It is no secret that Nikolaj Ehlers' offseason decision to move on from the Winnipeg Jets and sign with the Carolina Hurricanes as an unrestricted free agent hurt general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff, head coach Scott Arniel and president Mark Chipman.

At the time, the parties involved all said the 'right things', indicating it was a good time for the player and team to go their separate ways. 

For an organization so keen on drafting and developing its players to stick around through the completion of their NHL playing careers, the sting of Ehlers' departure met many with sadness, some with skepticism and others with a sense of good riddance. 

He did not have the swiftest of starts to his tenure in Raleigh. It took until game No. 12 to record his first goal with the 'Canes and 16 to hit 10 points on the season. 

But as of late, the Dashing Dane's feet are moving at their expected rate and he continues to deliver for a team already known for its speed and strong transitional play. 

On the season, 'Fly' has six goals and 19 points in 28 games. 

In looking at it from a different perspective, the four players brought in to replace Ehlers, Jonathan Toews, Gustav Nyquist, Tanner Pearson and Cole Koepke, have a combined 25 points in 93 games played between the four of them. 

It's no secret that the 2025 Presidents' Trophy winners are struggling offensively, which has greatly contributed to their dismal, near-.500 record on the season. Currently sitting at 14-13-1, Winnipeg is 26th place in the league and two points back of San Jose for the final Wild Card playoff spot in the Western Conference. 

The most recent attempt to alter the course of the 'one-line team' is separate Kyle Connor, Mark Scheifele and Gabe Vilardi, who are contributing nearly 75 percent of all the team's offence since Connor Hellebuyck went down with a knee injury.

Should that work, the Jets will no longer have a bona fide No. 1 line, but will hope to have goal scorers on each of their four lines - something Arniel is striving for. 

Since Hellebuyck's injury, the Jets have gone 3-6-1 and have fallen completely out of the postseason picture. Backup goaltender Eric Comrie has fared alright in Hellebuyck's absence, but the presence of the reigning Hart Trophy winner and back-to-back Vezina and Jennings Trophy victor is most certainly felt throughout the organization. 

AHL call-up Thomas Milic also performed well in his NHL debut and subsequent relief appearances. But he has since been relegated back to Manitoba, where Domenic DiVincentiis has now popped up onto the Jets' active roster in replacement as Hellebuyck continues to work his way back from injury. 

With the Jets having performed so poorly on their two lengthy road trips thus far (2-4-0 and 1-3-1) Winnipeg needs to capitalize on its current four-game homestand to begin stacking wins together in a venue it knows how to do just that. Its last game at Canada Life Centre was a strong 4-1 performance over the Buffalo Sabres.

The Jets will look to replicate that effort in games against four teams all sitting comfortably in the playoffs (Dallas Stars, Boston Bruins, Washington Capitals and Ottawa Senators) as the homestand continues over the next seven days. 

Puck drop is set for 7:00 PM central time on Tuesday for Winnipeg's test against their Central Division opponent, Dallas.