Nyquist arrived to fill an offensive void, but early struggles and injury have stalled his production, leaving the Jets searching for his scoring touch.
The Winnipeg Jets’ offseason bet on veteran winger Gustav Nyquist has yet to deliver the desired results. Brought in to help fill the offensive void left by Nikolaj Ehlers’ departure, the 36-year-old Swede has struggled to find his footing early in the season.
The 36-year-old Swedish winger was coming off the worst season of his career, managing just 28 points in 79 games split between the Nashville Predators and Minnesota Wild. Ironically, that performance came just one year after his career-best campaign in 2023-24, when he exploded for 75 points, including a personal-high 52 assists.
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Jets general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff’s expectation was for Nyquist to settle somewhere between those two extremes, returning to his usual level as a steady 50- to -60-point player. That kind of consistency would have helped offset the loss of top winger Nikolaj Ehlers, however that plan for Winnipeg has yet to materialize.
Through 11 games this season, Nyquist has registered only five assists and remains without a goal. That puts him on pace for just 36 points while also tying the longest scoring drought to start a season in his career. The last time he went 11 games without a goal to open a campaign was during his rookie year in 2011-12. If he fails to score in Friday’s matchup against the San Jose Sharks or whenever he returns from his undisclosed injury, it will officially mark the slowest start of his career.
Nyquist has recently been dropped to the third line but has caught some momentum lately with his five assists all coming in the last nine games before he was forced out of the lineup. The Jets are hoping he can return soon and finally break through offensively, as his production will be crucial to stabilizing the team’s depth scoring.
In Nyquist’s absence, other players like forward Vladislav Namestnikov have stepped up. The 32-year-old Russian import has thrived after shifting from center to wing, scoring in four of his last six games and recently stringing together a three-game goal streak. He has been skating alongside Jonathan Toews and Alex Iafallo, forming a productive trio that could offer head coach Scott Arniel flexibility once Nyquist returns.
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If Nyquist can rediscover his scoring touch, he could either bolster that line or provide secondary offense alongside captain Adam Lowry and Nino Niederreiter, who are known for having strong chemistry. For now, the Jets’ early-season success has lessened the pressure on Nyquist, but expectations remain high. Winnipeg is counting on him to play like the top-six forward he was signed to be. If he cannot, his one-year, $3.25 million deal could go down as a costly misstep in an otherwise promising season.
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