Winnipeg Jets season preview
The Winnipeg Jets are going to have a much different look to their group this season. They were eliminated by the eventual Stanley Cup champion Golden Knights in the first round of the playoffs, and then lost two key members to their roster in Blake Wheeler and Pierre-Luc Dubois this offseason. This is still a good team, but the organization is certainly going through some changes.
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Offense
Losing two out of the team’s top five scorers never seems like a good thing, but the Jets still have a ton of offensive firepower. Kyle Connor is one of the most underrated players in the league. Mark Scheifele still has some game in him, and they brought in Gabriel Vilardi and Alex Iafallo from the Los Angeles Kings.
The Jets finished at the top of the league last season in expected goals per 60 minutes, but they totally underperformed, as they were actually toward the bottom of the league in goals per game and power play success.
Defense
Josh Morrissey had a breakout season last year (76 P in 78 G), and it was very surprising that he wasn’t nominated as a Norris Trophy finalist. The Jets’ defensive core is solid; it’s not the strongest, but not the weakest either. They were strong last season, skating to the top of the league in scoring chances against per 60 and they also had the league’s seventh-best penalty kill. They didn’t make any offseason moves to strengthen this core, but their current group is solid enough to sneak them into a wild card position.
Goaltending
Connor Hellebuyck is the first player that most people think of when they think of the Jets and for good reason. He was the 2020 Vezina Trophy winner as the league’s best goalie, and he could definitely have his name in the conversation for that award almost every season. The Jets brought in Laurent Brossoit as his backup for his second stint in Winnipeg. Brossoit helped the Golden Knights win the Stanley Cup this past season, starting in eight postseason games before getting injured. Winnipeg will have a very strong goalie tandem with these two.
Player To Watch – G Connor Hellebuyck
Hellebuyck has been the backbone of this team since entering the league, but there are a ton of questions about the potential of him being traded if things don’t go well for the Jets this season. Their success lies in his hands. He had a strong season last year, earning 37 wins with a .920 save percentage and a 2.49 goals against average. He also had the fourth-best goals saved above expected at +30.8. Hellebuyck is easily one of the best goalies in the league when he’s at the top of his game, but there will be a ton of outside noise about this season. I’m interested to see how he handles it.
Outlook
The Jets culture is the most concerning thing to me. They had a rocky finish last season, and their head coach Rick Bowness wasn’t shy to call out some of the players. If they struggle out of the gate, things could get ugly really quickly. On the flip side, if they can figure out the internal issues and come together, this can be a strong group.
