Jets mailbag: Serious off-season decisions for the hometown club to get back to the post-season

The season may be finished, but the questions are only just beginning for the Winnipeg Jets.

Our monthly mailbag was filled with ones pertaining to the future — specifically, what needs to be done and what will be done to ensure recent hockey history doesn’t repeat itself around here.

Jets beat writers Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe have your answers:

1. As GM, what is Kevin Cheveldayoff going to do that is different to better the Jets back to a competitive team that makes the playoffs and wins consistently? As a fan, I don’t want to hear the same tired story, there must be a better way to achieve results here in Winnipeg. DON

WIEBE: As Cheveldayoff and head coach Scott Arniel made clear during their season-ending availabilities with reporters last week, both saw this past season as a major disappointment and you can be sure both of them will be doing a deep dive on how to get things turned back around.

The Jets remain committed to being a team that competes for a Stanley Cup, which is no surprise given the age of the bulk of their core group. But as has been written on multiple occasions, the Jets had a number of impressive individual seasons from that core group.

“Too many players on the roster didn’t reach the level of play that was expected of them.”

The bigger issue for the Jets was that too many players on the roster didn’t reach the level of play that was expected of them. Whether that decline was related to injury, aging curves or regular regression, it’s easy to identify that the Jets roster needs to be augmented. More talent must be infused and not just by promoting internal candidates.

There are some obvious bounce-back candidates that will be given an opportunity to remain in the fold, but bold action must also be taken, both in terms of the trade market and free agency. Trying to lock up a top-tier free agent hasn’t been part of the formula. If the Jets happen to move up into the Top-3 picks through the NHL Draft Lottery, it might accelerate the process and also make it easier to attract talent to play with that player.

However, trying to identify a couple of players in other organizations that are ready for an enhanced role (like when Carter Verhaeghe was signed by the Florida Panthers after his times with the Tampa Bay Lightning) or finding the next Mathieu Perreault type of player (who wasn’t given a qualifying offer and became a UFA) figures to be part of the process.

“Winning is hard, winning in the Central Division is harder.”

Making a bold trade is likely another thing that will continue to be explored. Winning is hard, winning in the Central Division is harder.

For example, the Colorado Avalanche are currently the gold standard after the remarkable season they’ve had. They’re also a recent Stanley Cup champion, reaching the pinnacle in 2022. Even with two of the best players in the NHL on their roster in Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar, the sweep of the Los Angeles Kings marked just the second time in four years that Colorado advanced to the second round. The other time was in 2024, when the Avalanche beat the Jets in five games. They were beaten in seven games by the Seattle Kraken in 2023 and in seven games by the Dallas Stars last spring. Having said that, the Jets goal isn’t to be a non-playoff team or to be mediocre, so the process of team building is one of the many organizational aspects that will be under review.

2. Is it Chevy who ultimately decides who gets called up from the Moose and when? Does coach Scott Arniel have a say in it? Who has the final decision? ROSEMARY

MCINTYRE: Yes, Kevin Cheveldayoff (along with assistant GM Larry Simmons, the salary cap guru who crunches the numbers) are deciding on roster moves. But the head coach does have some input.

There were several times this year where Arniel stated he could “only coach what’s in front of me,” which some took as a shot towards management. In fact, he was just stating a simple truth.

Now, what we don’t know — and may never know — is whether Arniel pleaded for roster changes during the year which never came to fruition.

But sticking with the status quo, as the team did for so long this past season, was a recipe for disaster.

3. Would Jonathan Toews consider a team friendly one-year deal (thinking between $1-2 million) to come back to mentor the youth and accept 3rd to 4th line minutes and some PP opportunity? PAUL

WIEBE: Toews has yet to announce his decision on the future, but left enough bread crumbs in his season-ending availability to make it clear the Jets would be his first — and possibly only — choice if he chose to extend his Hall of Fame career.

Money isn’t an issue and Toews saw his minutes in the third and fourth line range for the bulk of the stretch run already, so expectations would likely be tempered on both sides, if the relationship was to continue for one more season.

Toews showed he could be an asset to the power play, finished second in the NHL in faceoff efficiency and already served as a mentor this past season. There’s no reason to believe he wouldn’t be able to do all of those things again next season and there was some evidence to support that his five-on-five play might improve in a less condensed schedule.

But my personal belief is that Toews is ready for the next chapter of his life and that at some point this summer, he will announce his retirement.

