The Sheet with Jeff Marek - On the Sheet: Sara Orlesky on the Jets, Hellebuyck, and Bettman’s Visit

Episode Date: December 10, 2025

Sara Orlesky joins Jeff Marek for a deep dive into the state of the Winnipeg Jets — from the impact of Connor Hellebuyck’s absence to the team’s unexpected scoring drought and why their identity has been so hard to find this season. Sara breaks down the ripple effects of key injuries, the pressure on the Jets’ top line, and whether last night’s pushback against Dallas can be a legitimate turning point. She also details Gary Bettman’s visit to Winnipeg, including the commissioner’s conversations with fans, sponsors, and local stakeholders, and what his presence signals about the Jets’ market and trajectory. A sharp, insightful reset on where the Jets stand and what needs to change next.SHOUTOUT TO OUR SPONSORS!!👍🏼 Fan Duel: https://www.fanduel.com/👍🏼Bauer: https://www.bauer.com/👍🏼Uber Eats: https://www.ubereats.com/caReach out to [e-mail] to connect with our Sales Team and discuss opportunities to partner with us!If you liked this, check out:🚨 OTT - Coming in Hot Sens | https://www.youtube.com/c/thewallyandmethotshow🚨 TOR - LeafsNation | https://www.youtube.com/@theleafsnation401🚨 EDM - OilersNation | https://www.youtube.com/@Oilersnationdotcom🚨 VAN - CanucksArmy | https://www.youtube.com/@Canucks_Army🚨 CGY - FlamesNation | https://www.youtube.com/@FNBarnBurner🚨 Daily Faceoff Fantasy & Betting | www.youtube.com/@DFOFantasyandBetting____________________________________________________________________________________________Connect with us on ⬇️Link Tree: https://linktr.ee/daily_faceoff💻 Website: https://www.dailyfaceoff.com🐦 Follow on twitter: https://x.com/DailyFaceoff💻 Follow on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dailyfaceoffDaily Faceoff Merch:https://nationgear.ca/collections/daily-faceoff Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the meantime, a pleasure to welcome to the program. One of our favorites around here, and I think that it's safe to say one of everybody's favorites to talk to. She is the great Sarah Orleski, host for the Winnipeg Jets, who's always very generous with her time, even when she's bouncing between carving the Winnipeg Jets, Sarah, and Gary Bettman being in town, and carving out a little bit of your afternoon slash morning for us. We really appreciate it. Thank you so much for this, Sarah. oh my pleasure i'm sorry i don't have my headphones with me so the audio might not be as

as strong as what it usually is i i sound better if you're not wearing headphones trust me sarah consider yourself fortunate first of all let me open with a frivolous question for you so i got a phone call today from someone whom i just adore talking to and cherish every single moment uh the late great lou nanny not late the great lou nanny sorry lou the the great lou nanny who you know ran the Minnesota North Stars for a number of years, specifically through the 80s. I just love talking to Lou. We spent about half an hour on the phone with them. And I'm, and Sarah, now I'm set up for the day.

I'm going to be in a good mood all day long, no matter what happens, no matter what the kids say to me or do when I'm done the show. It doesn't matter. I'm in a great mood. Do you have a Lou Nanny in your life where this person calls you, Sarah, and like, that's it. I'm in a good mood all day long because I talk to. person X. Do you have a Lou? You know what? I mean, I probably have a few and in various aspects of my life. So, but from a professional standpoint, I mean, you can never go wrong if you have the opportunity to get a phone call from Dennis Bayak. So,

so spent years together working. I mean, we were in Toronto at the same time together, but working here in Winnipeg with the Jets broadcast. So anytime you can get a call from Dennis Bayak and have the opportunity to talk to him, it's always a good time. So I used a Dennis Bayack line on my producer, Zach the other day who, and the minute I say this, Zach's going to go like, oh, that's

where you got it from. My favorite Dennis Bayack line, and I totally bit on it the same way that Zach did a couple of days ago. So we were sitting in Popcorn Row watching a Maple Leafs game used to be the radio play-by-play voice of the Maple Leafs, as you know. And I remember I asked him, I said,

