Season Preview: Winnipeg Jets

Season Preview: Winnipeg Jets

A New Power in the West

Nothing but A’s and B’s for the Winnipeg Jets. The process was there and so were the results, an indication that repeat success is likely this season.

Jets GM Kevin Cheveldayoff has been criticized for his reluctance to make trades, but his patience was finally rewarded. With a core of mostly homegrown players, the Jets made their first playoff appearances and look poised to be a fixture in the playoffs for years to come.

What went right:

After one playoff appearance in six years since relocating from Atlanta, the Jets finally broke out. Led by a young core built through the draft, they finished with the 2nd best record in the NHL, three points shy of Nashville’s league-high 117. The Jets were dominant at both ends of the ice, trailing only Tampa Bay in goals for, giving up the 5th fewest goals against and ranking top-10 in both powerplay and penalty kill. Patrik Laine established himself as one of the most lethal goal scorers in the NHL, potting 44 goals, trailing only Alex Ovechkin, while Kyle Connor led all rookies with 31 goals. In net, Connor Hellebuyck also had a career year, finishing tied for the league lead in wins, third in starts and second in Vezina voting.

What Went Wrong:

During the playoffs, Winnipeg relied too heavily on Mark Scheifele to score goals. He did more than his part with 14 goals in 17 games, but Patrik Laine (five goals), Blake Wheeler (three), Kyle Connor (three), and Nikolaj Ehlers (zero), all 20+ goal scorers in the regular season, failed to find the back of the net consistently. As a result, the Jets were eliminated in the Conference Finals by Vegas, a series in which they only scored six goals in the final four games, all losses.

Offseason moves

Key Additions: Laurent Brossoit

Key Departures: Paul Stastny, Toby Enstrom, Michael Hutchinson, Joel Armia, Steve Mason, Matt Hendricks

Other Key moves: Re-signed Connor Hellebuyck, Jacob Trouba, Adam Lowry, Brandon Tanev, Tucker Poolman, Marko Dano, Nic Petan, Brian Little, Josh Morrissey

The offseason didn’t start as planned for the Jets. They sent Joel Armia, Steve Mason and draft picks to the Canadiens to create cap space, hoping to retain UFA Paul Stastny, only to see him leave for Vegas. Then they went to arbitration with Jacob Trouba, ultimately settling on a one-year / $5.5M deal. With Trouba’s prior trade request (which he later rescinded), the lack of a long-term deal fired up trade chatter around him again. 

The Jets didn’t add much outside of backup goalie Laurent Brossoit, instead focusing on retaining their own. Connor Hellebuyck was rewarded for his breakout year with a massive 6-year deal worth $37m, making him the sixth-highest paid goalie in the NHL. Captain Blake Wheeler signed a 5-year extension at just over $40M. Josh Morrissey avoided missing too much of training camp, signing a two-year deal worth $6.3 million. Bryan Little also received a 6-year deal, although more than $5m annually over that term is a bit rich for a defensive-minded center who isn’t a high-end contributor offensively and is on the wrong side of 30. They also handed new deals to depth players Adam Lowry, Brandon Tanev, Tucker Poolman, Marko Dano, and Nic Petan.

Next season preview

What could go right?

The Jets are set up for long-term success with a young, talented group of homegrown players. They have an elite goaltender, top-tier defenders and as much elite offensive talent and depth as anyone in the NHL. Blake Wheeler is one of the best passers in the league (6th most completed passes to the slot last season) and will be eager to prove that his career-high 91 points isn’t an outlier now that he signed an extension that takes him well into his 30’s. Winnipeg has three players who finished top-15 in true shooting percentage (shot attempts/goals): Scheifele (10.6%), Connor (9.8%), and Laine (9.2%). More help could be on the way in the form of 2015 1st-round pick Jack Roslovic, who is as a breakout candidate for next season. Long story short, both the present and the future look extremely bright in Winnipeg.

What could go wrong?

After a franchise-best regular season and a Conference Finals appearance, expectations are high in Winnipeg. They look poised to build on their success, but there are still some lingering questions that must be answered.

In net, can Connor Hellebuyck maintain the level of success he found last season? He now has to prove he can put up those kinds of numbers on a regular basis after signing a big extension. If he struggles, the Jets’ number 2 option is Laurent Brossoit, who has 29 career appearances with a .897 save percentage, not exactly solid numbers.

Jack Roslovic has a lot of potential and projects as the Jets eventual number 2 center, but there is no guarantee he can reach that level this season. The Jets’ other option for the role, Bryan Little, played 82 games for only the 2nd season in his career after failing to hit the 60 game mark both seasons prior to 2017-18.

The Point Consensus 2018-19 Prediction: 2nd in Central Division, 2nd in Western Conference.