Jets Nation - News, Roster, Scores, Schedule

What does the Jets’ projected lineup look like after the first three weeks of NHL free agency?

Connor Baldwin — Fri, 24 Jul 2026 20:10:14 GMT

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The Jets Nation “year in review” series wrapped earlier this week, so now we return to the middle of the NHL off-season. NHL teams have had a few weeks now to explore the open market, making trades and signings with the goal of improving their rosters for the upcoming 2026-27 NHL season. With an upcoming earlier start to a season that will now feature 84 regular season games, the Jets projected lineup is starting to take shape for opening night. Of course nothing is finalized until opening night, so until then we can only come up with our best go at a projected lineup for the Jets 2026-27 season.

Jets Projected Forward Lineups

Kyle Connor – Mark Scheifele – Gabriel Vilardi

Cole Perfetti – Viggo Bjork – Brad Lambert

Nino Niederreiter – Adam Lowry – Alex Iafallo

Cole Koepke – Morgan Barron – Isak Rosen

Extras / depth options: Vladislav Namestnikov, Walker Duehr, Noah Gregor, and Nikita Chibrikov

The Jets elite 1st line remains unchanged once again. Connor, Scheifele, and Vilardi are now all locked up long term. Although there was some line shuffling last season, this line should be the number one option for the Jets throughout the 2026-27 season.

The 2nd line is where things get interesting. As of July 24th, the Jets still don’t have a true “2nd line centre”, a position that they continue to hope to acquire in the off-season. Adam Lowry, Vladislav Namestnikov, and Morgan Barron don’t have enough “scoring touch” in their games to be in the top six, so could Viggo Bjork step into the NHL as an 18-year old? The young combination of Perfetti, Bjork and Lambert would certainly please Jets fans, as it would signify a shift in allowing younger Jets prospects a change to thrive in top six roles at the highest level.

As for the bottom six, there won’t be too many changes compared to last season. Niederreiter, Lowry, and Iafallo appear to be the current best options for a 3rd line, with Namestnikov and potentially Chibrikov other options on the wing. The 4th line will feature Koepke and Barron almost for sure, and Rosen could be used higher up in the lineup or as a depth option depending on how the Jets want to shape the rest of their forward group. There’s certainly a few quality options for depth forwards, and there’s also the possibility of seeing some of the Jets top forward prospects enter the lineup later in the season such as Brayden Yager, Danny Zhilkin, and Colby Barlow.

Jets Projected Defence Lineups

Josh Morrissey – Dylan DeMelo

Dylan Samberg – Neal Pionk

Mario Ferraro – Haydn Fleury

Extras / depth options: Jack St. Ivany, Henry Thrun, Tyrel Bauer, Isaak Phillips

Injured: Elias Salomonsson

Compared to the forward group, there’s less change to the Jets blue line for the upcoming season. The top four remains unchanged for a third straight season. Morrissey and DeMelo continue to be an excellent offensive-defensive combo, and Samberg and Pionk will both be looking to have healthy bounce back seasons.

The third pairing is where they’ll be changes, with the free agent addition of Mario Ferraro. The sixth defender is “up for grabs” at the start of the season, as Elias Salomonsson will be out at the start of the season as he continues to recover from off-season shoulder surgery. The most likely option appears to be Fleury, but there’s a handful of other options that could play alongside Ferraro on the third pairing.

Goalies

Connor Hellebuyck – Stuart Skinner

We’ve all heard of the noise around Hellebuyck potentially being traded this off-season, but for now he remains the Jets number one goalie. Stuart Skinner was added from the free agent market on July 1st, a netminder which will serve as a quality backup to Hellebuyck to begin the season. If Hellebuyck is moved before the season begins, Skinner has plenty of experience as a starting goalie to step up in that role. The most likely “third option” for the Jets in net is currently Thomas Milic.

Just like everything else in the NHL off-season, things can change quickly when it comes to these projected lineups. The Jets have multiple depth players and quality prospects who will be fighting for roster spots during training camp. Salary cap isn’t an issue for the Jets at the moment, as they currently have about $5.5 million in cap space. It’s important for the Jets to create a lineup that will lead them back to the playoffs, but for now, Jets fans can continue to enjoy the summer weather, and look ahead to August days of the NHL off-season.

Up Next

The 2026 NHL off-season continues on, as teams continue to explore options for improving their rosters. Make sure to check out the previous articles in this year’s “year in review” series, and stay tuned for more off-season content leading up to the 2026-27 season in late September.

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Remaining players from the 2025-26 Winnipeg Jets: Jets Nation year in review finale

Connor Baldwin — Tue, 21 Jul 2026 04:35:24 GMT

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

Welcome back to the final edition of the “Jets Nation year in review” series to wrap up and recap the Winnipeg Jets 2025-26 season. This series has finally reached its conclusion, after nearly two months. I’ve been looking at the individual seasons from Jets players throughout the 2025-26 season and I’ve taken a quick look ahead to what the upcoming 2026-27 season may have in store for each player. Tonight’s players are the ten other skaters who made appearances (as call-ups or acquired mid-season) for the Jets throughout the 2025-26 season.

First up is one of the main pieces of the Logan Stanley trade that the Jets acquired: Isak Rosen. The 23-year old Swedish forward was drafted 14th overall in the 2021 NHL Draft, and has split time between the AHL and NHL in the early stages of his career. Rosen collected 43 points in 37 games in the AHL this season, and 7 points in 16 games with the Sabres prior to joining the Jets. Rosen’s production dipped with the Jets, only scoring 3 goals and 0 assists for 3 points in 21 games, but he looked like a player the Jets could use next season as he adapted to his new team with older linemates. Rosen signed a new two year deal with a cap hit of $925,000, giving the Jets a solid bottom six option (with potential) or a player who can produce well for the Manitoba Moose.

Jacob Bryson was the other player that was sent from the Sabres to the Jets in the Stanley trade. The 28-year old defenceman spent his whole career with the Sabres, and he collected 5 points in 35 games prior to joining the Jets in the 2025-26 season. Bryson provided a depth option for the Jets blue line, collecting 3 assists in 15 games. Bryson left the Jets on July 1st when he became an unrestricted free agent, signing a one-year, $850,000 contract with the Detroit Red Wings.

Colin Miller missed 35 games this season due to a knee injury which required surgery. Miler appeared in 18 games this season, collecting 2 assists, while remaining a stable veteran presence on the blue line. The 33-year old defender was an unrestricted free agent before he signed a one-year contract with Lausanne HC in the Swiss National League on July 1st.

There were several Jets prospects who made their NHL debuts this season, including Danil Zhilkin. The 22-year old from Russia recorded his first career NHL point with an assist in his 6th (and most recent) game. Parker Ford made his NHL debut in the 2024-25 season, appearing in 3 games, and this season Ford appeared in 15 games, collecting his first career assist.

Isak Phillips made his Jets debut after one and a half seasons with the Manitoba Moose. The former Chicago Blackhawk appeared in 3 games. Walker Duehr also made his Jets debut this season after spending the early parts of his career between the Flames and Sharks and their AHL affiliates. Duehr had a strong season with the Moose, collecting 34 points in 62 games, and with the Jets he appeared in 3 games.

The final three players who wore the Jets jersey in the 2025-26 season were younger players looking to make an impact in the NHL in the near future. Brayden Yager is considered a top 5 Jets prospect, and after recording 30 points in 68 games with the Moose, Yager appeared in 3 games with the Jets. Ville Heinola had a very solid season with the Moose, collecting 21 points in 44 games, but he only got to play in 5 games with the Jets. This off-season Heinola signed with the Golden Knights, with hopes of getting more opportunity to play in the NHL after a very good World Championship.

Nikita Chibrikov had 5 games of NHL experience entering this season, scoring a total of 3 goals and 1 assists for 4 points. This season Chibrikov appeared in 11 games, but couldn’t collect any points as he was primarily used in a 4th line “shutdown” role. One player who didn’t get to play for the Jets this season was Mason Shaw, who led the Manitoba Moose with 44 points in 71 games. The Jets didn’t offer Shaw a new contract, and Shaw signed with the Minnesota Wild on a one-year contract on July 1st, going back to the organization where he spent the first seven years of his career.

Up Next

The 2026 NHL off-season continues on, as teams continue to explore options for improving their rosters. Make sure to check out the other articles in this year’s “year in review” series, and stay tuned for more off-season content leading up to the 2026-27 season in late September.

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Anchored by puck-moving blueliners and steady veterans: the rest of the defencemen Jets Nation year in review

Connor Baldwin — Thu, 16 Jul 2026 03:00:19 GMT

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

Welcome back to the second last edition of the “Jets Nation year in review” series to wrap up and recap the Winnipeg Jets 2025-26 season. This series is very close to its conclusion, and the full NHL schedule for the 2026-27 season will be announced tomorrow. 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 upcoming 2026-27 season may have in store for each player. Tonight’s players are the other Jets defencemen which I’ve not mentioned so far, all of which were regulars or regular depth defencemen in the lineup throughout the season.

Before we begin, the big Jets news of the day was the contract extension announcement for Cole Perfetti. The 24-year old forward was a restricted free agent and was headed for an arbitration hearing, but today Perfetti signed a five-year, $30 million contract to keep him in Winnipeg. Going through the defencemen which I’ve done reviews on already, I’ve only looked at Josh Morrissey, Dylan DeMelo and Elias Salomonsson. While the Jets had to use around ten different defencemen this year, some played limited games, so we’ll be looking at those that appeared in a notable amount of games, starting with Dylan Samberg.

Samberg had perhaps the best season of his career in the 2024-25 season despite missing 22 games, collecting 6 goals and 14 assists for 20 points in 60 games. Entering this season, Samberg was locked into the second defense pairing on the left side alongside Neal Pionk. Both Samberg and Pionk missed some games due to injury, and Samberg had several other defense partners throughout the season. In 66 games, Samberg scored 1 goal and 13 assists for 14 points. It wasn’t the most noteworthy season for Samberg, and he now prepares for year two of his current three year contract with a cap hit of $5.75 million.

Logan Stanley was a rather surprising success story for the Jets in the 2025-26 season. After a step in the right direction in the 2024-25 season, Stanley followed up his 63 game season (the most in a season in his career) with another season as a reliable third pairing defenceman. In 59 games with the Jets, Stanley scored 9 goals and added 12 assists for 21 points. Stanley had 5 straight seasons with just 1 goal, and this season he seemed to find a sudden scoring touch from the blueline. That scoring touch, along with his physical defensive play style, elevated Stanley’s trade value to a point where the Jets sent Stanley to the Sabres at the trade deadline for a rather good return. Jets fans waited over five years for the former 1st rounder to reach some of his potential, so after a successful season in Winnipeg, Stanley fans will be wishing more success for the current unrestricted free agent.

Neal Pionk didn’t have a very good season, as he dealt with a lower-body injury and an undisclosed injury at the end of the season. The 30-year old defenceman never really “caught his stride” this season, and didn’t look as steady as he usually does in his usual second pairing role alongside Dylan Samberg. Pionk has averaged around 35 points per season in his career, but this season in 51 games Pionk had just 3 goals and 9 assists for 12 points. The timing of Pionk’s unsuccessful season is not great, as it was the first year of his new six year contract at $7 million a season. Provided that Pionk is back to full health at the start of the season, Jets fans are confident that Pionk can have a bounce back season, proving that his contract extension was worth it, as he will remain under contract with the Jets until 2031.

Luke Schenn was another defenceman which the Jets traded to the Buffalo Sabres in the Logan Stanley trade. After the Jets acquired Schenn at the 2025 trade deadline from the Predators, the Jets used Schenn as a veteran depth defenceman who provided his leadership and defensive skills in a limited role. This season with the Jets, Schenn started the season as the 6th/7th defenceman, and he found himself in and out of the lineup due to injuries and the emergence of Elias Salomonsson. In 46 games, Schenn scored 1 goal and added 6 assists for 7 points. Schenn was dealt to the Sabres at the trade deadline, where he only played 4 games (and 2 in the playoffs), and he’ll now be on his way to the Vancouver Canucks as he was a unrestricted free agent who signed a new one year deal to continue his long NHL career.

Last but not least is Haydn Fleury, another depth defenceman for the Jets throughout the season. Fleury’s first season with the Jets was the 2024-25 season, where he appeared in 39 games and collected 7 assists while looking comfortable in his role as the “7th defenceman”. This season Fleury started as the 7th or 8th defenceman in the “depth chart”, but his solid played earned him a comfortable spot on the 3rd pairing when there were injuries. Fleury unfortunately suffered a broken nose and a bruised back after crashing into the boards in a game against the Golden Knights, and he missed around two months. In 38 games, Fleury scored 2 goals and added 2 assists for 4 points. Fleury will be back as a valuable depth defenceman with the Jets next season for the second year of his current contract with a cap hit of $950,000.

Up Next

The 2026 NHL Free Agency pushes forward, as teams continue to explore options for improving their rosters. Stay tuned for the final edition of the Jets Nation “year in review” series article coming in a few days! There will be just one article left in this series, as the final article will be on players who were traded mid-season or played in a small amount of games as call-ups throughout the season. Also be sure to look out for the Winnipeg Jets full 2026-27 season schedule release on their socials tomorrow afternoon!

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Not enough production from the rest of the forward group: Jets Nation year in review

Connor Baldwin — Sun, 12 Jul 2026 19:15:51 GMT

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

Welcome back to the third last edition of the “Jets Nation year in review” series to wrap up and recap the Winnipeg Jets 2025-26 season. This series is getting quite close to its conclusion, as the NHL Draft and the second week of NHL free agency are now complete. 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 upcoming 2026-27 season may have in store for each player. This afternoon’s players are the other Jets forwards which I’ve not mentioned so far that were regulars in the lineup throughout the season.

Going through the forwards which I’ve done a review on already, we’ve looked at Mark Scheifele, Kyle Connor, Gabriel Vilardi, Alex Iafallo, Jonathan Toews, Morgan Barron, and Adam Lowry. The most notable forward which I haven’t mentioned yet is Cole Perfetti, so we’ll start with him and go down in terms of points these players collected in the 2025-26 season for the rest of the Jets regular forwards.

Cole Perfetti’s fourth NHL season was cut short due to an upper body injury. In 68 games, Perfetti scored 12 goals and 20 assists for 32 points. Perfetti’s production dipped this season, and part of the reason could have been due to the lack of a true second line forward to replace Nikolaj Ehlers. Perfetti had various linemates throughout the season, and it was tough for him to really get on a roll at any point in the season. Perfetti is now a restricted free agent, and he’ll be headed to arbitration for his next contract, with a previous cap hit of $3.25 million and a career high of 50 points in the 2024-25 season.

Nino Niederreiter was one of several Jets forwards to have a sizeable drop in offensive production in the 2025-26 season. Niederreiter did miss some time due an injury which required surgery, but even before his injury there wasn’t much going well for his game. In 61 games, Niederreiter scored 8 goals and 11 assists for 19 points. Just like Perfetti, Niederreiter shuffled a bit around the lineup, which could have impacted him being able to gain chemistry with his linemates. Sitting on 499 career NHL points, Niederreiter will enter the third and final year of his current contract with the Jets with a cap hit of $4 million.

Cole Koepke was one of the better Jets free agent signings from last July, which isn’t saying much as he played primarily in a 4th line role. Koepke was only playing in his 2nd full NHL season, as the former 6th round pick spent the early part of his career mostly in the AHL with the Syracuse Crunch. In 66 games, Koepke scored 8 goals and 9 assists for 17 points. Koepke would have been a free agent, but the Jets re-signed Koepke in April to a new two-year deal with a cap hit of $1.45 million.