Dennis, where are you actually from in Manitoba and he said Winnipegosis and I said oh I've never heard a Winnipegosis Manitoba before and he says Jeff it's the it's the birthplace of the toothbrush and I bite right away I go really that's what the toothbrush was invented and he says yeah because if it were anywhere else it would be called the teethbrush and I went Dennis I'm going to be stealing that line and I did this week on our producer Zach I'm with you a million percent on Dennis Bayack just love you What, Dennis used to give me when different events that I would emcee, and he'd go,

oh, have I got a joke for you? You got to go with this joke, Sarah. This one kills every time. And he would tell me and go, Dennis, I don't think I can use that joke. I mean, the joke may work for you, and I'm sure pretty well, but I said, I don't think that my delivery would have the same sort of impact as what it is of him. But, you know, Dennis is one of the absolute best and is beloved in this market,

certainly with the years that he called the Jets broadcast here and he keeps a very close eye still on the team despite being retired. Yeah, and he's not shy about working blue every now and then on the rubber chicken circuit. So I can imagine your conversation. Oh, yeah. Okay, so before we get the Jets, Gary Bettman in Winnipeg, what's up?

Oh, you know, it was just, He obviously finished with the Board of Governors meetings yesterday in Colorado Springs. And then he had an event, he's an event this evening with the USA Hockey Hall of Fame, I believe, in St. Paul, Minnesota. And so he said that he was just pretty much, he was looking, didn't want to go back to New York for the one night. And so he looked at the schedule and the Jets were playing last night against the Dallas Star. So he came in and then watched the game last night and then took part in a breakfast and lunch here today with. with a variety of different people within the city and sponsors, season ticket members, that sort of thing.

But there was no specific reason. That was actually what I had asked when he was coming in. I said, am I missing something? Is there something that I should be aware of that's happening or a cause for concern? No, it was just that it worked out well with the schedule. And as we know, he makes his appearances throughout all 32 buildings at various points throughout the season.

So he was talking to the people that have the nerve to keep the lights on around the shop. Oh, how dare he? Okay, Winnipeg Jets, still without, you know, it's life without hullabuck, and we see some lines have been, been some split up as well. Give us a snapshot from your vantage point. Like, give us to Winnipeg Jets where they're at right now today

with lines split up now. Well, I mean, just overall, they're obviously out of the playoff picture, So it's been a disappointing start to this season when you come off of a year in which you win the president's trophy and you have the success, the historic start that they had last year, expectations continue to get raised. And so it hasn't gone the way that they would have anticipated, I want to say 14, 14 and 1 right now with the loss last night against Dallas. And they have the identity of the Winnipeg Jets that we have come to know over the last several years has not been present with any sort of. consistency this season and then remarkably they just they have not been able to score which uh you look the top line up to this point which was kyle connor mark sheifley and gave valerty have been doing

the vast majority in fact over 50% of the jet's goals have been scored by that trio and so scotter neal has been looking for some more production obviously you can't just survive off of that top line and so he's split up and adjusted all four lines or he did for the game last night against Dallas and they've had to contend like many teams with a number of injuries so far this season and our key players and that includes obviously Connor Hallibuck who has been sidelines since November it was November 21st that it was announced that he was going to be out and the team has struggled to be able to get the wins since and it's not all I mean you look eric Comory or Thomas Millench was called up from Manitoba Moose and he got his first NHL start.

It's not all on the goaltenders. Obviously, they need run support to go with it. But at the end of the day, neither of those goaltenders are a heart trophy winner or a three-time Bezina winner. And so it's been a big blow for the Jets to not be able to have Halibuck in that. You know, the offense is an interesting one too. And like, listen, anytime you have a goal tent. like Connor Hallibuck and I remember like whenever I'd bring things up around

goaltenders and oh look how important this guy is to the team and all they're being carried by the goaltender Kelly Rudy would always say to me you know you're allowed to have a good goalie Jeff like you shouldn't have to apologize for having a good goaltender with the Winnipeg Jets they have the the top dog in the NHL but there is a cascading effect that happens when Connor Hallibuck is not available for service but I didn't know that it would cascade to the point where it would really affect the goal scoring. Like I can

understand like, okay, you know what? Connor Hallibuck can cover up some blemishes when it comes to the blue line. But is it just, was Nick Eilers that important to this offense? Yeah, and look, I don't think it's fair to say that it's just because Hallibuck

is out that goal scoring has dried up because goal scoring was an issue for them beforehand in terms of getting it throughout the lineup. They just haven't, they haven't had it with the consistency that you would expect. And yeah, you know what? I think that maybe we underestimated me of us

the impact that Eilers can have, the speed element, obviously, that he brings with it and the impact that that has on his linemates, in addition to anybody else. And you look, I mean, their special teams right now haven't been performing well. They have struggled to score five on five. They struggled to score on the power play.

