RickDixon69

Winnipeg, MB • Canada • 42 Years Old • Male

Malkin/Crosby not playing.....why would they ?

Despite reports to the contrary Malkin and Crosby will not be in the line up tonight when the Jets host the Pens.

Why would they be ?

There is absolutely nobody on this planet right now that thinks the Jets will beat the Pens regardless of whether or not the two superstars are in the line up. If you don't need them to win, why not give them another day off.

Even without the dynamic duo this will be a cakewalk for the Pens if the Jets play the way they have been playing. I shudder to think what the score would be if those two players were playing tonight at the MTS Center. Double-digits ? Maybe.

The score tonight in my opinion will be 5-1. If the Jets stay out of the box it could be better, but if they take more than 3 penalties tonight it could get really ugly.

I don't think that this is the "make-or-break" game for the Jets. That game will come against the Senators on Thursday. I believe if they lose that game, heads will start to roll. And so they should. The management team believes fully in the ability of head coach Claude Noel. He is their guy. He is safe right now and for a good portion of this teams future. As for the rest of the team, the only ones who I believe are safe are Andrew Ladd, Ron Hainsey, Mark Stuart and Mark Scheifele. Nobody is expecting a ton from scheifele right now due to the fact the rest of the team has been brutal. Nobody expects this kid to carry an entire team on his back.

As for the rest of the team, they better not make any dinner reservations. As far as I can see everyone else is either expendable, or quality trade-bait. The Jets have a wealth of defensemen and despite their play recently, they are quality defensemen for the most part. This offers Cheveldayoff some possibility to make some deals. They have no problem taking salary back either, as they are just over the cap-floor. This could make for a very interesting October-November if teams start losing some "D" men to injuries.

In any case, lets hope the Jets can at least be competitive tonight.......but don't hold your breath.