Assessing The Winnipeg Jets Roster Options

Despite an insane come-from-behind win last night, the Winnipeg Jets are a mess right now, sitting at 5-8-3 and on the verge of watching their season slip away before it even started. The team is mired in a run of bad hockey that is putting pressure on ownership to make changes, and it feels like the Jets are approaching a crossroads that could define the franchise. Some folks still hope the team can turn things around this year, and there’s plenty of time left in the season to do so. But other folks are wondering whether a retool or a rebuild should be in order. The latter could prove difficult, given the big-money long-term deals the Jets have with some of their veterans, as well as a fanbase that might not turn up in droves to watch a rebuilding team.

The question about the current roster isn’t exactly cut-and-dried. After all, this is a team that, just two years ago, won the Presidents’ Trophy and still has much of that team’s talent in the current lineup. But Nikolaj Ehlers and Connor Hellebuyck, two centerpieces of that team, are gone, and some might wonder whether this team has the roster and organizational depth to push for another playoff spot after missing the postseason last year. The Jets probably don’t need a rebuild and likely can’t pull one off, but most pundits would say they need to rethink their current roster construction.

It’s hard to believe the Jets are in this spot at the bottom of the Central Division, considering where they were just two years ago as the 2024-25 Presidents’ Trophy winner. The team has struggled to score this year, with just 39 goals in 16 games, which ranks near the bottom of the league, and their defense hasn’t been any better, giving up 58 goals. Obviously, losing Hellebuyck via trade contributes to the higher-goal total, but the problems run much deeper than that.

Josh Morrissey’s injury is another major factor in the lack of defensive suppression, and the rest of the defensive cast hasn’t been able to replace Morrissey or make up for the drop in goaltending quality. It’s a tough ask of a group, but not an impossible one given the veteran talent on the Jets’ backend.

Up front, losing Ehlers stung the offense, as it took away one of their best weapons. Despite this, Winnipeg still has a ton of offensive firepower in their top six, with Mark Scheifele and Kyle Connor leading the way, followed by a couple of youngsters, Gabriel Vilardi and Cole Perfetti. Brad Lambert and Isak Rosen are other youngsters that the Jets hoped were on the upswing but they have not taken a step forward this year. Winnipeg has some potential to turn it around this season; however, the Jets’ bottom six leaves a lot to be desired.

The question for Jets fans is whether this roster can compete in the Western Conference as currently constructed. The answer is probably no. Another question is whether the roster could compete in the West with one or two additions. The answer is probably no, too. But the flip side of the calculation is this: should the Jets blow up their roster and start over? A third no. So what should they do?

That’s where it gets complicated. The truth is, they need more time to evaluate, and that time should likely be the next few months before the NHL Trade Deadline. That would give Winnipeg ample time to see what their club is made of and to act accordingly at the deadline. If the team is out of it, move out expiring assets and re-evaluate the team’s direction in the summer. If they are in the hunt for a playoff spot, make some conservative additions. The thing is, the Jets don’t have to evaluate their entire future during the regular season, and would probably do the franchise a disservice if they did, because emotions run high during the season and management might not be able to have an unemotional assessment of the team if the club is on a big losing streak.

If the Jets fall down the standings and miss the playoffs, a deadline sell-off and summer retool feel like the move. The Jets have too many good players to tear it all down, and probably can’t for the sake of their paying audience. They would have solid pieces to move at the deadline, including UFAs Nino Niederreiter, Vladislav Namestnikov and Morgan Barron. The Jets could also look to move a veteran like Alex Iafallo, who has one year remaining on his deal after this one and is a very useful forward who would be a popular trade target if he were on the trade block.

If the Jets go deeper and elect to go full rebuild (something I don’t see happening), it would obviously produce a much more meaningful haul of young players, but it would be very difficult to pull off and very aggravating for the fanbase. The Jets have Scheifele, Connor, and Morrissey, who would all net a haul via trade, but with contract considerations and the optics, that kind of jarring teardown feels unlikely, even though there are good arguments that it’s time to rebuild.

Rebuilding in a small Canadian market would be a huge gamble, as would trading stars like Connor and Scheifele, since you are not guaranteed to get or develop stars again. A summer retool feels like the best option if the Jets fall down the standings, as it gives the team the chance to get younger and more dynamic, and perhaps ultimately reopen their window of contention.