From the first drop of the puck this Jets team had Stanley Cup aspirations. They showed all season long that they had the potential to make it happen, especially once they added Kevin Hayes at the Trade Deadline. Unfortunately for them, after finishing 2nd in the Central Division tied for 10th overall, they had to face the St. Louis Blues. Needless to say the eventual Stanley Cup Champions came away with the win, leaving the Jets empty-handed.

Additions: Gabriel Bourque, Neal Pionk

Subtractions: Bogdan Kiselevich, Marko Dano, Brandon Tanev, Ben Chiarot, Jacob Trouba, Tyler Myers, Kevin Hayes, Dustin Byfuglien

Forwards:

The big moves of the offseason for this team was locking up Patrik Laine and Kyle Connor. It took until pre-season to get it done but they’re officially back in the thick of things. The Jets have lots of talent in their top-6 but it’s their bottom-6 that leaves you looking for more. They have the second worst ranked bottom-6 in the league. 

Defense:

Losing 4 out 6 including all three right-hand shot of your defensemen from last season is a massive blow. Dustin Byfuglien could return to the team but as of right now there are a ton of question marks on this back-end.

Goalies:

Connor Hellebuyck and Laurent Brossoit provide a solid tandem on the backend but with the defense in front of them completely depleted they’ll need to step up in a big way. A big season from these two will go a long way towards helping the Jets return to the playoffs.

The Point Prediction:

The losses to this blue line prove to be too much and the Jets fall right to the bottom of the Central Division. They miss the playoffs and finish 22nd overall, leaving everyone wondering what’s next for this team.

 

(Photo by Darcy Finley/NHLI via Getty Images)