Puck Drop Preview: 2025-26 Winnipeg Jets

Last Word On Hockey’s Puck Drop Previews are almost done for the 2025-26 season! As the regular season approaches, we have been previewing each team’s current outlook and stories to watch for the upcoming season. We have also been doing our best to project how things will go for each team throughout the campaign. Today, we’re off to the Geographic middle of Canada, and wrapping things up with the 2025-26 Winnipeg Jets.

2025-26 Winnipeg Jets Puck Drop Preview

2024-25 Season Recap

Winnipeg recorded its best regular season in team history. (This includes the franchise’s time as the Atlanta Thrashers). Scott Arniel took over from Rick Bowness, and the team clicked. The Jets dominated large stretches of the season and earned themselves the Presidents’ Trophy for the first time in team history. Connor Hellebuyck won the Vezina Trophy and the Hart Trophy after a completing great regular season.

Come the Stanley Cup Playoffs, the team scraped by with a thrilling overtime win against the St Louis Blues in Game 7. However, they were eliminated in the second round by the Dallas Stars. It was a disappointing end to a season that had so much promise. Hellebuyck struggled at times in the postseason, and the team even had trouble scoring goals.

The 2025 Off-Season Recap for the Winnipeg Jets

Winnipeg suffered a massive loss to its offence after Nikolaj Ehlers joined the Carolina Hurricanes in free agency. They also lost important players like former longtime Jet Mason Appleton to the Detroit Red Wings and trade-deadline pickup Brandon Tanev to the Utah Mammoth. Dominic Toninato, Dylan Coghlan, and Simon Lundmark also departed in the offseason.

The big news was the return of hometown hero Jonathan Toews to the league. Toews had been out of the league due to illness. Jets’ fans are hoping Toews can reclaim some of the magic he had from years past, gone by with the Chicago Blackhawks. Winnipeg also signed several players to one-year deals, including Gustav Nyquist, Phillip Di Giuseppe, Tanner Pearson, and Cole Koepke, among others.

Projected Lineup

Forwards

Kyle Connor – Mark Scheifele – Gabriel Vilardi

Cole Perfetti – Jonathan Toews – Gustav Nyquist

Nino Niederreiter – Vladislav Namestnikov – Alex Iafallo

Tanner Pearson – Morgan Barron – Cole Koepke

Extras: Adam Lowry (injured); David Gustafsson

The Top Six

Connor is an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season and is looking to follow up another 40-goal campaign. Another solid season would set him up for a sizable deal, with whoever he signs with. Scheifele continues to be Mr. Winnipeg Jet in anchoring the top line. He’s one of the better pivots in the league. Vilardi bagged himself a six-year contract extension in the offseason and is coming off a career-best 27 goals.

One of the major question marks will be how Toews adapts after being away from the game for two seasons. He was one of the better centres in the game when he was at his peak. Perfetti has been knocking on the door of 20 goals for the last two seasons. The Jets are hoping for the 23-year-old to continue his growth. Nyquist is hoping for a bounce-back campaign after notching only 11 last season.

The Bottom-Six

We will see a different look to the bottom six once Lowry recovers from hip surgery. However, they’ll miss his ability to shut down opposing forwards. Namestnikov will slide into the third-line pivot role for the time being. However, the Russian has fared well in his second stint in Winnipeg. Niederreiter has provided some good offensive pop from the lower part of the lineup. Iafallo can also pot goals from the third line. One thing about the Jets is that their third-line players could make a case to move up the lineup if injuries happen.

Pearson is also coming off a double-digit goal season after a couple of rough seasons before that. He’s a big body that can hit. Barron has become a fan favourite and a reliable part of the bottom six. Kopeke is also physical, but is also looking to play an up-tempo style. We could see Gustafsson get some minutes if there are injuries to the bottom portion of the lineup.

Defensive Pairings

Josh Morrissey – Dylan DeMelo

Dylan Samberg – Neal Pionk

Haydn Fleury – Luke Schenn

Extras: Logan Stanley; Colin Miller; Ville Heinola

The Top Four

Morrissey is coming off a solid season that saw him finish fourth in the Norris Trophy voting. The Calgary native has hit double digits in goals for the last four consecutive seasons. DeMelo did have some ups and downs, but he is a solid top-four blueliner when he’s on his game.

Samberg signed a bridge deal of three seasons, but is playing like a future cornerstone defender. Continued strong play will likely earn him a massive pay raise when his deal comes up. Pionk has shown flashes of being a very good defenceman. However, there have been times when he’s been inconsistent.

The Bottom Pairing

Winnipeg relies on the concept of team defence, and the bottom group could see multiple different looks. Stanley and Schenn have struggled to keep the opposition from occupying the front of the night despite their size. Fleury has been slowly growing into a decent bottom-pairing defender. We could see Heinola get some ice time for the Jets.

Goalies

Connor Hellebuyck

Eric Comrie

Hellebuyck has been an excellent goalie in the regular season. However, he’s had some struggles in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Jets fans are hoping that the former two-time defending Vezina Trophy winner can finally put it together in May and June.

Comrie is an experienced backup netminder. However, he’ll be needed to take some games off of Hellebuyck’s plate. The heavy workload could be playing a factor in why Hellebuyck has had issues late in the season.

Players to Watch

Jonathan Toews

We mentioned before that Toews is coming off being away from the game for a few seasons. It was a risk for general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff to sign Toews. However, the one-year deal could be a really big signing if he returns to his Stanley Cup-winning form.

Kyle Connor

There could be several massive names hitting the free agent market on July 1st, 2026, and Connor could be one of them. We’ve seen the Michigan native reach 40 goals, and teams will be lining up to pay him should he hit free agency.

Connor Hellebuyck

The Jets have relied on Hellebuyck keeping them in games a number of times. Hellebuyck has delivered in spades in the regular season. However, it’s time for him to step up late in the season. Winnipeg’s playoff success will depend greatly on the reigning MVP.

Prediction for 2025-26 Winnipeg Jets

The 2025-26 Winnipeg Jets will definitely miss the scoring of Ehlers, and someone will have to step up to replace the scoring. There will be a lot of hope placed on veterans like Toews and Nyquist. Despite these concerns, the Jets do have many players who can be moved around in the lineup. Lowry’s return will help on the defensive end, and he’ll also provide leadership.

Winnipeg does have to contend with its very tough Central Division, with teams like the Colorado Avalanche and Stars. Last season saw everything go right for the Jets. However, the team will be hard-pressed to repeat that success. Winnipeg should still be a post-season team, but it may be hard for them to get home ice.