Since, I want to say it since, no, it's either the beginning. of November, the middle of November, really, when Halibuck went out or from there, but they have, their power plays operating under 6%. I mean, they just, they're 32nd in the league in that time frame. And so it's just, everything has gone dry. But yet, not having Eilers on the power play, not having that speed option, what, again, what he was able to do for his linemates and help create, the second line in whatever

incarnation it's been since he's left, has struggled to get the sort of production that you would have expected and that the Winnipeg Jets at the end of the day need in order to be able to have success. So I look at this team and a couple of things you look at as far as like, what do they need in the grocery cart?

One, they need the goalie to be healthy. That's the obvious one. And they're not the only team looking for a second line center. It seems like half the league is looking for a second line center. We can probably throw the Winnipeg Jets in that mix too. And then one more puck moving defensemen. one more that can that can that can that can that can shuttle the puck skate the puck past the puck

and move the puck out of their own zone with you know the efficiency of someone like a Josh Morrissey um A is that accurate you're there you're closer to it than I am is that an accurate read and B am I missing anything no I think that so yes goaltender aside you look at a second line center they have I think you could argue that the Winnipeg Jets have searched for that second line center for years. In fact, I mean, I used to always say that at trade deadline, my, every trade deadline, I would say, they are looking for a second line center. And that's ever

since Brian Little was here and towards the end of his career when he moved farther down. They just have not been able to find anybody, although Kevin Shevoldeuf has brought in a variety of different players via trade. They just haven't been able to have the success with any sort of frequency or longevity that you would have hoped for it so and look there's um jonathan taves came in it was on the second line in the second line center role and last night was playing on the wing the fourth line and i think to be to i think it's understandable that obviously it would take him longer to be able to get up to speed given everything that he has done the two years that he is missed but they need more from him as well so yeah I think that they're definitely looking for that

and I just think there have been so many injuries last year they were by and large they were a healthy team and you look at the number of players that just have not even reached the the level that they were playing last year and whether that's because of injury cold perfetti has not played the way that they would have hoped that he would and he was injured to start the season at Adam Lauer, it was Dylan Samburg, who made huge strides last year on that second pairing with Neil Pionk. And that was the reason why they didn't keep Brendan Dillon was because you needed to elevate Sandberg. And he was ready to go. Well, he's been injured for a bunch of this season.

And so I just think it's taken everybody longer to be able to get back to the level that we had become used to seeing them at. But if there is a positive, I will say that last night's game against Dallas, although they didn't get the result that they were looking. for and they walked out without any points in it, they fought back in it. That was a game in which they went down, Lee, and with the way that they had been playing recently, typically, I mean, you get down three goals, you look and go, okay, well, they're not coming back. And it's Dallas. And it's Dallas.

It's 100%. But the result that they showed, and then Mark Schifley, again, as come to be expected, he scores a couple of goals, gets them into it, Logan Stanley does as well, and they were, it reminded me of last year. And one of the things that was very, that was very characteristic at the team last year was that is, even if they were down in the third period, long before the Manitoba miracle and the postseason or anything like that, you never believed they were out of it. They always had that ability that if they had that puck late in the third period, you go, don't go anywhere because you're right. And that hasn't been this year. But last night,

we saw it. And so it was one of those ones where look and go, okay, maybe this does turn to be, it's just one game, but maybe this does turn out to be a turning point of everybody's starting to get their legs back, getting that chemistry again. And the Jets can only obviously hope so because while they are on the outside of the playoff picture, they are still very close to that wild card one. So they've been able to keep themselves in the mix, despite the challenges that they've had. You are so right about that, sir. And I'd kind of forgotten how every time I would watch a Winnipeg Jets game last year and they'd be trailing in the third period,

there was always a sense of they're coming back. Like they're coming back. They're going, because we saw it so many times. Like by the second time, the second half of the season, you're so right, totally forgotten about this. I'd watch games. We all would and go like, oh, I don't worry.

