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Winnipeg Jets free agency recap after day one as the Jets sign Stuart Skinner, Mario Ferraro, and Noah Gregor

Connor Baldwin — Thu, 02 Jul 2026 04:25:21 GMT

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Welcome back to what would have been the ninth edition of the “Jets Nation year in review” series to wrap up the Winnipeg Jets 2025-26 season. However, today is Canada Day, which also happens to be the first day of NHL free agency. With the NHL draft done almost a week ago, the most exciting day of the NHL off-season arrived with teams league wide looking to sign free agents. While most of the big names for free agency were off the board (having recently signed extensions), there were still plenty of players available on the open market.

The Jets most notable signing on day one of NHL free agency was goaltender Stuart Skinner. After joining the Pittsburgh Penguins last season via trade from the Oilers, Skinner agreed to a two-year, $7.5 million contract with the Jets. Immediately after this signing, speculation began if a Connor Hellebuyck trade was close to happening, but TSN inside Darren Dreger confirmed that a Hellebuyck trade was not imminent.

Skinner becomes the Jets new backup goalie, as Eric Comrie signed later in the day with the San Jose Sharks (more on that later). The now 27-year old Skinner had a 23-17-9 record last season with an overall .888 SV% and a 2.92 GAA split between his time with the Oilers and Penguins. Skinner struggled in the playoffs with the Penguins, but the Jets are hoping that Skinner can be a reliable backup goalie behind Hellebuyck in the upcoming season.

The 2nd most notable Jets signing on July 1st was defenceman Mario Ferraro. A three-year contract was agreed on with an average annual value of $4 million. Ferraro recorded 23 points last season with the Sharks, appearing in all 82 games. The 27-year old left handed defenceman will provide quality depth for the Jets on the left side, and he’s projected to play on the 3rd pairing behind Josh Morrissey and Dylan Samberg.

A 3rd and final less notable signing made by the Jets today was forward Noah Gregor. The former Florida Panthers forward signed a one-year, two-way contract for $850,000. The 27 year old (all three of the Jets signings were 27 years old oddly enough) recorded 9 points last season in 37 games with the Panthers. Gregor also spent some time in the AHL with the Charlotte Checkers, recording 17 points in 26 games. Gregor, like Skinner and Ferraro, is Canadian, and represented Canada at the 2022 IIHF World Championship.

The Jets also made a minor trade on June 29th with the Pittsburgh Penguins. Headed to the Penguins is forward David Gustafsson. In return, the Jets received defenceman Jack St. Ivany. The 26-year old defenceman recorded 7 assists in 20 games with the Penguins last season. St. Ivany will provide some depth on the right side of the blue line, and will likely begin the season with the Manitoba Moose in the AHL.

While the Jets added four new players to their roster, their were six players who were on Jets roster last season who won’t be returning for the 2026-27 season. Jonathan Toews has officially announced his retirement after his hall-of-fame worthy career. Colin Miller is headed to Europe to join the Lausanne HC in the Swiss league on a one-year deal.

The fan-favourite backup goalie Eric Comrie is headed to the San Jose Sharks after signing a two-year contract for $1.15 million AAV. Jacob Bryson, a defenceman acquired in the Logan Stanley to the Sabres trade, signed with the Detroit Red Wings on a one-year deal worth $850,000. David Gustafsson is headed to the Penguins in the St. Ivany trade. Last but not least, the Golden Knights signed Ville Heinola to a one-way, one-year contract worth $850,000.

Overall, the Jets had a pretty successful first day of free agency. The players departing from the Jets were mostly used in depth roles, and Stuart Skinner replaces Eric Comrie in the backup role at this moment. Mario Ferraro is a very solid addition to bolster the Jets blue line on the left side, and Noah Gregor could see some time in the bottom six depending on any other moves the Jets decide to make this off-season.

Up Next

The 2026 NHL free agency continues for day two tomorrow. Stay tuned for the next edition of the Jets Nation “year in review” series article coming in a few days, and the latest free agent and trade news from the Jets in the upcoming days!

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Winnipeg Jets select C/RW Viggo Bjork with the 8th overall pick at the 2026 NHL entry draft

Connor Baldwin — Sat, 27 Jun 2026 06:55:20 GMT

Follow us on our Jets Nation socials! X/Twitter: @NHLJetsNation and on Instagram: @JetsNationDotCa

Welcome back to what would have been the eighth edition of the “Jets Nation year in review” series to wrap up the Winnipeg Jets 2025-26 season. However, today was the 2026 NHL entry draft in Buffalo, and the Winnipeg Jets held a top 10 selection in the 1st round. The draft was headlined by Gavin McKenna, who was selected 1st overall by the Toronto Maple Leafs, who won the draft lottery in May.