4. The Jets development has seemingly gone downhill in the last 10 years. Is it possible that having the Moose in the same city as the Jets might be detrimental? CHARLES

MCINTYRE: The big trend in pro hockey has been bringing your NHL and AHL operations all under one roof. The Jets were one of the earliest ones to do this, with many other organizations now following suit.

It makes a lot of sense, along with dollars and cents: You can streamline operations, make it much more efficient to evaluate players and call them up/send them down, and try to ensure your prospects are getting the best possible exposure and experience when it comes to development, learning systems and structure and the like.

“The Jets were one of the earliest ones to do this, with many other organizations now following suit.”

For all of those reasons, I don’t believe there’s a connection between the return of the Moose and the lack of top-tier players that have been developed in that time.

However, I do believe a thorough review of why so many drafted players have either stalled or not panned out is required this summer. And, if changes need to be made, changes must be made — either when it comes to the scouting side or the development/coaching side.

This is too important for a team like the Jets to overlook.

5. I thought Dylan DeMelo responded better in the bottom pairing than he did maybe all season, but old habits kicked in and they pulled Salomonsson back down to move DeMelo back up with Josh Morrissey. What do you believe is the thinking there when I feel it is as plain as day that Salo was very effective with Jo-Mo, and we got to witness way less DeMelo errors. BRIAN

WIEBE: This is one of the situations where sample size is an incredibly important thing to take into consideration.

In speaking to Salomonsson last week before returning to the Manitoba Moose playoffs, he mentioned that he essentially played only two periods alongside Morrissey. The bulk of his minutes came with Dylan Samberg on the shutdown pairing.

As for DeMelo, he’s been the most frequent partner for Morrissey since his arrival but it’s true he went through some uneven play this season. It’s also true that when you’re on the top pairing and playing top-level competition, the chances of ending up on the wrong side of the highlight reel is considerably higher than when a player is on the second or third pairing.

An argument can be made that he might be better served playing more with Samberg or as a stabilizing force on the third pairing, either with Haydn Fleury or someone else that’s brought into the fold this summer either through trade or free agency.

6. If Nino Niederreiter’s knee was clearly bothering him, why wasn’t he put on the IR or healthy scratched? Because of a 1000 game milestone? Or to play for Switzerland in the Olympics? Neither warrants him being allowed to play and drag the team down. Where are the Jets on this? Cheveldayoff? We all wanted the team to bring someone up from the Moose younger and faster. Just do something rather than losing every game by one goal. He did nothing. Now we hear Niederreiter was playing injured for ulterior motives. A clear breach of trust to the fans that pay $150+ to watch the team play, including me. I think the Jets owe the fans a clear explanation for this one, or an apology. If you want us to cheer the Jets through a tough losing streak, do your part and do the right thing. JACK

MCINTYRE: I was surprised how candid Niederreiter was in publicly admitting that his two personal milestones took precedence this season. You just don’t typically hear that in a “all for one, one for all” sport like hockey.

Obviously, this opened Niederreiter up to plenty of criticism, especially given how poor his overall play was in a season where the Jets sure could have used a better version of him.

“It’s not like Niederreiter kept his ailment a secret.”

To be fair to the player, the organization went along with all of this. It’s not like Niederreiter kept his ailment a secret. But they ultimately signed off on him continuing to play, so any blame should be shared by them.

My biggest takeaway from all of this? I wonder if Niederreiter has now played his last game with the Jets. Although he’s signed for one more season, a trade or buyout this summer wouldn’t surprise me.

I think a clean break and a fresh start would be best for both sides.

7. Jets sign centre(s): Jonathan Toews? Charlie Coyle? Anders Lee? Boone Jenner? Combination? Other? GRANT

WIEBE: Well, let’s start by eliminating Lee, as the New York Islanders captain is a left-winger, though he’ll attract plenty of interest on the market this summer. I mentioned earlier my expectation is that Toews will retire, so it won’t likely be option A either, unless Toews wakes up one morning and decides he wants to give it another go.

Jenner is an interesting study, as he’s going to turn 33 this June and would fit the profile of the type of player the Jets would like to add, but his production isn’t really at a 2C level, though he’s been north of 20 goals on four occasions (he hit 30 once but that was back in 2015-16) and his career-high is 49 points. Jenner also battled some injuries the past several seasons, which no surprise given how hard he plays.

