Last Word on Hockey’s Puck Drop Previews are back for the 2023-24 season! As the regular season approaches, Last Word will preview each team’s current outlook and stories to watch for the upcoming year. We’ll also do our best to project how things will go for each team throughout the campaign. Today, we’re previewing the 2023-24 Winnipeg Jets.
2023-24 Winnipeg Jets Puck Drop Previews
2022-23 Season
The Winnipeg Jets finished last season in a situation that has become all too familiar for the club. Good enough to make the playoffs, not good enough to make any real noise. A team that once looked poised to contend for years to come now finds themselves at a fork in the road. After a solid but ultimately disappointing era, is it time to rebuild, retool, or stay the course? That question was answered in the offseason, but before that topic, their 2022-23 season needs more context.
If you were to just look at some basic stats, you might guess the 2022-23 season went great for the Winnipeg Jets. After all, much of their story over the last several years has been tied to the performances of key players like Connor Hellebuyck, Mark Scheifele, Kyle Connor, and Blake Wheeler. Hellebuyck had a spectacular season, as he usually does, logging 37 wins and a .920 save percentage. Mark Scheifele scored goals at a career-best pace ending with 42. Kyle Connor also turned in a productive season with 80 points. In even better news for the Jets, defenceman Josh Morrissey made a long-expected jump from being a good d-man to a premier one. Morrissey scored a franchise-record 76 points in 78 games and finished fifth in voting for the Norris Trophy.
All these stories should point to a successful season for the Jets and yet, a lack of depth in the scoring and defence departments doomed the team to another wildcard finish. Winnipeg finished the season with 95 points, good for fourth in the central division and eighth in the NHL’s Western Conference. With another disappointing finish, the Winnipeg Jets entered the 2023 offseason with important questions to face.
2023 Offseason
During the offseason, the Jets made some major changes, but appear to be trying more of a retool than a rebuild. This could also potentially change with several important players candidates for trades. But for now, the Jets flipped their disgruntled forward Pierre-Luc Dubois to the Los Angeles Kings for a couple of important pieces in Gabriel Vilardi and Alex Iafallo. Both of the former Kings figure to be in Winnipeg’s top six entering the season. One of the biggest changes coming into next season is Winnipeg moving on from their long-time captain Blake Wheeler. Wheeler went on to sign with the New York Rangers. In Wheeler’s absence, the Jets announced that Adam Lowry would take up the mantle as captain in Winnipeg. Lowry has been with the team for quite some time and brings versatility and grit to the lineup.
Overall, the Winnipeg Jets added and removed some big pieces from their lineup. But the team has yet to totally blow things up. If their season starts poorly, the complete rebuild some expected could begin to take hold.
Lineup Projections for the 2023-24 Puck Drop Preview Winnipeg Jets
Forwards
Kyle Connor — Mark Scheifele — Gabe Vilardi
Alex Iafallo — Cole Perfetti — Nikolaj Ehlers
Nino Niederreiter — Adam Lowry — Vladislav Namestnikov
Morgan Barron — Rasmus Kupari — Mason Appleton
Top Six
Despite a few changes, the Winnipeg Jets top six remain an elite core of players. The top line of Connor, Scheifele, and Vilardi will provide excellent production, especially if Vilardi builds and improves on his breakout 2022-23 season. Vilardi scored 23 goals for the Los Angeles Kings last season, setting a new high watermark for his career. The 2017 11th overall draft pick had previously only tallied 10 goals in a season. Now playing with two elite offensive forwards in Schiefele and Connor, Vilardi looks to take another step forward and become an important piece for the Jets in his first season with the team.
The second line will feature another new addition in Alex Iafallo, as well as Jets veteran Nikolaj Ehlers and a youngster hoping to play his first full with the team, Cole Perfetti. Perfetti may be the key to this line, as his success is incredibly important to the team at large. The Jets have invested a lot in Perfetti and he rewarded the team last year with 30 points in 51 games. Another interesting storyline on this line will be the performance of Nikolaj Ehlers. Ehlers has been great at times, and at others seemingly loses the trust of the coaching staff. He also only played in 45 games last year after sustaining an MCL sprain. The team will have to hope Ehlers can have a successful and healthy season to reach their goals.
