The Winnipeg Jets are coming off their best season in franchise history with a President's trophy win thanks to a dominant 56-22-4 record. It was a truly historic feat and with the Jets 2.0 entering their 15th anniversary since rejoining the NHL. We look back at the greatest legends to wear a Jets jersey and make an all-time lineup that will rival any team.
In this feature, we take a deep dive into the franchise’s rich history to craft the ultimate all-time Jets lineup. This isn’t just a list of fan favorites but truest group of the best to ever do it in Winnipeg. Spanning both eras of the team from the early days that solidified Winnipeg as a hockey town to the modern era, where the Jets are the most dominant team in the league for 82 games. Get ready to explore the players who earned their place in Jets history and see how they come together to form a team that could stand toe-to-toe with any in NHL history.
The man who was the defining Winnipeg Jet of the 1980s in starting at centre is the captain Dale Hawerchuk. Number 10 was a dominant force with over 1,400 NHL points, including 929 with Winnipeg. He represented everything that the Jets had stood for as a very skilled relentless player that was almost always overlooked like when he totaled 130 points in the 1985 season.
On his right wing working as a quick scoring option is none other than the "Finnish Flash" Teemu Selanne. His 76-goal rookie season in 1992–93 remains one of the most electrifying performances in NHL history and showed the rest of the league that Winnipeg can house hall-of-fame talent. With his quick speed and shooting ability, this duo already would be extremely challenging to beat.
On his oppoiste wing is a player that not a lot of people are expecting in this spot. Rather than opting for a left winger that never actually played for the Jets, we look to a player that has proudly represented the Jets proudly since being drafted 17th overall in 2015 and that's Kyle Connor. His 0.95 point-per-game average is top five in Jets history and his 582 points through 613 games have him ranked fourth all-time. The Michigan native has quietly developed into arguably one of the best forwards in the NHL with a career-best 97 points this past season and still has room to improve at 28 years old. He is entering a contract year and will likely top this point total this upcoming season, making him an even easier lock for this all-time lineup.
Few duos could represent the Jets’ evolution on defense better than Phil Housley and Dustin Byfuglien. Winnipeg's blueline quarterback of the late ‘80s and early ‘90s was prolific as Housley would go on to amass over 1,200 career points. His partner is a man that every NHL player feared in "Big Buff" as he would run through any player on the ice regardless of their size. The ridiculous strength coupled with elite passing ability, that culminated in 416 points through 609 career games, made Byfuglien a true unicorn of his time.
If you can manage to get past Housley and avoid being destroyed by Byfuglien, you now get to try and score against one of the eight goalies all-time to win the Hart trophy as the league's most valuable player in Connor Hellebuyck. The winningest goalie in Jets history by far and three-time Vezina trophy winner is an easy lock to be the goalie, as he is currently one of the best players of his generation with few even coming remotely close to putting up similar numbers.
STARTING LINEUP:
Teemu Selanne - Dale Hawerchuk - Kyle Connor
Phil Housley - Dustin Byfuglien
Connor Hellebuyck
How about that?