What could the Winnipeg Jets lineup look like for their final regular season game?

Round 1 home ice advantage secured. That’s the words that Jets fans were hoping to hear, and were able to hear following their 4-3 win over the Seattle Kraken last night at Canada Life Centre.

So what’s next for the Jets as they prepare for the 2024 playoffs? Do they have anything to play for in their final regular season game against the Vancouver Canucks on Thursday night? Technically yes, because if the Jets could pick up two points against the Canucks it would lock the Jets in at 2nd place overall in the Western conference, for what it’s worth. As nice as an added benefit that could be down the road for the Jets in the playoffs, what’s most important is getting the team ready for game one of their round 1 matchup against the Colorado Avalanche.

The NHL playoff schedule is still entirely unknown. You will likely need to wait until the completion of the final games on Thursday night to know when the Winnipeg Jets will play game 1 of their round 1 matchup at home against the Colorado Avalanche. Regardless of when that first game may be, the team will very likely rest some of their key players on Thursday night.

The Jets took to the ice this morning for their final practice of the regular season, and there were several observations that could be made, which were summarized by Winnipeg News writer Mike McIntyre’s notes from today’s optional Jets skate.

So, where to begin on these notes? I guess the first point is pretty much expected, because it’s best to rest the Jets star goalie Connor Hellebuyck until the playoffs begin. Laurent Brossoit has been one the league’s best backup goalies this season. With Hellebuyck having himself another Vezina caliber season, playing the majority of the games, Brossoit has done his share when he has gotten his opportunities. In 22 games, Brossoit has 14 wins, 3 shutouts, a 2.00 GAA and an above-average save percentage at .928%.

As for Morgan Barron, the 25-year old from Halifax, Nova Scotia, he’ll hopefully be ready to return from a lower body injury sustained in the 1st period of last night’s game. This season is Barron’s second full year with the Jets, and he’s established his presence on the ice in a bottom-six shutdown role. Barron could be one of those players whose play style would be much needed, and amplified come playoff time.

The 5 scratches from last night, who are expected to play tomorrow night, were Cole Perfetti, David Gustaffson, Rasmus Kupari, Nate Schmidt and Colin Miller. As for who they will be replacing in the lineup, that’s to be determined. But it doesn’t hurt to give them some playing time in the final game of the season. Having depth throughout the lineup is extra important in the playoffs, so it’s good to see that they will likely slot in the lineup tomorrow night.

Finally, will the Jets make some call-ups from their AHL affiliate, Manitoba Moose? This could very well depend on the result of the Moose vs. Admirals game tonight. The Moose are fighting for playoff positioning, so the Jets would rather not interfere in potentially breaking up the team chemistry until after the game.

One player that you should watch to see if he’s in the lineup or not tomorrow is Sean Monahan. Monahan has the opportunity to achieve a rare 83 game season. Monahan played 49 games this season for the Montreal Canadiens before being traded to the Jets, where he has played in 33 games for the Jets since being acquired. This would be a nice accomplishment for Monahan to reach, especially considering that he had season-ending groin surgery at the end of the last season with the Canadiens. Some wondered if Monahan’s injury last season was going to set back his career, but he has had quite a solid season split between the Canadiens and now the Jets.

After the optional skate today, Rick Bowness briefly met with the media. Rick Bowness said, in regards to some people seeing tomorrow’s game as a meaningless game and what he would do with the lineup that

There could be a lot of moving parts with the lineup for the Jets final regular season game tomorrow, but whatever they decide to do will be in the best interest of the team and the players. The Jets lineup may look different, but they’ll be ready to battle the Canucks tomorrow night to conclude their 2023-24 regular season. The action gets underway tomorrow night at 7 pm CDT at Canada Life Centre.