The Winnipeg Jets and star winger Kyle Connor continue to be overlooked and underappreciated, as sportsbooks once again fail to do their homework, offering a prime opportunity for payback.
The Winnipeg Jets may not always command the national spotlight, but star winger Kyle Connor continues to make his presence known as one of the NHL’s most consistently elite scorers. Coming off a career-high 97-point season, Connor enters 2025–26 with a key role in leading Winnipeg’s offense once again.
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The 28-year-old has been quietly one of the league's most lethal wingers in recent years. Last season, he further proved that he is an elite finisher as it marked the fifth time over the last six seasons that Connor scored or was on pace to score 35 or more goals. His line with Mark Scheifele and Gabe Vilardi was one of the league’s most productive units and powered the Jets to a top-four finish in team offense.
While Winnipeg lost Nikolaj Ehlers in free agency, the impact on Connor is expected to be minimal. The two rarely played together outside of the power play, and the addition of Cole Perfetti into Ehlers role on the power play, plus new veterans in the lineup with Gustav Nyquist and Jonathan Toews, should help fill any remaining gaps in the forward group.
Sportsbooks don't believe the changes will be enough as they have Connor pegged to regress with his goal total over/under at 34.5 for the season, a mark he’s surpassed or been on pace to hit in all but one season since 2018. Health is always be a consideration but Connor has only missed 46 games over the past five seasons.
With his goal-per-game average at 0.49 since 2019, even missing a handful of games, Connor will likely still hit the over comfortably in 70 games and further cement the hockey world not paying enough attention to the Winnipeg Jets and paying for it.
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