Day one of this two day NHL event is one of the most exciting days of the NHL off-season, as fans get to see who their favourite teams will add to their prospect pool, with some players ready to make an instant impact in the league. There’s already been a handful of big trades and signings prior to the draft, which set up for an unexpected and thrilling draft day. After a disappointing season with no playoffs, the Jets found themselves with the 8th overall pick in the 2026 NHL entry draft.

Before GM Kevin Cheveldayoff and the Jets stepped up to the podium with the 8th overall pick in the 1st round, here’s how the first seven picks of the draft unfolded:

1. Toronto Maple Leafs: Gavin McKenna (LW)

2. San Jose Sharks: Ivar Stenberg (LW)

3. Vancouver Canucks: Caleb Malhotra (C)

4. Buffalo Sabres: Daxon Rudolph (RD)

5. New York Rangers: Alberts Smits (LD)

6. Calgary Flames: Carson Carels (LD)

7. Seattle Kraken: Chase Reid (RD)

The Jets were left with a few very good options with this pick, both at forward and defence. Before the draft, teams generally have plans ready for however the draft shakes out before they select. Given the prior selections, I’m sure that GM Kevin Cheveldayoff had a good feeling about the player that was about to be announced as the Jets pick. After all the anticipation, the Winnipeg Jets selected Viggo Bjork from Djurgardens IF of the SHL with the 8th overall pick in the 2026 entry draft.

Viggo Bjork

Bjork is highly intelligent and versatile right handed shooting forward that has experience playing both at centre and at right wing. Most mock drafts had Bjork being selected in the 6 to 9 range, but he was a late riser leading into the final months before the draft. The 18-year old forward is on the smaller side, listed at 5’9″ and 177 lbs, but he makes up for the lack of size with his skill and hockey IQ. In 42 games with Djurgardens IF in the Swedish Hockey League, Bjork scored 6 goals and 9 assists for 15 points.

Bjork played on Team Sweden at the U-20 World Juniors, and impressed alongside number two overall pick Ivar Stenberg with 3 goals and 6 assists for 9 points in 7 games. After concluding his pre-draft season, Bjork was selected to Sweden’s Men’s team to the World Championship. Team Sweden went with several younger players at this year’s tournament in Switzerland, but they all impressed, including Bjork. Playing against some of the best talent in the world, Bjork notched 6 points (1 goal and 5 assists) in 8 games. Jets fans should be very pleased with this selection, and you can count on Bjork’s hyper competitiveness to make an impact in the Jets lineup in the near future.

Welcome to the Winnipeg Jets Viggo Bjork!

Up Next

The 2026 NHL Draft continues tomorrow afternoon at the KeyBank Center in Buffalo, New York with rounds 2-7. The Winnipeg Jets will be selecting at picks 71, 116, 135, 167, 199 and 220. Stay tuned for the next edition of the Jets Nation “year in review” series article coming in a few days, and draft coverage following the end of this two-day event!

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2026 NHL Draft: Winnipeg Jets select centre Viggo Björck eighth overall

Zach Laing — Sat, 27 Jun 2026 00:15:26 GMT

The Winnipeg Jets drafted Swedish centre Viggo Björck with the eighth overall selection in the 2026 NHL Draft.

Björck, 18, stands at just 5-foot-10, and 172 lbs., but don’t let his small stature fool you: the Jets got a guy who was held in high regard. Björck flew up draft boards this season in thanks to his fearless intensity.

He spent last season with the SHL’s Djurgårdens IF, scoring six goals and 15 points, and has one year left on a contract with them, according to Daily Faceoff’s Matt Larkin. Björck represented Sweden in both the World Juniors this year, scoring three goals and nine points in seven games winning Gold, and a goal and six points in eight games at the 2026 IIHF World Championships.

Daily Faceoff’s Steven Ellis had Björck ranked ninth in his final top 120 rankings. Here’s what he had to say about him:

Björck definitely lacks the size teams crave in a center. But that hasn’t slowed him down – he’s absolutely fearless. He hasn’t found a player he wasn’t afraid to go up against at the World Championship as Sweden’s No. 1 center. We’ve seen him win battles against guys like Stanley Cup champion Ryan O’Reilly (6-foot-1, 216 pounds), David Tomasek (6-foot-2, 209 pounds) and even 6-foot-8 monster Malte Setkov. It’s like watching a younger Zach Benson. Björck’s shot is incredibly deceptive, especially on the power play. He doesn’t give you much to work with if you’re a goalie – and it’s because he doesn’t need to. Quick, accurate and always in a dangerous spot.

Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby had high praise for what he saw from Björck at the Worlds.

“Being a younger guy at this tournament, I can relate (to the pressure),” Crosby told Swedish outlet SVT. “Not being that young, but being a young guy isn’t easy… He’s pretty poised, he’s pretty competitive. He’s not the biggest guy but sees the ice well, has a good shot. He looked like he was really assertive with the puck.”

