Jets season preview

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This article was published 09/10/2023 (727 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Welcome to one of the most important Winnipeg Jets seasons of the 2.0 era.

A tad hyperbolic? Perhaps. But it sure feels, in so many ways, like this is the “big one” for the franchise.

When the puck drops on Wednesday night at the Scotiabank Saddledome, it will be 167 days since the Jets last played a meaningful game. Plenty has changed from that forgettable night on the Las Vegas Strip, where a once promising campaign officially went down the drain.

Now, a clean slate, a fresh start, and plenty of internal optimism to go along with a healthy dose of external skepticism. Hey, such is the nature of the beast when you’ve only won a single playoff series since the start of the 2018-19.

There’s no shortage of burning questions as the Jets prepare for the marathon that is the 82-game regular season. Here are some of the key ones, along with our insights on how it might all play out.

How vital is a strong start?

It would behoove the Jets to have all systems going immediately upon takeoff.

General manager Kevin Cheveldayoff has made it clear they are in “win now” mode, and he doubled down on that Monday afternoon with the blockbuster announcement that both goaltender Connor Hellebuyck and top centre Mark Scheifele had inked simultaneous seven-year contract extensions worth US $8.5 million per season.

A combined US $119 million investment in the two homegrown stars definitely sends a message that there will be no rebuild on the horizon.

Winnipeg’s first five games will provide a daunting challenge — on the road against a fired-up Calgary Flames club, at home to the reigning Eastern Conference champion Florida Panthers, at home against P-L Dubois and the Los Angeles Kings, at home to the Stanley Cup champion Vegas Golden Knights, on the road against Connor McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers.

You never get a second chance to make a first impression, and plenty of eyes are going to be watching how this club looks in the first few weeks.

How will Cole Perfetti handle the 2C role?

Quite frankly, this was one of the biggest questions coming into training camp and the early returns have been positive.

Thanks to a strong summer of training, Perfetti is quicker and stronger, which helped him look comfortable as he shifts back to his natural position.

The most important thing for Perfetti is that he manages to stay healthy and limit the number of heavy hits he absorbs.

Of course, there is going to be contact – even of the unexpected variety, like that high hit he was on the receiving end of from Flames forward prospect Martin Pospisil that resulted in a match penalty and ejection – and Perfetti is ready for that.

Being in the middle is something Perfetti believes can help unlock some of his offensive strengths, like his vision and passing ability.

As for the concerns about defending, especially down low, Perfetti’s awareness and ability to anticipate should serve him well here.

Becoming a play driver is the next step in Perfetti’s progression and it says here that he will take a big step forward on that front this season.

Where will the goals come from?

One of the big storylines surrounding the team after the trade of Dubois to the Los Angeles Kings was the improvement of forward depth, even after Blake Wheleer had his contract bought out before he signed with the New York Rangers.

There’s little doubt the arrival of Gabriel Vilardi, Alex Iafallo and Rasmus Kupari has stretched out the lineup, but Dubois and Wheeler accounted for 44 goals and 118 points and both played a prominent role in the Top-6 and regularly were on the top power play unit.

Vilardi figures to benefit from an enhanced role and has the ability to be north of 30 goals, while Iafallo will bring a defensive conscience to any line he plays on and should be in the 15-to-20 goal range.

Where the Jets figure to make up any of the other offence will be from having guys like Niederreiter and Vladislav Namestnikov for an entire season and some internal growth throughout a forward group that should be able to roll four lines with greater frequency.

Scheifele coming close or perhaps surpassing last year’s career-high 42, Nikolaj Ehlers staying healthy for a full campaign and Kyle Connor re-discovering his 2021-22 touch (47 goals that year, just 31 last season) would also help the cause.

The Jets defence corps accounted for 46 goals last season (led by Norris Trophy candidate Josh Morrissey’s 16) and Bowness is hoping that team total could be eclipsed.

Add it all up and the Jets figure to be better than 21st of 32 teams, which is where they finished last season when they found the back of the net 247 times in 82 games.

Is there a youth movement afoot on the blue-line?

Declan Chisholm has cracked the opening-night roster, albeit in a seventh defenceman role, for now. Ville Heinola was on the cusp of earning a top-six spot before he broke his ankle during the final pre-season game last Thursday.

Cheveldayoff didn’t make any trades this offseason to alleviate a bit of a log-jam, but the Jets did send journeyman Kyle Capobianco down to the Manitoba Moose, and Logan Stanley might get used to a press box perch as the eighth defenceman and a perpetual healthy scratch.

It wouldn’t be surprising to see Chisholm and Heinola (once he returns from injury in 2-3 months) both become staples, especially if the likes of Dillon and/or DeMelo are ultimately moved in-season. Nate Schmidt, a very pricey third-pairing defender, could also be challenged by the two young guns for playing time.

How many starts will Laurent Brossoit get this season?

Statistically, this is a tough one to pin down, and the path didn’t get any easier with Hellebuyck’s extension now firmly in place.

However, it’s a safe bet to project Brossoit to set a personal best for starts and games played this season. A conservative estimate will include a split of 25 starts for Brossoit and 57 for Hellebuyck.

The number seems low for Hellebuyck when you consider he made 64 last season and 66 the season before that, but Brossoit is more than just a capable backup as he returns for a second tour of duty.

Not only can Brossoit help keep Hellebuyck fresher by carrying a bigger chunk of the load than most of his previous goalie partners, he has the potential to deliver the type of performances that have teams consider him for a starting role in the future.

Brossoit is on an expiring contract so the ability to push – and support – one another is going to be of the utmost importance this season.

Will the fans buy what the Jets are selling?

There was a time when a Jets ticket in this town sold itself. But those days are gone, as was witnessed last season with approximately 1,300 empty seats per game, on average, at the downtown rink.

To True North’s credit, they’ve realized some work has to be done in that department. Not only have they invested in some much-needed enhancements to Canada Life Centre, but an aggressive marketing campaign and more flexible ticketing packages have been introduced.

Re-signing Hellebuyck and Scheifele likely won’t hurt matters, either.

Of course, what really registers at the box office is a competitive team that plays an exciting brand of hockey.

Game on.

 

*2023-24 JETS OPENING-NIGHT ROSTER AND PROJECTED LINES, DEFENCE PAIRS:

F

Connor-Scheifele-Vilardi

Ehlers-Perfetti-Niederreiter

Iafallo-Lowry-Appleton

Barron-Kupari-Namestnikov

EXTRA: Gustafsson

D

Morrissey-DeMelo

Samberg-Pionk

Dillon-Schmidt

EXTRAS: Chisholm, Stanley

G

Hellebuyck

Brossoit

INJURED RESERVE: Heinola

Ken Wiebe’s prediction: The Jets finish narrowly ahead of the Minnesota Wild for third spot in the Central Division, behind the Colorado Avalanche and Dallas Stars. The crystal ball is a bit cloudy when it comes to how far they might go during the Stanley Cup playoffs.

Mike McIntyre’s prediction: I’ve got Minnesota edging Winnipeg for third, but I do think the Jets grab a wildcard spot and a date with one of the Western Conference heavyweights in the first round. In other words, a bit of a deja vu from last season.

ken.wiebe@freepress.com

X: @WiebesWorld

mike.mcintyre@freepress.mb.ca

X: @mikemcintyrewpg