Vladislav Namestnikov dealt with multiple injuries in the 2025-26 season, and overall had a very unproductive season. After back to back quality seasons with 37 and 38 points, Namestnikov only scored 8 goals and 6 assists for 14 points in 60 games. It’s tough to pinpoint what went wrong in specific, but when you look at the overall lack of depth scoring from the Jets this past season, Namestnikov was just one player who couldn’t replicate his recent success from the last two seasons. The 33-year old forward will be entering the second and final year of his current contract with the Jets at a cap hit of $3 million, and it’s unclear if the Jets will attempt to re-sign him when he becomes a free agent in July 2027.

Tanner Pearson was another short term Jets free agency signing that didn’t work out too well. Pearson was coming off a pretty good season with the Golden Knights, but couldn’t replicate it playing in the Jets bottom six. In 52 games, Pearson scored 7 goals and 6 assists for 13 points. Pearson was traded to the Sabres for a 7th round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft, but he only played 4 games for the Sabres, collecting 2 assists. Pearson was a healthy scratch in the playoffs, and the now 33-year forward is an unrestricted free agent, as he hopes to get another contract to continue his NHL career.

The final player for this Jets Nation year in review is another free agency signing “gone wrong” for the Jets: Gustav Nyquist. After a very surprising 75 point season with the Nashville Predators in the 2023-24 season, Nyquist cooled off with the Predators and Wild last season. This season the Jets were hoping for Nyquist to be a depth scoring option on the 3rd line, but that didn’t happen. Nyquist struggled throughout the season, at times being a healthy scratch, and in 51 games Nyquist only scored 1 goal and 11 assists for 12 points. The $3.25 million cap hit didn’t pay off for the Jets, and now the 36-year old forward is in the same position as Pearson as he’s currently an unrestricted free agent looking to find another contract to continue his NHL career.

Up Next

The 2026 NHL Free Agency continues on, as teams explore options for improving their rosters. Stay tuned for the next edition of the Jets Nation “year in review” series article coming in a few days! There will be just two articles left in this series, as I’ll be recapping the remaining defencemen and a final article on players who were traded mid-season or played in a small amount of games as call-ups throughout the season.

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Quality two-way depth forwards: Alex Iafallo and Morgan Barron Jets Nation year in review

Connor Baldwin — Thu, 09 Jul 2026 04:50:14 GMT

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

Welcome back to yet another edition of the “Jets Nation year in review” series to wrap up the Winnipeg Jets 2025-26 season. This series is getting closer to its conclusion, as the NHL Draft and the first week of NHL free agency are now complete. 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 upcoming 2026-27 season may have in store for each player. Tonight’s players (another double feature for tonight) is two of the Jets better depth players who did what they could to contribute to the Jets 2025-26 season: Alex Iafallo and Morgan Barron.

Iafallo and Barron entered the 2025-26 season with similar expectations. Iafallo was entering his 3rd full season with the Jets, and each season so far he’s been around a 30 point player. Barron was entering his 4th full season with the Jets, and he’s an example of a player who has gone from a “whatever” depth piece on the Jets roster to an important depth player who continues to grow his two-way game. In a season where the Jets lacked depth scoring throughout their lineup, Iafallo and Barron were two of the players who didn’t have any major slumps in the season, leading to a quality year for both of them.

Iafallo was acquired in the big Jets trade which sent Pierre-Luc Dubois to the Los Angeles Kings three years ago. Since his arrival, Iafallo has played up and down the Jets lineup, earning his ice time through a strong two-way play style. Iafallo appeared in all 82 games the previous two seasons, and in 2025-26 he finished just short of that milestone with 79 games played. Iafallo scored 13 goals and added 16 assists for 29 points.

Iafallo’s 29 points were just two short of his total of 31 from last season, but it was good enough for (tied in) 6th overall in Jets scoring. To put that number into context from last season, Iafallo’s 31 points ranked him 11th in team scoring, highlighting the big difference in overall Jets depth scoring in the 2025-26 season. Iafallo remained a disciplined player, only collecting 14 penalty minutes, and Iafallo was one of the few Jets forwards who finished the season in the positive for his +/- rating with a +3.

The 32-year old forward is about to enter the 2nd season of his current three year contract with a cap hit of $3.66 million. Iafallo will enter free agency in 2028 at age 34, but until then he’ll remain an important piece of the Jets roster in the near future. Iafallo’s production and cap hit make him a player possibly intriguing for the trade block if the Jets can’t re-gain some of their success from the 2024-25 season. Iafallo is listed (on PuckPedia) as the 2nd line left winger on the Jets depth chart, but he’s able to play up and down the lineup when injuries happen, and has plenty of experience as a penalty killer.

Morgan Barron is an example of a Jets player who continues to become more of a fan favourite each season. Like Iafallo, Barron is a frequent penalty killer on the Jets who continues to develop his two-way game. In the early stages of Barron’s time with the Jets it seemed like Barron who only be a tough “4th line” type of player, but Barron has developed his scoring abilities to a point where he’s now a very solid depth scoring forward option on the Jets.

Barron had a slight “down” year in the 2024-25 season with just 15 points in 74 games. The 2025-26 season gave Barron some injury troubles, including a lower-body injury which kept him out during the last few weeks of the Jets playoff push at the end of the season. Despite appearing in just 65 games, Barron scored 11 goals and 12 assists for 23 points, a new career high.

Barron’s 23 points were good enough for 8th on the Jets in scoring, another indication of just how much depth scoring the Jets lacked from the rest of the team. Barron had a respectable 31 penalty minutes for a bottom six forward, and again like Iafallo he finished with a positive +/- rating of +5.

The 27-year old forward is preparing to enter year two, the final year, of his current two year contract with a cap hit of $1.85 million. Barron will be an unrestricted free agent after the 2026-27 season, but with his recent improvements he appears to be worthy of a longer term extension. The Jets did more line shuffling then usual in the 2025-26 season, but if Barron can find a more regular spot in the lineup, it’ll benefit his production as he continues to gain chemistry with his new and familiar linemates.

Iafallo and Barron will be back on the Jets roster in the 2026-27 season looking to improve on their very solid seasons as important depth forwards. Both players can provide scoring when needed, and their penalty killing skills are much appreciated and valuable as they continue to embrace and develop their two-way games.

Up Next

The 2026 NHL Free Agency opening week is over, and now comes the time for teams to explore the remaining options left on the market. Stay tuned for the next edition of the Jets Nation “year in review” series article coming in a few days! There will likely be just three articles left in this series, as I’ll be recapping the remaining forwards, the remaining defencemen, and a final article on players who were traded mid-season or played in a small amount of games as call-ups throughout the season.

PRESENTED BY PRAIRIE TOYOTA DEALERS

Fantastic seasons for the two Olympians: Kyle Connor and Josh Morrissey Jets Nation year in review

Connor Baldwin — Sun, 05 Jul 2026 20:10:41 GMT

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

Welcome back to another edition of the “Jets Nation year in review” series to wrap up the Winnipeg Jets 2025-26 season. This series continues into the first half of July as the NHL Draft and the first few days of NHL free agency are now in the past. 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 upcoming 2026-27 season may have in store for each player. This afternoon’s players (another double feature for this one) is two of the Jets players who went to the 2026 Olympics who continue to prove that they are stars in this league, and a big part of the Jets core past the 2025-26 season: Kyle Connor and Josh Morrissey.

Both Jets stars entered the 2025-26 season looking to continue where they left off from the 2024-25 season. Kyle Connor was entering the final year of his contract (before signing a new contract in early October), and Josh Morrissey was in the later stages of his current contract which has proven to be great value for the team. Although the Jets as a team had a down season while not making the playoffs, both Connor and Morrissey were close to replicating their best seasons with the Jets as they continue to be the “most impactful” players alongside Mark Scheifele and Connor Hellebuyck.

Kyle Connor’s 2024-25 season was his best in terms of points, as reached 97 points in a full 82 game season. In the 2025-26 season, Connor once again appeared in all 82 games, scoring 39 goals and 53 assists for 92 points, his 3rd highest point total of his career. Each of those stats are only slightly down from last season, and considering how the Jets overall team scoring went down, this year was a great success for Connor.

Connor remained a very well disciplined player, only collecting 16 penalty minutes in the whole season. Connor had a -2 +/- rating, and his shooting percent was 14.2%, right around his current excellent career average shooting percentage of 14.7%. During the mid-season NHL break, Connor was named to Team USA for the 2026 Olympics. Unfortunately for Connor, his 2026 Olympics went pretty similar to how his 2025 Four Nations Faceoff tournament went. Connor appeared in just two round robin games for Team USA. After recording 0 points in these games he was a healthy scratch for the rest of the Olympics, as he just didn’t seem to fit in the lineup that Team USA wanted to give them the best chance at winning.

Looking ahead to Connor’s 2026-27 season, it will be an important year for the now 29-year old winger. Connor has played 695 games for the Jets, scoring 323 goals and 351 assists for 674 points. Connor signed the richest contract in Jets franchise history in October 2025, an eight-year extension worth a total value of $96 million. The average annual value of $12 million won’t expire until 2034, when Connor will be a free agent at age 37. Comparing Connor’s production to the current market for top line wingers, the $12 million cap hit should very much be justified provided that Connor continues to excel on the Jets top line with Mark Scheifele.

Over to Josh Morrissey now, who had a slight drop in production for the 4th straight season since his breakout 76 point season back in 2022-23. That 76 point season was of course going to be very difficult to replicate, so it’s not a surprise that Morrissey has dropped off a little bit in terms of scoring. Morrissey continued to be great defensively on the Jets top pairing alongside the defensive defenceman Dylan DeMelo. Morrissey appeared in 77 games, recording 14 goals and 41 assists for 55 points.

Morrissey had only 30 penalty minutes this season, a very respectful number for a top pairing defenceman who continues to play in big minutes in the middle stages of his career. Morrissey finished the season with a +6 +/- rating, and he continued to be great at blocking shots, recording 118 blocked shots to increase his career total to 1118 blocked shots. Morrissey was named to Team Canada for the 2026 Olympics, but unfortunately his tournament ended early as he was injured in his first game and wasn’t able to recover before the tournament concluded.

The 31-year old defenceman will now enter year 7 of 8 of his current contract in the 2026-27 season. Morrissey’s current cap hit is only $6.25 million, a great bargain considering the level of excellence that Morrissey has been able to bring as the Jets number one defenceman. Morrissey will be an unrestricted free agent at age 33, and although it’s unclear what his future will hold, the Jets will very likely try to bring him back on a deal which will keep him a Winnipeg Jet for close to the remainder of his career.

There’s not much else to say about both Kyle Connor and Josh Morrissey, as they continue to be two very important contributors to the Winnipeg Jets franchise. The 2026-27 season should continue to bring success for these two stars, and Jets fans will have lots to look forward to with both players as they continue their fantastic careers in Winnipeg.

Up Next

The 2026 NHL Free Agency opening week continues, as the Jets continue to explore options both on the trade market and depth from the remaining unrestricted free agents. Stay tuned for the next edition of the Jets Nation “year in review” series article coming in a few days! There will likely be just a few more editions left, as I will be combining most of the remaining players together in the upcoming articles!

PRESENTED BY PRAIRIE TOYOTA DEALERS

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

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

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!

PRESENTED BY PRAIRIE TOYOTA DEALERS

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!

PRESENTED BY PRAIRIE TOYOTA DEALERS

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!