The Jets have single picks in the third, fourth, fifth, and sixth rounds, as well as one pick in the seventh round.

Zach Laing is Oilersnation’s managing editor and The Nation Network’s news director. He can be followed on X at @zjlaing, or reached by email at zach.laing@bettercollective.com.

Jets goalie tandem had a below average season: Connor Hellebuyck and Eric Comrie Jets Nation year in review

Connor Baldwin — Sun, 21 Jun 2026 20:30:49 GMT

Follow us on our Jets Nation socials! X/Twitter: @NHLJetsNation and on Instagram: @JetsNationDotCa

Welcome back to the seventh edition of the “Jets Nation year in review” series to wrap up the Winnipeg Jets 2025-26 season. This series continues on as summer has officially begun and the NHL draft is less than a week away. I’ll continue to look at the individual seasons from Jets players throughout the 2025-26 season, while previewing their upcoming 2026-27 seasons. There’s still some Jets star players to be covered, including Kyle Connor and Josh Morrissey who will likely be the next two articles. However, on this Sunday afternoon, it’s the two Jets goaltenders who are today’s focus, both of which had below average seasons: Connor Hellebuyck and Eric Comrie.

Both Jets goaltenders entered the 2025-26 season with big expectations, especially from Hellebuyck. The 2024-25 season was a historic MVP and Vezina winning season for Hellebuyck, so the Jets were looking forward to seeing how he would follow it up. Comrie was entering his 2nd and final year of his current contract with the Jets, and last season he mostly had to sit back and watch Hellebuyck’s greatness. This season, Comrie was needed to step up to the starter’s role when Hellebuyck got injured, and it forced Comrie to try and prove if he can be a true quality backup goalie in this league.

Connor Hellebuyck’s 2025-26 season had a lot more downs than ups following a near perfect 2024-25 season. Hellebuyck appeared in 57 games, posting a record of 23-23-11. Hellebuyck’s 23 wins is a big drop off from his near record setting 47 wins last season, and the 11 overtime / shootout losses were notable as the Jets struggled to pick up the important second point throughout the season. Hellebuyck had a 2.86 GAA, which isn’t a career worst for him, but it’s a drastic underperformance compared to his last three seasons. Hellebuyck had a career worse .895 save percentage, which is somewhat reflected by the league average dropping, but also because of his inconsistent performances. Another notable stat was that Hellebuyck had 0 shutouts this season, the first time in his career he hasn’t gotten more than 2 shutouts in a season.

Eric Comrie’s 2025-26 season wasn’t great either, and it was a real test for a goalie who’s spent his entire career either in the AHL or as a limited backup goalie. Comrie appeared in a career high 25 games this season, posting a 12-11-1 record. Comrie had a 3.13 GAA, which isn’t a career worse, but like Hellebuyck it’s a big drop off from his 2.39 GAA last season during the Jets very successful regular season. Comrie had a below average .890 save percentage, and he also finished the season with 0 shutouts. I’m not sure how many teams this season didn’t have any shutouts, but it seems pretty rare to have no goalies on your team pick up at least one shutout in a full season.

Looking ahead to the 2026-27 season, there’s different headlines for both Jets netminders. Hellebuyck has been in trade rumours recently, which would signify a major shift in the Jets’ goals for next season if he were to be moved. Hellebuyck is still more than likely a Jet next season, and he’ll need to have a big bounce back season in order to lead the Jets back to the playoffs. Hellebuyck will be entering the 3rd year of his seven year contract in which he has a $8.5 million cap hit. Hellebuyck won’t be a free agent until 2031, so unless the Jets struggle again next season and decide to move Hellebuyck, Winnipeg will be his home for the rest of his career. Something else that can’t be forgotten about in the 2025-26 season was Hellebuyck’s terrific performance at the 2026 Olympics. Hellebuyck had a historic gold medal game performance against Canada to lead USA to the gold medal in Italy.

For Eric Comrie, this off-season he’s an unrestricted free agent. The 30-year old has bounced around the league a bit since being drafted by the Jets back in 2013, and this off-season is the next big step in his career. Comrie’s next contract will likely be near league minimum, and it’ll be up to the Jets to decide if they want to bring him back as the Jets backup next season. Thomas Milic appeared in 3 games this season when Hellebuyck was injured, and he’s one of two or three options that the Jets have in the prospect pipeline when it comes to their future netminders. The Jets might also want to explore the goalie market this season for another veteran backup goalie to replace the fan-favourite Comrie, but it’s still uncertain which direction the Jets will go with their backup goalie next season.

