A Pivotal Week Ahead for the Winnipeg Jets

The 2025-26 NHL season has not been one for the record books in Winnipeg. 

Sure, the prized jewel - offseason signing Jonathan Toews - made his return to the NHL with the city he grew up in. But since that opening night debut, things have pretty much been all downhill for the Jets. 

Losing 5-4 in the season-opener to the same Dallas Stars team that bounced Winnipeg from the second round of the postseason last year after finishing the year atop the league was the first sign that something could be awry. 

Sure, the Jets rebounded with five-straight wins to go 5-1-0, concluding October at 8-3-0, but it was an eight-loss November and a 12-loss December that really set the team into its downward spiral. 

Eleven-straight losses over December and January did not bode well for the Jets' postseason chances. As a matter of fact, at one point the team was ranked 32nd in the league, just one season removed from a first-place finish.

Winnipeg has since bounced back with a point-per-game record over the past month of hockey (8-7-6 in 2026), further distressing the organization's confusion as to its direction heading into Friday's trade deadline.

As it stands, the Jets are 27th in the league with a 23-26-10 record. They have 56 points and are just three points out of 31st place. At this point, it appears no one will be catching the 43-point Vancouver Canucks for last place overall. 

Catching the seventh or eighth seed in the Western Conference also seems extremely unlikely at this point. Despite going on a ___ the Jets remain 10 points behind Edmonton for the final spot in the West. 

One off year is not the end of the world. There are generational talents waiting to be selected at this June's NHL Draft. Spending an extra two months recovering and training during the offseason very well could be the answer.

Sure, falling from Presidents' Trophy winners to non-qualifiers will not feel good in the moment, but in the grand scheme of things, finishing the year 31st out of 32 teams could be the best thing for the organization. 

No, a 31st-place finish would not guarantee the right to select Gavin McKenna or Ivar Stenberg at No. 2 overall, but it would give Winnipeg the second-best odds at the lottery pick. 

There is currently just a three-point swing between the five teams seeded between 27 and 31. Lots can change in the season's final 20-some-odd games, but at this moment, there is not use pushing for victories or points.

It is time to call up the kids, let the slowpokes sit, trade away the veterans and clean slate for what should be an exciting 2026-27 season in Winnipeg.

Elias Salomonsson, Ville Heinola, Brad Lambert, Brayden Yager, Danny Zhilkin, Colby Barlow, Parker Ford, Nikita Chibrikov, Isaak Phillips and Kale Clague should be given every opportunity to make the Jets next season.

It has become abundantly clear that signing a slew of middle-aged, 30-year-old veterans is not the play. With all due respect to Toews, Tanner Pearson, Gus Nyquist, Luke Schenn, Vlad Namestnikov, Nino Niederreiter, Logan Stanley and Colin Miller, to which speed is not calling card, the Jets need to move toward a younger, faster core group to succeed in a wildly fast-paced Central Division which would include the likes of Minnesota, Dallas and Colorado in any given playoff round. 

It may take a year or two of rebuilding, but fans in Winnipeg who truly understand the game of hockey and the draft and develop model would stick with the plan. Those same fans would also likely abandon ship if things remain status quo heading into next season. 

Should Kevin Cheveldayoff and the Jets' management team be willing to answer calls on some current or long-term pieces this week, the team's outlook would be much better for it come October. 

Should Domenic DiVincentiis or Thomas Milic get a shot in a goal at some point this spring, that experience will trump the minimal standings points gained/lost in the future. 

You don't have to call it tanking, you just need to find a way to lengthen star players' stays on the injured reserve, allow a little more leeway during AHL recalls and be willing to ship away current pieces of the puzzle for future return as the deadline approaches.

This week will be pivotal for the Winnipeg Jets.