Bottom Six
The Jets bottom six may not immediately jump off the page, but there are some compelling pieces on the roster. Nino Niederreiter will play his first full season in Winnipeg after being acquired by the team last year. Niederreiter is reaching the point in his career where he may decline, but he has also been a consistent 20-goal scorer for long stretches of his career. This goal-scoring touch provides valuable depth scoring that Winnipeg has been lacking. The Jets captain, Adam Lowry, also is an interesting bottom-six piece. The 6’5 centre provides a versatile game of being physical and defensively responsible while still being able to chip in some offence. Lowry tallied 36 points in 82 games last season.
The bottom line could feature a lot of upheaval as young players attempt to break the lineup. One name to look out for, however, is Rasmus Kupari. Kupari was also acquired in the Pierre-Luc Dubois trade with the Kings and will hope to crack the lineup as the fourth-line centre. Kupari is a former first-round pick entering a season where he will be 24 years old. If there is an opportunity to take a big step, this may be it for Kupari.
Defence
Top Four
Other than Josh Morrissey (who will be discussed further later on), the Jets top four does not feature a lot of what some may consider name-brand talent. Neal Pionk carries a heavy salary and regularly produces solid minutes for the team. That being said, the Jets top-four’s strength may lie in consistency. Not a single player in this top four is a new to the team player, and every defender has played at least two full seasons with the Jets. The Jets defence is not exactly their biggest strength, but with a defensive-minded coach like Rick Bowness and a consistent lineup, they also shouldn’t be a massive liability. With a star in Josh Morrissey, the Jets top four is solidified, if not spectacular.
Bottom Pair
Nate Schmidt never quite lived up to the expectations set upon him when the Jets traded for him in 2021. Still, the defender carved out a solid place in the lineup, and he slots in as a sure-fire member of the Jets D-corps. Who his partner may be, however, is a much different story. Dylan Samberg, Logan Stanley, and Declan Chisholm could all vie for spots at the bottom of the defence. Samberg possesses the inside track, however, having already played a successful stint with Schmidt last year in Winnipeg. If anything, the former second-round pick showed potential to possibly even climb up the ladder. Dylan Samberg should have the opportunity to play valuable minutes this year in Winnipeg.
Goalies
While the Jets boast a few big names, their best player is arguably Connor Hellebuyck. Winnipeg has employed Hellebuyck as their starting goaltender since the 2016-17 season, and he has finished top-five in Vezina Trophy voting four times in that span. Last year, he finished third in voting for the trophy after another stellar year. With some rumours that he may be on his way out of Winnipeg, the goaltending position could become a sore spot for the team. However, as long as the Commerce, Michigan native is minding the net, goalie remains a position of strength for the team.
While Hellebuyck is solidly planted as the team’s starter, Winnipeg should also get good goaltending from backup Laurent Brossoit. Brossoit signed with Winnipeg in the offseason after two years with the Vegas Golden Knights. This contract functions as Brossoit’s second stint with Winnipeg as he also spent 2018-2021 with the Jets. Brossoit has proven throughout his NHL career to be a capable backup goaltender.
Players to Watch
Cole Perfetti
As previously mentioned, Cole Perfetti had a nice rookie season for the Jets but will be given even more responsibility in the upcoming season. With Perfetti likely being slotted in the top six, it is absolutely imperative that the young forward takes another step forward in his career. The Jets have lost a bit of point production with the departures of Wheeler and Dubois. Cole Perfetti will be a primary source of making that up. He’ll have the best linemates he’s ever had. It is time to see whether Perfetti is going to be a major player for the Jets for years to come.
Josh Morrissey
Josh Morrissey had a huge breakout 2022-23 campaign. All eyes will be on him this year to see if he can replicate that production. The blueliner has always had the talent and has put together several solid campaigns, but last year’s near point-per-game production more than doubled his previous career high. With the loss of team leaders, Morrissey has become even more vital to the Jets success. This importance is especially true given his status as the only real game-breaker on Winnipeg’s blue line.
Prediction for the 2023-24 Winnipeg Jets
The prospects for the 2023-24 Winnipeg Jets puck drop preview this season hinge on some important factors. The team as it is currently constructed definitely has a lot to like. That being said, the team may not stay as it is currently constructed. Connor Hellebuyck, who is in the last year of his contract, may be traded. Along with the star goaltender, players like Mark Scheifele may see themselves move on from Winnipeg. If that happens, the team shouldn’t expect to contend even for a playoff spot. If they get off to a good start and their young and talented players make a jump, the Jets could just as easily find their place in the playoffs as a wildcard or third in their division. No matter what happens, contending for a cup doesn’t appear to be in the cards.
Main photo: Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports
