Winnipeg Jets 2023-24 NHL Season Preview
Before I even begin, who saw the run of extensions coming on your bingo card? Mark Scheifele and Connor Hellebuyck are officially here to stay. The problem is can the Winnipeg Jets become better than mediocre? There was a strong argument to tear things down this year.
Line Combination (Combinations Obtained via DailyFaceoff.com)
Not shown are the two goalies Hellebuyck and Brossoit. Last year Winnipeg was an 8 seed but they lost Dubois. Are they actually better this year? It’s mostly the same team that will need pop years from some young guys.
New Faces
The Jets didn’t change much. Laurent Brossoit is back as the backup goalie after winning a ring in Vegas. Brossoit previously played for the Jets before joining the VGK in 2020. Outside of that, it’s really just the return on the Pierre-Luc Dubois trade. Gabriel Vilardi and Alex Iafallo will join the Jets coming over from the trade. Both are quality depth pieces to keep an eye on this year.
Three Players To Watch
- Kyle Connor
Kyle Connor is the Jets best player. It’s not an argument. Some have suggested that he should ask out of Winnipeg. Connor had 80 points last year but he’s capable of so much more. He had 93 points the season prior. He has a 100 point season in the tank. I’m just not sure it can happen in Winnipeg. The clock is ticking. If this team misses the playoffs, maybe he asks out.
- Nikolaj Ehlers
The Jets need Ehlers to be healthy. Last year he wasn’t. However, when healthy, this dude rocks. He hasn’t played a fully healthy season since 2017. He can be a 40 goal guy if that happens. Just needs to stay on the ice. Really fun to watch though.
- Josh Morrissey
Talk about an out-of-nowhere breakout season. I even talked about it on a recent fantasy post. The top line blue liner posted 76 points last year and never had 38 in any season prior. Did Rick Bowness harness some magic here or is he bound for regression? I can’t wait to find out.
Biggest Riser
Cole Perfetti could be in for a huge season. Perfetti showed well during his first NHL Season. It ended prematurely but the eye test tells you the skill is there. 30 points in 51 games at age 21 is pretty good. Now it’s time for the big leap. Will it happen this year? I wouldn’t bet against it.
Biggest Faller
Nate Schmidt is now on the bottom pair. Schmidt was known as a gritty defender but Vegas dumped him to make room for Alex Pietrangelo. Can’t say you blame them, right? Well, Schmidt hasn’t exactly lit the world on fire with the Jets. Schmidt had just 19 points last year and will now head into his age 32 season. Others on the blue line have surpassed him. Just not a ton to be excited about anymore with Schmidt.
The Biggest Question Is…
I guess let’s talk about this. How will the Scheifele and Hellebuyck extensions age? I think it’s fair to question the approach here. Hellebuyck is great and is coming off a season where he posted .920 SV%. How long can it continue? Remember, the extension kicks in next year at age 31 when he will be asked to carry the load for eight more years.
Scheifele is damn good. He can sleepwalk his way to 40 goals a season. Just doesn’t play any defense. Can the Jets overcome that side of the ice? They don’t have Dubois to cover up for it either. Scheifele plays better on the wing but the Jets don’t have a bonafide center to take over for him. It’s something to monitor. He needs to keep producing because if the point totals slow down, he’s a negative on defense. This may not age well.
Verdict
I feel like the Jets will be back in the same spot they were last year. This team has wildcard written all over. That’s probably the best case too. They could easily miss the playoffs. Still, this team can get hot and it sure helps to have one of the better goalies in the league.
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