Overall, it’s easy to call this a mostly disappointing season for both Connor Hellebuyck and Eric Comrie. Despite being a very solid duo in the 2024-25 season, the futures are uncertain for this tandem which looked like it would be among the league’s best for years to come. Goalies as good as Hellebuyck have a good chance of regaining success the next season, so it’s not time to count out Hellebuyck just yet. If the Jets do decide to trade Hellebuyck (which is still at this time unlikely), it will open up a path for Thomas Milic or another Jets goalie to make the league next season. Comrie is an unrestricted free agent who is a fan favourite for all the right reasons, but it’ll be a pure business decision this off-season for the Jets to decide if it’s worth bringing back Comrie for the 2026-27 season. Whatever happens, Jets fans should be confident in looking ahead to having a great goaltending duo that will lead them to more success in the near future.

Up Next

The 2026 NHL Draft will take place at the KeyBank Center in Buffalo, New York on June 26th and June 27th, less than a week away. The Winnipeg Jets will be selecting 8th overall in the 1st round. Stay tuned for the next edition of the Jets Nation “year in review” series article coming in a few days, and draft coverage starting on Friday, June 26th!

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Two of the youth slowly on the rise: Brad Lambert and Elias Salomonsson Jets Nation year in review

Connor Baldwin — Thu, 18 Jun 2026 05:05:09 GMT

Follow us on our Jets Nation socials! X/Twitter: @NHLJetsNation and on Instagram: @JetsNationDotCa

Welcome back to the sixth edition of the “Jets Nation year in review” series to wrap up the Winnipeg Jets 2025-26 season. This series continues on as the off-season is fully underway around the NHL now halfway through June. I’ll continue to look at the individual seasons from Jets players throughout the 2025-26 season and also take a quick look ahead to what the 2026-27 season may have in store for each player. The first “major” off-season event is coming up in just about one weeks time, with the Jets set the make the 8th overall selection at the 2026 NHL Entry Draft. Tonight’s players (a double feature for this one) is two of the Jets promising prospects who are slowly on the rise after getting a decent amount of playing time throughout the 2025-26 season: Brad Lambert and Elias Salomonsson.

Both Jets prospects entered the 2025-26 season with hopes of getting significant playing time on this current Jets roster. The Jets have lacked for a few seasons a true “big name” prospect, but the Jets have also failed to allow some of their prospects to get the proper playing time and experience needed in the league, even if it’s just in a depth role. This past season that changed somewhat, with Lambert and Salmonsson getting their opportunities, especially when the Jets were officially eliminated from playoff contention at the end of the season.

Brad Lambert’s 2024-25 AHL season with the Manitoba Moose wasn’t the best, but Jets fans knew that part of his decline in production was due to the Moose being a bottom 5 team in the league. Salomonsson exceeded his expectations during his first pro season with the Moose in 2024-25 season, and although Salomonsson might be “one year behind” Lambert’s NHL timeline (one year younger but same draft), Salomonsson has risen up the top Jets prospects rankings, and he was ready for NHL action this season.

Lambert split time with the Moose and Jets in the 2025-26 season. With the Jets, Lambert scored 3 goals and 3 assists for 6 points in 25 games. Even though he was usually playing in a role with limited ice time, Lambert generally looked more comfortable in the league, and he showed flashes of what Jets fans have been hoping to see from Lambert. In 34 games with the Moose this season, Lambert scored 6 goals and 7 assists for 13 points.

Salomonsson also split time with the Moose and Jets at different times of the 2025-26 season. With the Moose, Salomonsson appeared in 29 games, scoring 1 goal and added 8 assists for 9 points. After making his NHL debut with the Jets, Salomonsson secured his spot on the team with an overall good defensive game. In 32 games with the Jets, Salomonsson scored 1 goal and 4 assists for 5 points, while getting a good amount of ice time on the 2nd pairing at times where there were injuries.

Looking ahead to the 2026-27 season, the Jets need to find a place in the opening night roster for both Lambert and Salomonsson. Although both prospects are still quite a ways from reaching their full potentials, there’s no reason why they shouldn’t be NHL players at this point. For Lambert, the Jets need to try to get him in more offensive situations in order to unlock his scoring and playmaking abilities. For Salomonsson, he’s shown enough to make a case to start the season as the Jets 2nd defence line right defenceman, potentially creating a young 2nd pairing with Dylan Samberg.

Heading into the 2026-27 season, both Lambert and Salomonsson will be playing their final years of their entry level contracts. Lambert’s cap hit is $886,666 and Salomonsson’s cap hit is $865,000, and they will both be restricted free agents in 2027. It’s still a little early to predict what their next contracts will look like, but assuming both of them continue to develop in the NHL they should both earn their first “official” short term NHL contracts in the next off-season.

Despite both players still considered near the top of the Jets prospects list, there’s still work to do for both players in the upcoming seasons. Other Jets prospects such as Brayden Yager, Nikita Chibrikov and Colby Barlow will also want a crack at the NHL soon enough, which could take some “pressure” off Lambert and Salomonsson in terms of exceeding their current expectations. Not to mention, whoever the Jets select at 8th overall at the 2026 NHL Entry Draft will likely become the Jets new “top prospect”, with a few seasons before they attempt to make the Jets. Regardless, Jets fans should continue to be optimistic about both Lambert and Salomonsson heading into the 2026-27 season, with hopes of both players making larger contributions to the Jets success down the road.

