Winnipeg combines elite scoring chemistry with a youth movement as high-stakes contract years and emerging prospects reshape a forward corps poised to rival the league's most potent offenses.
As the Winnipeg Jets prepare for the next NHL season, the buzz around their projected lineup has started to commence, with fans wondering what they can expect to see from the 2025-26 team.
It's very early to say what the coaching staff will decide to roll out, but Daily Faceoff and PuckPedia have started their early predictions for the Jets' lineup, and there appears to be some overlap worth digging into.
Here, we break down the projected top 12 forwards and how likely it is these lines actually come together on opening night, using MoneyPuck data to look at how these units performed in the past.
1st Line: Kyle Connor - Mark Scheifele - Gabe Vilardi
With 652 minutes played together in all but two games this season, this unit will almost certainly remain intact. The trio was tied for the best scoring line in the league with 44 goals, matching Colorado's top unit that features stars like Nathan MacKinnon and Martin Necas.
Out of Winnipeg's 229 goals last season, Connor, Scheifele and Vilardi combined for 105 of them, finishing as the team's top three scorers in that exact order for the second straight season.
2nd Line: Cole Perfetti - Adam Lowry - Nino Niederreiter
The second line is where the two outlets start to differ. Daily Faceoff has Adam Lowry centering the unit with Niederreiter and Alex Iafallo on the wings, while PuckPedia takes the bolder route, projecting recent eighth-overall pick Viggo Björck to not only make the team but center the second line between Cole Perfetti and Brad Lambert.
What likely plays out is some combination of both projections: it seems unlikely Perfetti falls out of the top six, and the Lowry-Niederreiter pairing looks poised to stick together. This trio saw brief action together last season across nine games and could get a longer look this year.
3rd Line: Alex Iafallo - Vladislav Namestnikov - Brad Lambert
The third line sees the outlets diverge again. Daily Faceoff has Perfetti on the left wing with Namestnikov centering and Lambert on the right, while PuckPedia pairs the Lowry-Niederreiter duo with Iafallo instead.
Once again, some blend of both projections seems likely, and the trio of Iafallo, Namestnikov and Lambert presents an intriguing look for several reasons. This group played just two games together last season but would add interesting depth to the middle six.
Namestnikov enters a contract year looking to rebound after missing time with injury, and he carries near-40-point upside as a center. Pairing him with a younger winger like Lambert, who is entering the final year of both his contract and his entry-level deal, makes sense on paper.
The 22-year-old former first-round pick finally got his first real NHL look last season, finishing with six points in 25 games, and will be hoping to play his first full NHL season, giving both players a chance to produce the kind of numbers that could earn them new deals.
4th Line: Cole Koepke - Morgan Barron - Isak Rosen
This unit appears on both outlets and makes sense as an intriguing depth option. Usual suspects Koepke and Barron, who played together regularly last season primarily alongside Tanner Pearson, would be joined by a player still searching for his footing in the Jets lineup in Rosen.
A former top-14 pick back in 2021, Rosen has yet to play a full NHL season and would finally get an extended look slotting into the bottom six. If things don't pan out with Rosen or Koepke, Winnipeg also has a strong fail-safe in offseason addition Noah Gregor, a hard-checking depth forward who stood out with the Florida Panthers and could step in if injuries arise.
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