The Winnipeg Jets are heading into a demanding week with their roster and their identity both in flux. Connor Hellebuyck is gone, Josh Morrissey is still out, and a four-game skid has left the club trying to steady itself after a 2-1 loss to Montreal in the Heritage Classic on Oct. 25.
That defeat dropped Winnipeg to 4-4-3 and seventh in the Central Division, and there’s no easing into what comes next. The Jets have four games on the schedule this week of Oct. 26-Nov. 1, 2026, and each one arrives with a different layer of pressure.
The biggest jolt came on Oct. 23, when Winnipeg dealt Hellebuyck to the New Jersey Devils. After requesting a trade and missing training camp, the three-time Vezina Trophy winner finally moved on, ending an 11-season run with the franchise.
In return, the Jets picked up forward Dawson Mercer, goaltender Nico Daws, forward Nick Bjugstad, prospect Alexander Command, a 2029 second-round draft pick and a 2027 seventh-round selection. It’s a package that gives Winnipeg added depth and future pieces, though not every part of that return is ready to help right away.
Mercer is the name that matters most immediately. At 24, he can play center or wing, giving head coach Scott Arniel some room to shuffle the lines as he looks for combinations that can stick. Command is more of a future play than an immediate NHL answer.
The trade leaves Winnipeg without the goaltender who shaped its base for more than a decade, which means Stuart Skinner and Clay Stevenson now have to absorb the load. Skinner has already shown he can take NHL starts, but replacing Hellebuyck’s track record and consistency is a much taller task. The Jets are going to need cleaner play in front of them to keep the burden from getting out of hand.
Mercer’s arrival could also spark a wider offensive reset. He gives Winnipeg another established NHL forward at a time when the lineup could use some new wrinkles, and his ability to move around the lineup should help Arniel avoid leaning too hard on inexperienced players.
Mark Scheifele and Kyle Connor still sit at the heart of the attack, and their ability to generate chances becomes even more important now. Gabriel Vilardi also remains a key piece, especially if Mercer helps give the top six a little more balance.
For Winnipeg, the real question is simple: can the team score enough to survive the loss of elite goaltending? The Jets don’t need to turn every night into a shootout, but they do need to make sure games aren’t constantly hanging on one goalie bailing them out.
Morrissey’s injury only adds to the strain. He hurt his wrist against Colorado on Oct. 7, was ruled week-to-week and was placed on injured reserve.
The expectation is that he will be out until at least Nov. 5.
His absence hits every part of Winnipeg’s game. Morrissey drives transition, helps steer the power play and handles top-line matchups on a regular basis. Without him, the Jets lose one of their most important sources of puck movement and blue-line creativity.
That leaves Neal Pionk, Dylan Samberg and the rest of the defense corps to pick up the slack by keeping things simpler and staying in better position. Winnipeg does not need one player to duplicate Morrissey’s workload; it needs the group to spread those duties around.
The injury list has also taken more bodies out of the mix. Vladislav Namestnikov is on injured reserve after getting hurt on Oct. 15, which trims the team’s options at center.
Bjugstad arrived from New Jersey still recovering from pectoral surgery and is expected to miss several months. Garrett Brown is also dealing with a lower-body injury.
Here is Winnipeg’s schedule for the week:
Tuesday, Oct. 27 vs. Florida Panthers, home, 7:00 p.m.
Thursday, Oct. 29 at Tampa Bay Lightning, 6:00 p.m.
Friday, Oct. 30 at Florida Panthers, 6:00 p.m.
Sunday, Nov. 1 at Carolina Hurricanes, 1:00 p.m.
Florida gives the Jets a chance to stop the bleeding right away, but the pair of road games that follow will test whether this group can stay organized under pressure. Carolina closes the week as another tough assignment, one that can force mistakes and sustain pressure for long stretches.
With the blue line already short-handed, Winnipeg’s margin for error is thin. If the Jets fall behind, they’ll be chasing the game more often than they can afford. Keeping the puck out of dangerous areas, protecting the middle and limiting second chances will matter more than ever this week.
In Other News...
Ducks Just Sent A Clear Early Message About Two Young Forwards
The goaltending chatter around Connor Hellebuyck never got far, but it still offered a glimpse at how Winnipeg views any major move involving its franchise netminder. Vegas made an inquiry, yet the Jets were never eager to send him to the West, and they wanted a goalie coming back in any deal. That combination is enough to explain why the conversation did not develop into something more serious, especially with the trade market for a top-tier goalie already so hard to navigate.
From Winnipegs standpoint, the list of potential partners only got thinner from there. Adin Hills no-trade protection limits the Golden Knights flexibility, and Carter Harts role as Vegas starter, along with his expiring contract, makes him a tricky fit in a deal of that magnitude. Meanwhile, the Jets will have Nino Niederreiter back in the lineup for the Heritage Classic after he recovered from a high-stick incident, giving them a more complete group for one of the seasons showcase games. [Read more 🡒]
Jets Skid Feels Worse After Another Flat Night In A Big Spot
The outdoor stage at Princess Auto Stadium offered Winnipeg a chance to steady itself and reset the tone of a season that has gone sideways in a hurry, but the result only deepened the unease. The Jets fell 2-1 to the Canadiens in the 2026 Heritage Classic, extending a losing streak to five games and leaving another big spot feeling like a missed opportunity.
Winnipeg finally broke its outdoor scoring drought on a late goal from Isak Rosen, but the lone push came too late to change the mood around a night that had already slipped away. The Jets also let four power play chances go by, a familiar kind of frustration when a team is searching for anything that can stop the slide. [Read more 🡒]
Hurricanes Came Closer Than Fans Realized On Connor Hellebuyck
Connor Hellebuycks name was never just idle speculation around the league. According to Elliotte Friedman, several teams were in the mix on the Winnipeg goalie, including the Florida Panthers, Buffalo Sabres, Utah Mammoth and Carolina Hurricanes, with talks reaching a point where real frameworks were being discussed before they unraveled over timing, player-package issues and other moving parts.
For Winnipeg, the most interesting part is how close some of those conversations apparently came to mattering. Friedman said he does not have the full picture on every detail, but the market had enough traction that specific pieces started to become the real hurdles, from draft-pick complications with Buffalo to Carolinas unwillingness to part with certain key players. That is the sort of backdrop that reminds you how much noise can surround a star goalie before the trade window finally closes. [Read more 🡒]