laurent Brossoit.
One thing is for certain, GM Kevin Cheveldayoff is not going to be spending much time at the cabin this summer with all the important personnel decisions left to be made.
Given DeMelo’s role on this team, one would imagine that he has worked his way to the top of Cheveldayoff’s to-do list this offseason.
DeMelo is a minute-munching defensive stalwart who has found a home on the top pair. His stellar defensive awareness gives Morrissey the confidence to jump in on the rush without the team being in danger, knowing DeMelo will hold down the fort with ease.
Not to mention, he is also an extremely underrated puck mover who also kills penalties, although that has been a significant struggle for the Jets all season and in the postseason against Colorado.
Accompanied by his 164 hits and 139 blocked shots, DeMelo showed he can pitch in on the scoresheet too this season, as he set a career-high with three goals and 28 assists for 31 points.
DeMelo’s worth to this club is why his agent, Brian MacDonald, will most definitely be asking Cheveldayoff for a raise this offseason.
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