Up Next

The 2026 NHL Draft will take place at the KeyBank Center in Buffalo, New York on June 26th and June 27th. The Winnipeg Jets will be selecting 8th overall in the 1st round. Stay tuned for the next edition of the Jets Nation “year in review” series article coming in a few days!

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Certified top line winger with a fully healthy season behind him: Gabriel Vilardi Jets Nation year in review

Connor Baldwin — Tue, 16 Jun 2026 04:55:29 GMT

Follow us on our Jets Nation socials! X/Twitter: @NHLJetsNation and on Instagram: @JetsNationDotCa

Welcome back to the fifth edition of the “Jets Nation year in review” series to wrap up the Winnipeg Jets 2025-26 season. This series continues on throughout the summer month of June as we look at the individual seasons from Jets players throughout the 2025-26 season. I also take a look ahead to what the 2026-27 season may have in store for each player. Before I get any further, I have to say a big congratulations to former Jets forward Nikolaj Ehlers, who captured his 1st Stanley Cup with the Carolina Hurricanes on Sunday night. Tonight’s player of focus is Gabriel Vilardi, a top line winger who had a fully healthy season and recorded career highs in an all around successful season.

Following a mostly healthy 2024-25 season, Vilardi entered his 3rd season with the Jets with hopes of continuing to set new career highs. The chemistry that Vilardi gained with Mark Scheifele and Kyle Connor on the top line last season didn’t go unnoticed, and it certainly benefitted Vilardi when he signed his new long term contract. The 26-year old forward from Kingston did much of what he did well in the 2024-25 season but slightly better, cementing himself as a key member of the Jets forward group.

Vilardi’s expectations for the 2025-26 season were to remain on the top line with Scheifele and Connor. That didn’t end up happening, as Scott Arniel moved Vilardi down the 2nd line at times in the season to give the Jets a different look with Alex Iafallo on the top line. Vilardi didn’t let that affect how he played though, as he looked comfortable with different linemates throughout the tougher stretches of the Jets season. Vilardi did remain on the top powerplay unit throughout the season, playing an important role in setting up and finishing opportunities on the man advantage.

After several seasons with injuries early in his career, Vilardi played his 1st full 82 game regular season. In those 82 games, Vilardi scored 30 goals, surpassing his career high of 27 goals from last season. Vilardi added 39 assists, five more assists than last season, for a total of 69 points, 3rd on the Jets behind just Connor and Scheifele. Vilardi set a new career high in penalty minutes with 24, which is still relatively low for a full season. Vilardi’s one stat that wasn’t a career high (for what it’s worth) was his +/- rating, which was a career worse -12.

Vilardi’s shooting percentage was well above the league average (around 13%) at 20%. While Vilardi isn’t necessary classified as a “pure scorer” or a “playmaker”, Vilardi has proven that he can do both in various situations throughout a game. Vilardi scored 30 goals on 150 shots, which is impressive given the lack of Jets depth scoring outside of the top line, which Vilardi wasn’t always on this season for reasons not related to his production.

After the non-playoff season was over, Vilardi joined Team Canada at the 2026 IIHF World Championship in Switzerland with his teammates Mark Scheifele and Dylan DeMelo. It’s been five years since Vilardi last repped the Canadian jersey, but he played a fairly big role on a well-rounded roster. Vilardi scored 3 goals and added 4 assists for 7 points in Canada’s 10 games, highlighted by two games with two points.

After a career best season, Vilardi is now preparing to enter year 2 of his current six year contract. At a cap hit of $7.5 million a year, Vilardi provides great value as a top line winger, and all signs point to him continuing to do so as he enters the prime of his career. Vilardi won’t become an unrestricted free agent until 2031 at age 31, which lines up with the same year as Scheifele and Connor Hellebuyck’s contracts expire. Going into the 2026-27 season, provided that the Jets make an addition to their 2nd line, Vilardi should return to the top line full time with Scheifele and Connor.

Vilardi put past any injury concerns that he had earlier in his career, and he’s well on track to continue to produce as a top line winger with the chemistry he’s gained with Scheifele and Connor. Vilardi was the Jets’ nominee this season for the King Clancy Memorial Trophy, which highlights his on-ice performance and leadership qualities combined with his work off the ice with mental health advocacy. Jets fans keep taking more notice of Vilardi after his third season as a Jet, and Vilardi is looking forward to providing the fans and team with much of the same level of quality production in the 2026-27 season.