Coyle is someone the Jets have seen plenty of in the Central Division, dating back to him breaking into the NHL with the Minnesota Wild, and they’ve been interested in him before. Coyle is going to be one of the most coveted pivots on the market this summer and he’s coming off a 20-goal, 58-point season — the second highest in his career (25 goals, 60 points with the Boston Bruins in 2023-24). He’s also a sound defensive player that plays with an edge. At 34, Coyle would fit this core, but the Jets will need to win a bidding war to get him. Coyle will be high on the wish list of most teams looking to strengthen themselves down the middle.

So, to answer your original question, the most likely answer is: other. This is a topic that will be explored plenty during our off-season coverage and might come into clearer focus once we find out where the Jets will pick in the first round after the NHL Draft Lottery on May 5.

8. Would it wise to keep Eric Comrie. In my mind, he’s not only a competitor but adds a great dynamic to the team. His chemistry with Hellebuyck is undeniable. ROBERT

MCINTYRE: It sure would be. And I’d be surprised if it doesn’t happen.

When you have a No. 1 netminder like Hellebuyck, it’s important to do everything possible to make him comfortable. And having the right backup — one who won’t let ego get in the way of being a good teammate — is essential.

“One who won’t let ego get in the way of being a good teammate.”

Comrie is absolutely that person. Although he struggled (along with all of his teammates) when he had to take on a bigger workload after Hellebuyck underwent arthroscopic knee surgery, Comrie showed he is still a terrific No. 2 once he settled back into the role.

It’s also interesting, at least to me, that another former backup who had great chemistry with Hellebuyck is also a pending UFA this summer. That would be Laurent Brossoit, who has had two excellent stints in Winnipeg. Could a third be in the cards?

9. What is the story with Ville Heinola? Has he been given up on? Why is Haydn Fleury getting so many games (& often penalties) and Heinola gets almost zero playing time. Is he that poor of a player? I didn’t think so, but what do you guys know about him that I am missing? MARLA

WIEBE: All signs point to Heinola being done with the organization, as he’s set to become a Group 6 unrestricted free agent, since he played fewer than 80 NHL games by the age of 25.

Contract status isn’t the only reason for Heinola’s playing time, but the combination of injuries and inactivity over some of his formative years certainly were a factor in his diminished role during the past several seasons. The 20th overall pick in the 2019 NHL draft — which was part of the Jacob Trouba trade to the New York Rangers that brought Neal Pionk to the Jets — raised expectations by making the NHL as an 18-year-old and appeared in eight games with the big club before he was eventually returned to Finland rather than staying in the AHL with the Moose. That decision was made with his longer-term development in mind.

“Contract status isn’t the only reason for Heinola’s playing time.”

The COVID-shortened season was next and since Heinola was with Finland at the world junior hockey championship, he missed NHL training camp, spent a bunch of time with the Moose and was limited to five games with the Jets. Heinola suffered a fractured ankle in the final exhibition game against the Ottawa Senators in 2023 at a time when it looked like he might have earned a spot in the opening-day lineup.

Things never really got back on track from there. Heinola played a lot of quality minutes with the Moose, but he never really reached that level for an extended period of time with the Jets — though some of that was related to opportunities.

“Things never really got back on track from there.”

Ultimately, Heinola got passed on the depth chart and it’s clear that this relationship never advanced the way either side had hoped it would. After clearing waivers earlier this season, it will be interesting to see if Heinola signs a two-way contract with an NHL team this summer or if he heads overseas to a place he’s guaranteed to play more and get a bunch of playing time and puck touches before trying to revitalize his NHL career.

10. Are the Jets going to give their young guys a bonafide chance at the start of the season next year? Why didn’t they play Brad Lambert earlier? Why didn’t they play Elias Salmonsson earlier? Have they learned their lesson to reward guys for good efforts? Brayden Yager, Parker Ford, Nikita Chibrikov, Colby Barlow, Jacob Julien, and next year Kevin He and Kieron Walton. BRUCE

MCINTYRE: I suspect some valuable lessons were learned this season, particularly when it comes to the pace of play required to compete in today’s NHL. The Jets simply were too old and too slow — both on the ice, and also in making changes as the season began to swirl down the drain.

For that reason, I suspect a slightly different approach will be taken when it comes to roster composition.

Now, that doesn’t mean every prospect is going to make the team out of training camp. I’d bet on Salomonsson and Lambert both being on the opening-night roster, while the likes of Ford and Chibrikov should be knocking right at the door as well.

Yager and Barlow may start with the Moose, but I’d expect both to get NHL games. As for Julien (who had an injury-plagued rookie pro year), He and Walton (who will both be entering their first years as pros), some seasoning on the farm likely is required. Same with defencemen Alfons Freij and Garrett Brown.

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