The Winnipeg Jets Are an Utter Mess

The 4-8-3 team is close to matching or “bettering” their disastrous 11-game losing streak from last season and are the NHL’s current laughing stock.

Jets Are Drastically Deficient in All Areas

The good vibes from the unexpectedly-strong 4-1-1 start have completely evaporated. What the lifting fog has revealed is an utter mess that’s drastically deficient in all areas.

The young players are contributing zilch offensively, they are getting next to no secondary scoring, the special teams — especially the penalty kill — are putrid, all three of their goaltenders appear shellshocked, they are constantly falling behind early and having to chase the game, and they self sabotage constantly.

The first five losses of the streak were all by one goal, including at the Heritage Classic in Winnipeg. That loss to the Montreal Canadiens front of 33,000 fans appears to have demoralized them because the past four defeats have been in embarrassing fashion and seen them cumulatively outscored 23-7.

Arniel Appears At a Loss

Head coach Scott Arniel has tried just about every line permutation possible, to little effect. He’s resorted to “try anything” mode, evidenced by his splitting up of Kyle Connor and Mark Scheifele — a drastic measure as the pair are usually tied at the hip on the top line — and deploying enforcer/defenseman Tyrel Bauer as a forward as part of an 11/7 strategy.

General manager Kevin Cheveldayoff — who built this team and is in charge of drafting, scouting, and roster management — deserves his fair share of the blame for this. However, considering he believes — wrongly — that he’s built a competitive roster, one has to believe Arniel’s seat is getting increasingly toasty.

Arniel swatted away a question about his job security after the loss to the Hurricanes, saying “It’s not on my mind. I’m not worried about it. I’ve been in this game a long time. That’s beyond my control.”

Adam Lowry acknowledged changes are inevitable if the losing continues.

“If it goes on, there’s going to be changes for sure,” the captain said. “If you don’t start winning, you’ve got to find an answer somewhere.”

While some would see an Arniel firing as an example of scapegoating, the team has either quit on him and his staff or the coaching tactics are so poor that this is the best they can do, and neither of those possibilities are good. It’s hard to believe he oversaw a Presidents’ Trophy squad and was a Jack Adams Award nominee just two seasons ago.

Jets Well on Their Way to Second-Consecutive Lost Season

The 11-game losing streak last season from December into January pretty much tanked the Jets’ chances of getting into the postseason. While they played better after the 2026 Winter Olympic break, they were never a serious challenger for a Western Conference wild-card spot.

Talking about playoffs when the Jets are getting crushed every night seems ridiculous. To quote a famous 2001 outburst from then-Indianapolis Colts football coach Jim Mora: “Playoffs?! Don’t talk about playoffs? You kidding me? Playoffs? I just hope we can win a game!”

The vibe around the fanbase is Mora-esque right now because there is really no indication the Jets will be able to get things sorted out and ultimately be a playoff tea. They may very well actually be as bad as they look and are well on their way to a second-consecutive lost season.

If they are still in the NHL’s basement by the all-important American Thanksgiving threshold just three weeks away, the final 60 or so games could be pretty meaningless. At least they’ll be part of the Landon DuPont sweepstakes.