Up Next

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Another steady season for the shutdown defender: Dylan DeMelo Jets Nation year in review

Connor Baldwin — Fri, 12 Jun 2026 06:10:49 GMT

Follow us on our Jets Nation socials! X/Twitter: @NHLJetsNation and on Instagram: @JetsNationDotCa

Welcome back to the fourth edition of the “Jets Nation year in review” series to wrap up the Winnipeg Jets 2025-26 season. This series continues on throughout the month of June as we look at the individual seasons from Jets players throughout the 2025-26 season. I also take a quick look ahead to what their 2026-27 seasons may have in store. Some of the depth players and prospects will be combined in an article later in the series. Tonight, the Jets number one shutdown defenceman, Dylan DeMelo, is the player in the spotlight. Despite a slight dip in production last season, DeMelo continued to do what’s he paid to do the best, which is defend and shutdown the opponents.

Following his 2nd straight season appearing in all 82 games, DeMelo had his 3rd straight season where he suited up in every single Jets regular season game. The 33-year old from London, Ontario was a late round draft pick by the San Jose Sharks back in 2011, and ever since he entered the league he’s been known for his defensive “shutdown” abilities. DeMelo only has 23 goals and 159 assists in 718 career games, but as mentioned, that’s not at all important when you understand DeMelo’s nightly role.

DeMelo’s expectations for the 2025-26 season were about the same as last season. Although DeMelo may not be a typical “top line” defenceman, his chemistry with Josh Morrissey makes him the perfect partner for him on the Jets top defence pairing. Morrissey brings the offensive flair and powerplay skills, while DeMelo sits back and blocks shots and excels in penalty killing situations. DeMelo did spend some time on the second pairing this season when Dylan Samberg was in the lineup, as Scott Arniel tried a more “offensive” combo of Josh Morrissey and Neal Pionk during stretches where the Jets offence was struggling during different stretches of the year.

Fast forward to the end of April, and DeMelo finished with the exact same amount of goals, assists and points as last season. DeMelo played in all 82 games, scoring 3 goals and 16 assists for 19 points. DeMelo had 40 penalty minutes, around his career average, and finished with a +7 +/- rating, a drop from the previous two seasons. DeMelo had a near league best +46 rating in the 2023-24 season, but naturally that rating went down this season due to less wins and positive results for the Jets this season.

One stat that never fails to disappoint is DeMelo’s shot blocking ability. DeMelo had 109 blocked shots this season, continuing his trend of averaging over 100 blocked shots in a season. The over 1 blocked shot a game average comes from being one of the Jets most important penalty killers, as well as the majority of his shifts taking place in the defensive zone. DeMelo averaged 21:27 time on the ice per game, highlighting his importance in a variety of defensive situations throughout a game.

DeMelo’s off-season didn’t start right away, as he got the opportunity to represent Team Canada for the first time in his career at the 2026 IIHF World Championship in Switzerland. DeMelo picked up 2 assists and finished with a +4 rating, playing a very similar style of way that he does with the Jets. Looking at DeMelo’s contract situation, the Jets have DeMelo locked up for the next two seasons at $4.9 million. DeMelo will become an unrestricted free agent at age 35 in 2028, but until then the Jets have an affordable 1st pairing right handed defenceman to pair with their number one defenceman Josh Morrissey.

Despite the Jets lack of depth scoring, DeMelo did what he could to help the Jets throughout the 2025-26 season. DeMelo’s role as the top pairing shutdown defenceman has been solidified by his shot blocking abilities and playing in big minutes including on the penalty kill. You can’t really fully appreciate DeMelo’s full value to this Jets team until you look deeper into his defensive analytics, but those aren’t always the most “exciting” stats to most fans. Going into the 2026-27 season, expect DeMelo to continue to excel at what he does best, locking it down for the Jets in what will hopefully be a bounce back season.

Up Next

The 2026 NHL Draft will take place at the KeyBank Center in Buffalo, New York on June 26th and June 27th. The Winnipeg Jets will be selecting 8th overall in the first round. Stay tuned for the next edition of the Jets Nation “year in review” series article coming in a few days!

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Late start to the season leads to down year for the captain: Adam Lowry Jets Nation year in review

Connor Baldwin — Tue, 09 Jun 2026 02:55:51 GMT

Follow us on our Jets Nation socials! X/Twitter: @NHLJetsNation and on Instagram: @JetsNationDotCa

Welcome back to the third edition of the “Jets Nation year in review” series to wrap up the Winnipeg Jets 2025-26 season. This series continues to look at the individual seasons from Jets players throughout the 2025-26 season, recapping their season and looking ahead to their 2026-27 seasons. Some of the depth players and prospects will be grouped together in an article later in the series. Tonight, the captain of the Winnipeg Jets, Adam Lowry, is the player who will be recapped. After missing the start of the season due to injury, Lowry struggled during parts of the season, leading to a down year.

