• Winnipeg Jets Offseason Outlook: What’s Next in 2026-27?

The reality for fans of the Winnipeg Jets is that the team probably isn't as bad as the 82-point effort the club produced during the 2025-26 NHL season. That being said, we're also keeping it real when we assess that the Jets certainly aren't anywhere near as good as the 2024-25 version that won the Presidents' Trophy, accumulating a franchise-record 116 points.

That Jets club allowed the fewest goals in the NHL (191), as goalie Connor Hellebuyck won the Vezina, Jennings, and Hart Trophies. Winnipeg was also third in the NHL with 277 goals scored. This season, the Jets were on equal bad footing, finishing 26th in the league in goals for (231) and goals against (260). The Jets went from a +37 goal differential to -29. Winnipeg also endured an 11-game losing streak.

Five years ago, the Jets rebounded from a playoff absence to once again be postseason participants in 2022-23. Should Jets fans be anticipating a similar rebound in the standings for 2026-27?

Winnipeg Jets 2025-2026 Season at a Glance

• General Manager: Kevin Cheveldayoff\
• Head Coach: Scott Arniel

• Final Standings: 7th in Central Division / 82 points

• Post-Season Result: Missed Playoffs

• Projected Cap Space: $13,628,367

• Draft Capital: No 2nd Round Pick; two 7th round picks

The Foundation: Winnipeg Jets Core & Breakout Players

The Core That Works

The Jets have much of their core inked to long-term deals. Goalie Connor Hellebuyck, defenseman Neil Pionk, and forwards Mark Scheifele, Adam Lowry, Kyle Connor, and Gabriel Vilardi are all signed through the 2029-30 season. However, it's an older core. Scheifele and Lowry are 33. Hellebuyck is 32, Pionk is 30, and Connor is 29. And according to GM Kevin Cheveldayoff, no one in this group is untouchable.

“Certainly open to talk about anybody,” Cheveldayoff said of his core at his season-ending media with the media. “But anything we do is about making this group one step closer to winning a championship.”

The Breakout Stars

Acquired from Buffalo in the deadline deal that sent defensemen Logan Stanley and Luke Schenn to the Sabres, Swedish winger Isak Rosen is considered to be a budding star. Although he only scored six goals in 37 games last year, NHL insiders have compared this move to Nashville adding future star Filip Forsberg from Washington for fading veteran Martin Erat in 2013. 

The Balance Sheet: Salary Cap & Contract Efficiencies

Best Value Contracts

Center Vilardi, a 30-goal scorer, is locked in for $7.5 million. Puck-moving defenseman Josh Morrissey, who had 14 goals and 55 points, has two years remaining on his pact at $6.25 million.

Cap Flexibility for Free Agency

While there's money to spend, that's always only half the battle for the Jets. Convincing NHL UFAs to view Winnipeg as a destination is always an uphill climb. Most look upon the city as the NHL's version of Siberia. 

Roster Turnover: Pending Free Agents & Glaring Holes

Internal Decisions (UFAs & RFAs)

It's unlikely that the Jets will have much interest in their impending UFAs. Winger Gustav Nyquist scored one goal in 51 games. Netting 11 goals and playing all 82 games, Jonathan Toews was a feel-good story as he returned to the NHL following a two-season absence. But it's hard to see him as part of what the Jets are looking to build for the future. Defensemen Colin Miller, Ville Heinola, and Jacob Bryson are easily-replaced depth pieces. Expect the Jets to seek an upgrade at backup goalie over journeyman veteran Eric Comrie.

Forwards Cole Perfetti and Rosen are the key RFAs for the Jets. After back-to-back 19 and 18-goal campaigns, Perfetti slumped to 12 goals in 2025-26.

The Biggest Roster Gaps

Finding a goalie to play behind Hellebuyck is more of an issue as he ages. And this season, the three-time Vezina winner missed 13 games through injury, and was listed as did not dress for another 12 games.

The lack of secondary scoring was a huge issue for Winnipeg. It often led to Arniel shortening his bench and overplaying his top six forwards. 

The Pipeline: Top Winnipeg Jets Prospects Ready to Jump

• Traditionally, the Jets have opted to slow-roll their prospects. Waiting for them to ripen in the AHL hasn't panned out, however. Since 2017, the only draftees who've become Jets regulars are Perfetti and defenseman Dylan Samberg. Arniel evidently wants that situation to change. He threw the gauntlet down to the club's top prospects to force his hand in training camp. "“o beat somebody out for a job,” Arniel said. “Go do what you can to get yourself to become a Winnipeg Jet full-time.” These are the players with the best chance to do that. 

  1. Brad Lambert: The Finnish center has split the past three seasons between the Jets and the AHL Manitoba Moose. Is he ready to move up full-time? Can he contribute much-needed secondary scoring? Lambet was a 21-goal scorer for the Moose in 2023-24. The scouting report on Lambert is that he's a strong skater, a slick stickhandler, and a dynamic offensive threat.

  2. Brayden Yager: Known for a powerful one-timer and a lightning-fast release, the 21-year-old center scored 10 goals for the AHL Moose in his first pro season. Yager was pointless in a three-game audition with the Jets.

  3. Nikita Chibrikov: Right-winger Chibrikov has regressed since his 17-goal, 47-point season with the Moose in 2023-24. The Russian forward has just 13 goals combined in the two following AHL seasons. He's accounted for three goals and four points in 16 games with the Jets. Chibrikov was pointless in 11 NHL games last season.  His strength as a player is Chibrikov's ability to control the puck.

The Open Market: External Targets & UFA Swings

The Jets will be looking to add a second-line center and to upgrade their defensive depth in the offseason. However, along with the aforementioned lack of desire of UFAs wanting to move to Winnipeg, the UFA class of 2026 isn't exactly stellar. 

“Can you get the pieces you need?" Hellebuyck asked at season's end. "Will the players come? These are always questions that you have in Winnipeg. I’ve made it my home, and I like it here, but the majority of the league doesn’t feel the same way.”

 It could prove difficult to find improvement from outside, other than perhaps via the trade route. But considering Cheveldayoff's recent trade record when it comes to making moves, that might not be the best strategy, either.

Taking all of that into account, revitalization from within could be Winnipeg's best strategy. Tomas Milic is the likely frontrunner to replace Comrie as backup goalie. The one UFA they'll likely seek to keep is left-winger Cole Koepke. He scored eight goals this season in 65 games. Bounceback years from Perfetti, Lowry, and Nino Neiderreiter would also help the cause.

The Verdict: How Close Are the Winnipeg Jets Really?

The Proximity Scale

The Jets went from a fast-skating team to a heavier club last season, and the switch didn't pan out. With so many key players on the wrong side of 30, now is not the time to launch a rebuild in Winnipeg. But as Hellebutyk pointed out, "Put that same product on the ice? I don’t think it worked for a reason.” Winnipeg has clearly fallen behind Colorado, Minnesota, and Dallas in the Central Division pecking order. “There’s a phrase out there," Arniel said. "You either win or learn. If you don’t go out and find out why you didn’t win, you’re just going to end up repeating the same thing.”

Best Case vs. Worst Case Scenario

• Best Case: Hellebuyck, Scheifele, and Connor all enjoy banner seasons, and the Jets claw their way back into a playoff position. Winnipeg did play its best hockey down the stretch, winning 12 games in March and April.

• Worst Case: The club's top prospects continue to miss the mark, there are no upgrades in the offseason, and Hellebuyck's struggles continue. The Jets miss out on postseason hockey again.