The Winnipeg Jets are now 42 days away from opening their 2026-27 NHL season at home against the Boston Bruins. The Jets are also 65 days away from hosting the Montreal Canadiens at Princess Auto Stadium for the 2026 Tim Hortons NHL Heritage Classic (I already got my ticket). The long days of the NHL off-season are almost over, as we can soon start looking ahead to the 2026-27 season.

Today marks yet another continuation of a series that I’ve covered the past two off-seasons known as the “goals and expectations” series. This series quickly previews what to expect (and what to hope for) from Jets players in the 2026-27 season. This afternoon’s player is one of the main pieces the Jets acquired at the 2025 NHL trade deadline in the Logan Stanley trade: the Swedish forward Isak Rosen.

Isak Rosen is one of the newest members of the Winnipeg Jets roster after spending the first four seasons of his NHL career in the Buffalo Sabres organization. Drafted 14th overall in the 2021 NHL Draft, Rosen came over to the Rochester Americans (the Sabres AHL team) a year later to begin his pro career after playing in Sweden. Rosen’s first AHL season was quite the success, scoring 14 goals and 23 assists for 37 points in 66 games.

After that first season, Rosen’s AHL production has only gotten better, with brief stints in the NHL which didn’t result in any scoring. After collecting 43 points in 37 games in the AHL last season, Rosen finally got his opportunity to get a bit more regular playing time in the NHL. After scoring the first 3 goals of his career and 4 assists for 7 points in 16 games with the Sabres, Rosen was one of the pieces dealt to the Winnipeg Jets in the Logan Stanley and Luke Schenn trade.

Rosen’s first batch of games with the Jets was spent on a bottom-six role. Rosen started getting a little more ice time once the Jets playoff hopes faded away, and Rosen finished his first 21 games with the Jets with 3 goals and 0 assists. Despite the limited production, Rosen showed flashes of his potential, and with just a little more experience Rosen could start getting on the right track to producing at a somewhat similar level to what he was doing in the AHL.

The 23-year forward is by all means still considered a “prospect”, as he’s only appeared in 52 NHL games. Rosen will enter the 2026-27 NHL season looking to play his first full season in the league, and Jets appear to have a roster spot with his name on it. Rosen will likely start the season in a bottom six role (perhaps on the 4th line with Cole Koepke and Morgan Barron), but if Rosen continues to develop positively, there’s a chance Rosen moves up into more of a “scoring” role on the Jets 3rd line.

In the off-season, the Jets gave Rosen a new two-year contract at a near minimum cap hit of $925,000. This move signifies that the Jets organization believes in Rosen’s potential, and he’ll become a restricted free agent at age 25 after the 2027-28 NHL season. I’ve mentioned before that Rosen might be the biggest “wildcard” within the Jets forward group, as it’s difficult to predict his point totals without a full NHL season but with plenty of success in the AHL.

A good season for Rosen would be one that sees Rosen remain in the NHL for the full season as a productive middle to bottom six forward. I’m not sure if it’s bold or not to expect a 25-30 point season from Rosen, but I think with the right linemates and development, Rosen will be an important depth scorer on the Jets in the upcoming 2026-27 NHL season. Rosen is a player that Jets fans should closely watch as the season plays out, as he still has all of the potential of become a creative and skilled scoring winger in the NHL.

The 2026 NHL off-season is slowly wrapping up as we hit late August, and teams will starting hitting the ice for training camps beginning in September. Stay tuned for more “goals and expectations” articles throughout the rest of August (and early September) as I’ll look at what to expect from 2026-27 Jets players throughout the lineup. Let us know on our Daily Faceoff Winnipeg socials if there’s a certain player you’d like us to cover next!

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