Coming up on the History Channel… the Winnipeg Jets Soaring squad has multitude of NHL, franchise and personal-best records in its sights as regular season rounds the clubhouse turn By: Mike McIntyre Posted: 5:29 PM CST Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2025

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 25/02/2025 (571 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

OTTAWA — The Winnipeg Jets can’t seem to stop rewriting the record books.

It began with a sizzling 15-1 start to the season, something no other NHL team had ever done. It continued Monday night with the organization’s first double-digit winning streak, courtesy of Mark Scheifele’s overtime winner, which left him alone on top of the franchise’s all-time scoring list.

As if that wasn’t dramatic enough, the Jets became the first team in league history to win a second consecutive game in which they were trailing entering the final minute of regulation.

When you’re hot, you’re hot.

So where do they go from here? The literal answer is the nation’s capital, where the 41-14-3 Jets will be seeking an 11th-consecuvtive triumph Wednesday night as they open a quick two-game road trip against the Senators. Then they’ll boot-scootin’ boogie down to Music City to face the Nashville Predators Thursday.

Dig a little deeper and you’ll find there are a whole bunch of benchmarks that could soon fall. With 24 regular-season games left, let’s count up and break down the different ways an already special season could get even more surreal.

Best regular-season in franchise history? Who can forget the 2017-18 campaign in which the Jets compiled a record of 52-20-10 to finish with 114 points, trailing only Nashville (117 points) for top spot in the league that year? Winnipeg ultimately made it to the Western Conference final before succumbing to the Vegas Golden Knights.

The wins and points were franchise-bests (Winnipeg also had 52 last season, along with 110 points) — and that goes for both the 2.0-Jets/Atlanta Thrashers AND the 1.0 Jets.

Those seem likely to fall this year with the Jets just needing 11 more wins in the final two dozen games and 30 points over that span. As of today, the club is on pace for a stunning 58 wins and 120 points.

First division title in Winnipeg history? Yes, the Atlanta Thrashers captured the now-defunct Southeast Division back in 2006-07. A team playing out of Winnipeg has never finished a year looking down on its closest rivals. The 2.0 Jets have been runners-up on three occasions, most recently last year, while the 1.0 Jets were second on two occasions (in the old Norris and Smythe divisions).

Could this finally be the year?

Winnipeg enjoyed a nine-point cushion over second-place Dallas heading into action Tuesday night. That’s a huge gap, although the Stars have one game in hand and the two teams will face each other two more times in a proverbial “four-pointer” (March 14 in Winnipeg and April 10 in Dallas).

In other words, don’t hang the banner just yet, but it’s certainly looking like Canada Life Centre could be getting some new decor.

Winning the division (and the Western Conference, where the Jets had an 11-point lead over the Pacific Division-leading Vegas Golden Knights entering play Tuesday) would mean being the No. 1 seed and facing the second wild-card team in the opening round.

First Presidents’ Trophy in franchise history? Obviously, being the Stanley Cup champion is the ultimate goal, but crossing the finish line of the 82-game marathon that is the regular season in first place is quite a feat in and of itself.

Winnipeg is very much in the mix. They had a one-point lead over Washington heading into Tuesday night — the Capitals were playing their one game in hand by hosting the Calgary Flames — and then you go all the way down to Dallas to find the next closest competitor.

A two-team race? It’s shaping up that way, and how big might that March 25 meeting in Winnipeg between the Jets and the Capitals be? (In addition to Alex Ovechkin perhaps being on the cusp of his own scoring history by then).

You can argue winning the Presidents’ Trophy is a bit of a curse — the most recent regular-season winner to capture the championship was the 2012-13 Chicago Blackhawks — but it would be one heck of an accomplishment in addition to guaranteeing home-ice advantage throughout the playoffs.

Most wins by a goaltender in a single season in NHL history? Connor Hellebuyck is already up to 35 wins this year (in his 44 starts), with Dallas netminder Jake Oettinger a (very) distant second at 27. The Jets’ two-time Vezina Trophy winner seems destined to add a third to his resumé, and he’s making a compelling case for the league MVP’s Hart Trophy, as well.

With 24 games left, Hellebuyck is a safe bet to make as many as 18 more starts. And if he keeps winning at his current pace, that would equate to 14 more wins for a total of 49.

The NHL record by a goaltender in a single year is 48, currently shared by Martin Brodeur of the New Jersey Devils (2006-07) and Braden Holtby of the Washington Capitals (2015-16).

Hellebuyck’s personal career high (and the franchise high) is 44, which he set in 2017-18 and has him tied for eighth-best all-time. There’s a very good chance his name is going to rocket up that list — perhaps all the way to the top.

At this point, is 50 wins entirely out of the question?

Franchise record for points by a player in a single season? Marian Hossa of the Atlanta Thrashers currently holds the franchise record with 100 points, which he put up in 2006-07. If we’re just looking at the 2.0 Jets portion of that history, Kyle Connor has bragging rights with the 93 he had in 2021-22.

Connor seems likely to break his own record at the very least, and perhaps the organizational one, too. He has 71 points through 58 games, which has him on pace for exactly 100. Mark Scheifele isn’t far back either, with 65 points in 58 games, on pace for 92.

Various players setting new career offensive highs? As mentioned above, Connor and Scheifele (career-best 84 points in 2018-19) both seem like good bets to exceed their previous highs in in points. They would have some company.

Linemate Gabe Vilardi has already smashed his personal record. Forward Cole Perfetti is just three points away from a new benchmark and rock-steady blue-liner Dylan Samberg needs six more. Defenceman Neal Pionk, a pending unrestricted free agent, is 10 away. Captain Adam Lowry needs 11 more (despite missing eight games recently with an injury). Fellow UFA Nikolaj Ehlers needs 15, as does linemate Vlad Namestnikov.

That’s nine players — half the regular lineup! — who are in the conversation for best point production in addition to their all-world goaltender. Remarkable, really.

First Stanley Cup? We saved the best for last, but also the biggest question mark.

No Canadian team has captured Lord Stanley’s silverware since the Montreal Canadiens did it in 1993, so you could argue a club from north of the border is long overdue.

Why not Winnipeg?

When you add up all of the numbers presented above, it’s easy to see why the Jets should be considered a legitimate hockey heavyweight and a true contender. With the March 7 trade deadline rapidly approaching and general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff having ample salary cap space to weaponize, a deep and talented team could get even more dangerous.

Yes, they’ll need lots of good luck and good health to make it all the way. If there’s one thing we’ve learned about this group, they’re not afraid to make some hockey history.

mike.mcintyre@freepress.mb.ca

X and Bluesky: @mikemcintyrewpg