Summer Coolers – Winnipeg Jets

The Winnipeg Jets went from winning the Presidents’ Trophy to one of the NHL’s biggest disappointments. A 34-point decline left Winnipeg at .500, seventh in the Central and outside the playoffs. Nearly every major metric collapsed, including Connor Hellebuyck’s normally dominant goaltending. Neil Smith and Vic Morren disagree somewhat on how quickly Winnipeg can rebound, but both agree the margin for error is small—and Scott Arniel enters the season under significant pressure.

IN THIS EPISODE:

[00:00:00] Winnipeg suffers a stunning 34-point decline one year after winning the Presidents’ Trophy, finishing seventh in the Central and 26th overall.

[00:00:25] The Jets become the second consecutive Presidents’ Trophy winner to miss the playoffs the following season.

[00:00:40] Every major metric collapses: offense falls from third to 25th, defense from first to 21st, power play from first to 24th and penalty killing to 21st.

[00:01:00] Winnipeg starts reasonably well before entering a prolonged slide in November and never regaining its confidence.

[00:01:20] Hellebuyck, one of the biggest reasons for Winnipeg’s previous success, simply isn’t the same goaltender during the disappointing season.

[00:01:40] Stuart Skinner is added during the offseason, providing insurance alongside Hellebuyck and potentially protecting Winnipeg if its goaltending situation changes.

[00:02:00] Neil believes Scott Arniel enters the season on the hot seat. Another poor start could force GM Kevin Cheveldayoff into a coaching change.

[00:02:20] Winnipeg’s lone trade addition is defenseman John St. Ivany from Pittsburgh in exchange for David Gustafsson.

[00:02:40] Cole Perfetti avoids arbitration with a five-year, $6 million-per-season contract and becomes one of the most important players on the roster.

[00:03:00] Neil says Perfetti now needs to establish himself alongside Mark Scheifele and Kyle Connor as a legitimate high-end offensive contributor.

[00:03:30] Josh Morrissey provides offense from the blue line, but Winnipeg needs considerably more production throughout its forward group.

[00:04:00] UFA additions include Skinner, Noah Gregor, Mario Ferraro and Henry Thrun, while Cole Koepke and Walker Duehr are retained.

[00:04:30] Eric Comrie, Jacob Bryson and Ville Heinola are among the departures as Winnipeg reshapes some of its depth.

[00:05:00] Vic sees very little margin for error. Morrissey and Neal Pionk provide quality defense, but injuries up front could expose a thin forward group.

[00:05:20] Neil is more optimistic, believing a core featuring Hellebuyck, Scheifele, Connor, Morrissey and Perfetti is talented enough to rebound significantly.

[00:05:45] Vic argues the depth concerns exist even before injuries become part of the equation.

[00:06:00] Jonathan Toews retires after playing all 82 games in his comeback season, finishing with 11 goals and 29 points.

[00:06:20] Prospects to watch include Brayden Yager, Elias Salomonsson, Brad Lambert and 2026 eighth-overall selection Viggo Björck.

[00:07:00] The central question: was last season simply an aberration, or is Winnipeg’s Stanley Cup window closing?

[00:07:15] Neil believes the championship window is narrowing, but he still considers Winnipeg talented enough to return to postseason contention.

[00:07:35] Neil recalls his own Rangers winning the Presidents’ Trophy, missing the playoffs the following season and then winning the 1994 Stanley Cup—but says these Jets lack that team’s depth.

[00:08:00] Vic remains more skeptical because Utah, Nashville, St. Louis, Minnesota, Colorado and Dallas create an incredibly crowded Central Division race.

[00:08:30] Neil’s final assessment is that Winnipeg probably isn’t as dominant as it was two years ago or as poor as it looked last season—the truth is somewhere in between.

The Jets still possess legitimate stars in Hellebuyck, Scheifele, Connor and Morrissey. What they lack is the depth to absorb injuries or prolonged slumps. Winnipeg doesn’t necessarily need to rediscover its Presidents’ Trophy form, but another season outside the playoffs would raise major questions about the coach, roster and future of this core.