The curse of the NHL’s Presidents’ Trophy struck once again, Saturday night, as the league’s best regular-season team this year, the Winnipeg Jets, were eliminated by the Dallas Stars. It was a bitter pill to swallow for the Jets, despite winning their first-round series against the St. Louis Blues. And after their Game 6 loss to the Stars in Round 2, Winnipeg has failed to get to the Western Conference final for the seventh straight season.

Obviously, the Jets are disappointed to lose in the second round – and now, the question becomes, “what’s next for Winnipeg?"

Let’s examine three key issues the Jets will be facing this summer:

1. The Ehlers Question

Star left winger Nikolaj Ehlers is scheduled to be a UFA this summer, and the 29-year-old will have no shortage of suitors for his services. Ehlers won’t come cheaply for the Jets or any other team, as he earned $6-million this season and is going to get a healthy raise after putting up 24 goals and 63 points in only 69 games.

Indeed, as a 10-year NHL veteran who has generated 21 goals or more in eight of those 10 years – with the other two years being his rookie season, and the 2022-23 season in which he played only 45 games – Ehlers is about as reliable as it gets. 

The Jets have more than enough salary cap space (and more on that below) to re-sign Ehlers, but does he want to come back, or pursue a new opportunity with a different team? Ehlers has all the leverage to dictate where he plays next season – and if he chooses to depart from Winnipeg, that could be a troubling sign about the direction he perceives the Jets to be headed in. 

Regardless, all eyes in Winnipeg will be on Ehlers. And the choice he makes could be a harbinger of bigger changes to come in Manitoba.

2. What To Do With All That Cap Room?

Jets GM Kevin Cheveldayoff has wisely managed his cap room – making it clear that, contrary to some people’s arguments, you don’t have to overpay NHL players to stay in Winnipeg over the long haul – and now, the Jets have the chance to make a very big splash in free-agency, trades, or both.

To wit: Winnipeg has approximately $25.68 million in cap space to play with this off-season, and that will allow them to deepen their ranks at forward and on defense. If the Jets want to be harder to play against, would a lucrative offer to a hard-nosed player like Florida Panthers center Sam Bennett make sense? It couldn’t hurt to try. 

Bennett made $4.425-million this year, and while it may be a long shot to lure him away from Florida, the opportunity to join a team that’s all but assured to be at or near the top of the Central Division next season could lure in a player or two of significant impact. But other UFAs could be targeted by the Jets as well. It’s Cheveldayoff’s job to figure out how to improve his group, but money shouldn’t be an object for Winnipeg this summer.

3. To Rest Or Not To Rest Hellebuyck

Jets superstar goalie Connor Hellebuyck was outstanding during the regular-season, and as a result, he will almost certainly win his second consecutive Vezina Trophy as the NHL’s top netminder, and he’s also nominated for the Hart Memorial Trophy as the league’s most valuable player.

That said, Hellebuyck had a roller-coaster playoff showing, posting a 3.08 goals-against average and a .866 save percentage, numbers that were notably worse than his regular-season numbers (.925 SP, 2.00 GAA).

The 31-year-old Hellebuyck appeared in 63 regular-season games this year – the fourth straight season he’s appeared in at least 60 games – so the Jets may decide to lessen his load next season. Whether that means playing backup Eric Comrie more – Comrie appeared in only 20 games this year – or acquiring an experienced goalie capable of playing more often, you can see why Winnipeg would aim to have a fresher Hellebuyck when next year’s playoffs come around. 

Hellebuyck is clearly one of the best goaltenders in the world, but easing the burden on him in the regular-season next year could lead to a more consistent performance from him next spring.

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