After a mostly healthy 73 game 2024-25 season, Lowry played in 70 games this season. Lowry was forced to miss the first 12 games of the season while he was recovering from off-season hip surgery. The surgery was performed on May 27th, 2025, and after a full recovery Lowry made his season debut on November 4th, 2025. Just over two weeks later, the Jets decided it was the right time to give Lowry a five-year, $25 million contract extension, which will begin next season.

Lowry’s expectations entering the season were somewhat mixed. The optimistic view on Lowry was that he would get more ice time due to the Jets missing a true 2nd line centre and the uncertainty around Jonathan Toews’ return to the NHL. The not-so optimistic view was that Lowry is getting older, and that he shouldn’t be playing as many minutes as he used to recently. Lowry split his season between the 2nd and 3rd forward lines, getting a variety of different linemates throughout the ups and downs of the season. Lowry had a very slow start to the season, scoring just 1 goal and 2 assists for 3 points in his first 18 games back from injury.

By the end of the season Lowry had a handful of games where his line was the main “scoring producers” for that night. In 70 games, Lowry had 5 goals and 16 assists for 21 points. Lowry’s 5 goals is the 2nd lowest of his entire career, and his shooting percentage dropped from 16.2% last season (16 goals on 99 shots) to just 7.0% this season (5 goals on 71 shots). It’s difficult to pinpoint why this big dip happened, but it just looked like Lowry was less of a scoring threat when he was on the ice. Lowry had 32 penalty minutes, a little less than he’s averaged in recent seasons, and he finished the season with a -6 +/- rating, only the second time in his career he’s finished with a minus rating.

Just like Jonathan Toews, Lowry was great in the faceoff dot. Lowry won 522 out of the 951 faceoffs he took for a 54.9% win percentage, a bump from his recent averages which were around 50%. As previously mentioned, there seemed to be less offensive flair in Lowry’s game on most nights. His defensive play remained just as sharp as usual, providing valuable minutes on the penalty kill.

Lowry’s off-season began with Lowry fully healthy, which will hopefully benefit him going into the first season of his new contract. The 33-year old 2nd/3rd line centre is going into year 1 of 5 of his new five-year, $25 million contract at $5 million a season. Captain Lowry will likely remain a Jet for the rest of his career, so it’s important that he regains his form from the past three seasons, where he averaged 35 points. Lowry’s cap hit is very reasonable for his role on the Jets, and with the salary cap going up soon it was ideal that the Jets got his new deal done during the season rather than after the season ended.

The Winnipeg Jets captain didn’t have the best season overall, but he’s just one example of a player who didn’t provide enough of the much needed depth scoring on this team. The leadership and defensive skills were still there, and that’s just as important when looking at the value of Lowry’s upcoming contract. If the Jets find a 2nd line centre this off-season, Lowry will be able to settle into his role as a full time 3rd line centre, providing important penalty killing minutes and an overall balanced game, making him a key player on this Jets roster.

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Inspiring homecoming for the future hall of famer: Jonathan Toews Jets Nation year in review

Connor Baldwin — Sat, 06 Jun 2026 00:40:41 GMT

Follow us on our Jets Nation socials! X/Twitter: @NHLJetsNation and on Instagram: @JetsNationDotCa

Welcome back to the second edition of the “Jets Nation year in review” series to wrap up the Winnipeg Jets 2025-26 season. This series takes a look at the individual performances from Jets players throughout the season, recapping their year and previewing what they might be doing in the 2026-27 season. Several depth players and prospects may be “grouped together” in an article later in the series. Today’s player in the spotlight is the hometown future hall of famer Jonathan Toews, who made an inspiring comeback to the NHL after two seasons away from hockey.

After playing 53 games in the 2022-23 season with the Chicago Blackhawks, Toews stepped away from the NHL to focus and manage his health. Toews was diagnosed with Chronic Immune Response Syndrome (CIRS) as well as effects and symptoms connected to Long COVID. After a lengthy time of recovering, where Toews was transparent about what he was dealing with, Toews agreed to sign a one year deal with the Jets on June 20th, 2025. The deal was formally made officially on “free agency day”, July 1st, 2025, and Toews was officially a member of the team where he was born on a 1 year, $2 million deal with other performance related bonuses.

The expectations for Toews were uncertain entering the season, and it was difficult for fans to know what kind of player he would be after his lengthy absence from the league. My personal prediction for Toews before the season started was a 36 point year with roughly 70 games played. Fast forward to opening night, where Toews would be the Jets 2nd line centre due to an injury to Adam Lowry. Toews spent time on the 2nd, 3rd and 4th line this season, so he had a handful of different linemates throughout the season. By the end of the season, Toews went into the off-season with an overall successful return to the NHL given his lengthy absence and the health issues he had to overcome to get to what he was able to do with the Jets.

