The Winnipeg Jets concluded the 2024 portion of their 2024-25 regular season tonight with a 5-2 loss against the Colorado Avalanche. Rasmus Kupari and Gabe Vilardi were the goal scorers, and it wasn’t a bad effort by the Jets, who were on the 2nd half of a back to back after playing last night in Winnipeg. While it wasn’t the way you would have hoped the Jets would end the year, you still can’t help but acknowledge how well 2024 has gone for the Jets overall. 1st place in the NHL league standings, 5 shutouts from Hellebuyck, and the Jets 1st line being 1,2 and 3 in Jets scoring.

These are just some noteables from the first 39 games this year, but there are many other key contributors that have made this 27-11-1 start possible. Since the calendar just turned to 2025, I thought it would be a good time to stop and think of some “New Year’s resolutions” for the Winnipeg Jets going into the new year. Again, there are so many good things you could say about this team right now, but there are other things that could definitely be worked on to prepare for the second half of the season. These resolutions are a mix of “what can be improved on” and “what needs to keep happening” in order for the Jets to have a successful 2025.

This first resolution is probably on a lot of NHL team’s lists for 2025, but I believe it should be a top priority for the Jets if they want a chance to make an extended playoff run. Aside from Josh Morrissey, Dylan DeMelo and Neal Pionk, the Jets haven’t had a reliable “number 4” defenceman this season. Dylan Samberg is close to being a reliable top 4 guy, but with him out of the lineup at the moment, the Jets defence core is looking less than ideal. Haydn Fleury, Logan Stanley, Colin Miller, Ville Heinola and Dylan Coghlan have all been in and out of the lineup this season, and while the depth is nice to have, it won’t be a solution when the playoff push begins. I’ll have an article out closer to the deadline at some of the possible available options at defence that the Jets should try to acquire, but for now, GM Kevin Cheveldayoff should be brainstorming ways to acquire that much needed top 4 defenceman. The price might not be cheap, but if the Jets find the right price and the right fit, it will benefit this team in the long run.

I’m normally not a guy who likes line shuffling in the NHL, but I think a few changes here and there could benefit the Jets on offence. The 1st line of Kyle Connor, Mark Scheifele and Gabriel Vilardi is the one line that I wouldn’t change at all. All three players are having terrific seasons, and there’s no reason to split up this trio anytime soon. The 2nd and 3rd lines are where I see some changes being made. I’ll leave those decisions up to head coach Scott Arniel, but with the current injury absence of Mason Appleton, I think a few more tweaks could be made. I know Cole Perfetti has been playing a majority (if not all) the games on the wing, but I’d like to see him get another shot at centre. As for the 4th line and extras on the Jets forwards, I want to see them give some Manitoba Moose a few games to show what they have. We’ve already seen what Brad Lambert and Nikita Chibrikov can do this season, and their time in the NHL full time will come soon enough. The Manitoba Moose are currently in the bottom 5 in the AHL standings so some player’s stats look quite rough, but there are still a few options that could be called up at some point to give the 4th line a scoring boost.

My 3rd and final resolution for the Winnipeg Jets in 2025 is simple: just keep finding different ways of winning hockey games. This might be easier said than done, but the Jets have already found success this season by following this exact motto. As opposed to recent seasons, I’ve really noticed a different level of compete in the Jets when it comes to “wanting” to win games. The results are already there to back it up, and that record breaking 14-1-0 start to the season was a direct correlation to the effort level being brought each and every game. The Jets are getting ready to play 8 straight home games to start 2025, so this is a perfect time to get back into that early season mindset where they were winning games at all costs. It’s obvious, but it’s simple: when the Jets play good Jets hockey, the wins will be right there for the taking.

The Jets are back in action on January 2nd at 7:00 pm CT against the Anaheim Ducks. Happy New Year 2025 from all of us here at Jets Nation, and we look forward to bringing you another year of Winnipeg Jets related news and content!