Winnipeg Jets
Western Conference - Central division
Predicted Finish: 4th
WILL WINNIPEG WIN OVER THEIR FRAGILE FANBASE?
Nobody can blame Jets fans if they are starting to feel restless about their hockey club.
The former Atlanta Thrashers have missed the playoffs six times since relocating to Manitoba in 2011 and have lost in the first round five times (including the qualifying round in '19-20). Other than losing to Vegas in the Western Conference Final in 2018, and losing to Montreal in the second round in 2021, it has been a real struggle for the franchise to do anything noteworthy. The Jets enter 2024-25 as a good team with a solid roster, but they are not a great team, nor do they boast the type of superstar that many clubs in the Western Conference ice. So who are the Jets, and what can fans expect in '24-25? Is there a lack of identity in Winnipeg?
Perhaps the club itself is asking those same questions.
Mark Scheifele
Forecasts
Centers
2024-25
Last 3 Seasons
| Rank | Name, Age | GP | G | A | PTS | PPG | 23-24 | 22-23 | 21-22 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 | M. Scheifele, 31 | 80 | 28 | 53 | 81 | 1.01 | 74 / 0.97 | 81 / 0.84 | 67 / 1.04 | |
| 91 | A. Lowry, 31 | 82 | 11 | 20 | 31 | 0.38 | 81 / 0.43 | 82 / 0.44 | 79 / 0.27 | |
| 209 | M. Barron, 25 | 79 | 10 | 10 | 20 | 0.25 | 80 / 0.23 | 70 / 0.30 | 27 / 0.19 | $ |
| 136 | R. Kupari, 24 | 57 | 2 | 7 | 9 | 0.16 | 28 / 0.04 | 66 / 0.23 | 57 / 0.23 | + $ |
| 137 | D. Gustafsson, 24 | 34 | 4 | 4 | 8 | 0.24 | 39 / 0.18 | 46 / 0.13 | 2 / 0.00 | + |
Wingers
| Rank | Name, Age | GP | G | A | PTS | PPG | 23-24 | 22-23 | 21-22 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13 | K. Connor, 27 | 82 | 43 | 40 | 83 | 1.01 | 65 / 0.94 | 82 / 0.98 | 79 / 1.18 | + |
| 31 | G. Vilardi, 25 | 74 | 32 | 39 | 71 | 0.96 | 47 / 0.77 | 63 / 0.65 | 25 / 0.28 | + $ |
| 47 | N. Ehlers, 28 | 76 | 27 | 37 | 64 | 0.84 | 82 / 0.74 | 45 / 0.84 | 62 / 0.89 | $ |
| 75 | C. Perfetti, 22 | 78 | 25 | 28 | 53 | 0.68 | 71 / 0.54 | 51 / 0.59 | 18 / 0.39 | |
| 123 | N. Niederreiter, 32 | 80 | 20 | 19 | 39 | 0.49 | 77 / 0.44 | 78 / 0.53 | 75 / 0.59 | |
| 140 | M. Appleton, 28 | 82 | 17 | 18 | 35 | 0.43 | 82 / 0.44 | 41 / 0.39 | 68 / 0.31 | $ |
| 88 | V. Namestnikov, 31 | 75 | 9 | 24 | 33 | 0.44 | 78 / 0.47 | 77 / 0.32 | 75 / 0.40 | $ |
| 166 | A. Iafallo, 30 | 75 | 13 | 17 | 30 | 0.40 | 82 / 0.33 | 59 / 0.61 | 79 / 0.47 | $ |
Defensemen
| Rank | Name, Age | GP | G | A | PTS | PPG | 23-24 | 22-23 | 21-22 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | J. Morrissey, 29 | 79 | 13 | 54 | 67 | 0.85 | 81 / 0.85 | 78 / 0.97 | 79 / 0.47 | |
| 59 | N. Pionk, 29 | 81 | 6 | 26 | 32 | 0.40 | 82 / 0.40 | 82 / 0.40 | 77 / 0.44 | $ |
| 78 | D. DeMelo, 31 | 82 | 4 | 22 | 26 | 0.32 | 82 / 0.38 | 75 / 0.36 | 76 / 0.17 | |