Toews appeared in all 82 regular season games for just the third time in his lengthy NHL career. At the end of the season, Toews had 11 goals and 18 assists for 29 points. Toews had 38 penalty minutes, which is around the total he’s averaged throughout his career, and he had a +/- rating of -20, the second lowest of his career. When you compare these totals to the rest of Toews’ career the numbers of course seem a little low, but considering the circumstances it was still a productive year for Toews. The Jets lacked depth scoring throughout their roster, but Toews did his fair share when needed, finishing tied for 6th on the team in points.

One very impressive stat from Toews was his 62.1% faceoff win percentage. Toews was always the go to faceoff taker when a win on the draw was needed, and he took a total of 1026 faceoffs on the season. Only Claude Giroux from the Ottawa Senators had a higher faceoff win percentage in the league at 63.1%, and Giroux took a total of 799 faceoffs this season. Toews had 637 faceoff wins this season, which is a fantastic underrated stat which centres don’t get enough appreciation for enough.

With the Jets not making the playoffs, Toews’s off-season came earlier than he was used to in his career, often making the playoffs during the Blackhawks dynasty where he won three Stanley Cups. Toews enters the off-season with an uncertain future in the NHL, with reports suggesting that this may the end of his career. Retirement is expected (but not confirmed) for Toews, who could leave the NHL on good terms knowing he got to play a season in the place he grew up in. Toews’ contract was for $2 million, and the Jets will surely be in the market for a new centre this off-season.

Everything considered, Toews’ return to the NHL in the 2025-26 season should be seen as an all-around positive story in the hockey world. If Toews decides to officially call it quits this off-season, he’ll end his historic career on a positive note with the Winnipeg Jets. Looking back at his entire career, Toews appears to almost be a lock to be a future hall of famer once he becomes eligible.

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Could Patrik Laine return to Winnipeg this summer?

Evan Waldner — Thu, 04 Jun 2026 23:40:10 GMT

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It was a season to forget for former Winnipeg Jets forward Patrik Laine.

Laine played just five games this season with the Montreal Canadiens before undergoing surgery in late October to repair a core muscle injury. At the time, the Canadiens announced he would be out for three to four months and placed him on injured reserve. He remained on injured reserve for the rest of the season and playoffs despite practising in a full-contact jersey since January.

During Montreal’s exit interviews, Laine was asked whether he was still injured at the end of the season, and his answer was simple: “No.”

The Finland native later confirmed that Montreal’s medical staff had given him the green light to return, though he couldn’t recall exactly when that happened.

“I don’t remember when, exactly. But I did get a green light, yes. I don’t remember the exact date, might have to check my calendar on that.”

Now, the 28-year-old’s tenure with the Canadiens has come to an end as he is set to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1, meaning he’ll be looking for a new opportunity.

There isn’t a day that goes by where I don’t see someone on X talking about a potential reunion between the former second-overall pick and the team that drafted him in 2016. Is it possible? Absolutely. But is it a good idea?

Looking at Laine’s statistics, it’s easy to see where the drop-off in production began. After being traded to the Columbus Blue Jackets alongside Jack Roslovic in exchange for Pierre-Luc Dubois in January 2021, Laine managed just 21 points in 45 games during the 2020-21 season. However, he rebounded with at least 50 points in each of the next two seasons, suggesting he may have been rediscovering the form he showed in Winnipeg. Unfortunately, things began to unravel the following year.

Laine was limited to just 18 games in 2023-24 after suffering a broken clavicle in mid-December. He later entered the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program to focus on his mental health before being cleared to return months later.

Another fresh start appeared to be on the horizon after he requested a trade out of Columbus and was dealt to Montreal ahead of the 2024-25 season. Things initially looked promising before another injury struck. Laine suffered a scary knee-on-knee collision during a pre-season game, sidelining him until December when he finally made his Canadiens debut.

Patrik Laine is forced to leave the game with a knee injury after colliding with Cedric Pare. pic.twitter.com/3rAOIRrfrQ

— TSN (@TSN_Sports) September 28, 2024

He went on to play 52 games with Montreal, recording 33 points while adding an assist in two playoff appearances. Laine still proved dangerous on the power play, scoring 14 of his 20 goals with the man advantage.

3 POWER PLAY GOALS FROM PATRIK LAINE FOR THE HAT TRICK 🤯🎩 pic.twitter.com/rTBrX5LFTc

— Gino Hard (@GinoHard_) December 18, 2024

There is still potential in Laine’s game. At just 28 years old, he should have plenty of hockey left in him. However, his injury history and recent struggles could make teams hesitant to hand him a significant opportunity.

In my eyes, if the Jets consider bringing him back, it would be another experiment, similar to Gustav Nyquist, which didn’t work out as hoped, or Jonathan Toews, who improved as the season went on. Laine’s offensive upside is still there, particularly on the power play, an area the Jets desperately need to improve if they want to take the next step.

We’ll see whether the Jets or another team are willing to take a chance on Laine when free agency opens.