They got this. They're down two pucks halfway through the third. No, no, no, no. They're going to win the game. And they would. And that's, I, I, I, totally forgotten about that. It's only a year ago. I had looked at, I wondered, you know, after their loss in Buffalo, they had the

players-only meeting. And so, you know, typically I always find that after something like that happens, we look at that as going, okay, will we look back on this moment as being the turning point of the season for the winning Jets? And then they come out, they play well against Montreal, but then they come home, you know, they get the win against Buffalo again. they lose very handily to Edmonton on the second game of that back to back. And so you go, okay, well, maybe that wasn't the turning point for the season. And so now you look and, you know, if you're, if you are a Jets fan, you're hoping obviously that last night is an indication of things to come so that maybe

we look back and go, okay, they didn't get the two points, but last night's game again was the first time that we saw them look like what you would expect the Winnipeg Jets to look like and you're not going to win every game but i think that it was it that's one that you could look at is going okay if you follow that structure if that's the way that you play then more often the non-good things will happen and especially to be able to play like that against a team like dallas you aren't playing against the 31st or the 32nd ranked team and doing that you're doing it against the second strongest team right now and and so i think that it was great they're at the start of a four-game homestand, and I think to be able to start against a team like Dallas,

I know Scott Arnielan said he hoped that that was going to be, that that was a, that was going to be a strong start to the schedule for them, that you aren't coming home because the rest of their opponents on this homestand or Eastern Conference teams. You're not starting against an Ottawa or another opponent. You're starting against a rival, a divisional opponent, and one of the top teams in the league. You know what? You're so right. Thanks for reminding us all about that, too.

Wasn't that long ago that this was like the automatic. They're down in the third and they're still going to win. And I'm glad that you mentioned Brian Little too. Oh, man. As far as like second line centers go around. I was just talking to his agent the other day too about Brian Little, Anton Thun. And he's like, he's doing great. He's healthy.

He's like doing triathlons. He's like, he's like, all leaned out. He's leaned out. And like he doesn't have like the grind of an 82 game season anymore. No injuries. He's in, Brian Little's in an awesome spot. He doesn't have the grind of an eight-two game season, but he's got the grind of triathlons, the man's keeping.

I know. I'll tell you, when I retire, triathlons, probably not in my beautiful. No, you know, it's been great when we have had the opportunity to see him back in Winnipeg or to be able to talk to him, to be able to see him do well. Because obviously with the way that his career unfortunately had to end, you never like to see it and not to be able to go out on your own terms. So for him to be able to find another passion and another outlet is fantastic.

Yep, happy for him. Listen, thanks for parking time for me again. You're always so accommodating and generous. I appreciate every moment with you, Sarah Orleski. You be well. And thanks for bringing up memories of Dennis Bayak, too. He is one of those, like, your day is set up when you talk to DB.

It absolutely is. And as you mentioned, I mean, there's, you know, as you referenced, too, there are many stories with Dennis. He has a great storyteller. There are many stories that only Dennis can get away with that way. Oh, yes. Oh, yes. Did you know the toothbrush was invented in Winnipegosis?

All right. You know, when he spoke quickly, what he also used to say to me is that he'd give me the stories, or he would say that, you know, Jim Ralph uses this story. And he goes, this one always played well. And he said, again, this is not, I don't think, I don't think I can get away. Oh, Dennis Hall kills with this line. You got to use it, Orlesque. You got to use it.

Exactly. I know. I've heard them all. You're the best. Thanks so much for stopping by. Be well. Don't get to see you before. I'm happy all of these. Yes, to you as well. And you and your entire family. Thanks so much for this era. Thanks so much, definitely. day to day because you can call it all right I went to the dark man and tried to give me a little medicine I'm like now and that's fine I'm not against those methods but new it's me and myself and how this going to be fixing my mind I do want to backer I turned on the music

I'm going to be in the dead I don't think you're sometimes losing