| 127 | C. Miller, 31 | 72 | 4 | 15 | 19 | 0.26 | 46 / 0.20 | 79 / 0.27 | 38 / 0.37 | |
| 136 | D. Samberg, 25 | 79 | 2 | 16 | 18 | 0.23 | 78 / 0.23 | 63 / 0.13 | 15 / 0.33 | $ |
| 147 | L. Stanley, 26 | 68 | 3 | 13 | 16 | 0.24 | 25 / 0.08 | 19 / 0.16 | 58 / 0.22 |
Goaltenders
| Rank | Name, Age | GP | W | SO | GAA | Sv% | 23-24 | 22-23 | 21-22 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 | C. Hellebuyck, 31 | 61 | 34 | 4 | 2.46 | 0.918 | 60 / 37 | 64 / 37 | 66 / 29 | |
| 59 | K. Kahkonen, 28 | 23 | 12 | 1 | 3.03 | 0.903 | 37 / 7 | 37 / 9 | 36 / 14 | $ |
Depth Chart
Left Wing |
Center |
Right Wing |
|---|---|---|
| K. Connor 1 | M. Scheifele 1 | G. Vilardi |
| N. Ehlers 1 |
C A. Lowry 3 |
M. Appleton 6 |
| N. Niederreiter | V. Namestnikov (C) | A. Iafallo (LW) |
| M. Barron (LW) | R. Kupari (RW) | C. Perfetti (LW) 1 |
| J. Anderson-Dolan (RW) | D. Gustafsson (LW) 2 | A. Jonsson-Fjallby (RW) |
| N. Chibrikov* (LW) 2 | C. Lucius* 1 | B. Lambert* 1 |
| D. Torgersson* (RW) 2 | D. Zhilkin* | P. Ford* (RW) |
| M. Shaw | H. Nikkanen* 4 | Z. Nehring* 3 |
Defense |
Goaltender |
Notable Departures |
|---|---|---|
| J. Morrissey 1 | C. Hellebuyck 5 | L. Brossoit (FA-Chi) |
| D. DeMelo | K. Kahkonen | B. Dillon (FA-NJ) |
| N. Pionk | E. Comrie 2 | R. McGroarty (T-Pit) |
| D. Samberg 2 | D. DiVincentiis* 7 | S. Monahan (FA-CBJ) |
| L. Stanley 1 | T. Milic* 5 | N. Schmidt (FA-Fla) |
| C. Miller | T. Toffoli (FA-SJ) | |
| V. Heinola 1 | ||
| E. Salomonsson* 2 | ||
| D. Kuzmin* 3 | ||
| T. Bauer* 6 | ||
| S. Lundmark* 2 |
Forecasts: *: Rookie; 
: injury concern; 
: contract year (UFA in 2025);
: Must-draft player Last 3 season stats: GP and PPG for skaters, GP and W for goalies; Rank is based on PPG or Ws compared to players in the same position. Age as of October 10, 2024.
Depth Chart: (Secondary Position); *: Rookie; 
: Team captain; Orange denotes off-season acquisition via free agency or trade; 1 to 9: Organizational draft pick with round selected.
Lines: Projected lines, pairs and units are for the majority of the season, not neccesarily opening night; 2023-24 Power Play TOI and G-A-PTS in parenthesis
Projected Lines/Pairs
Power Play Units
| Forwards | Defense |
|---|---|
| K. Connor - M. Scheifele - G. Vilardi | J. Morrissey - D. DeMelo |
| N. Niederreiter - A. Lowry - M. Appleton | D. Samberg - N. Pionk |
| N. Ehlers - V. Namestnikov - C. Perfetti | L. Stanley - C. Miller |
| M. Barron - R. Kupari - A. Iafallo |
| First Unit | Second Unit |
|---|---|
| M. Scheifele (3:09, 6-12-18) | N. Niederreiter (1:49, 3-1-4) |
| A. Iafallo (1:43, 2-3-5) | V. Namestnikov (1:19, 3-2-5) |
| J. Morrissey (3:18, 2-17-19) | N. Pionk (1:48, 1-7-8) |
| K. Connor (3:20, 5-14-19) | N. Ehlers (2:12, 0-7-7) |
| G. Vilardi (3:17, 9-5-14) | C. Perfetti (2:12, 5-6-11) |