The Winnipeg Jets looked headed for a rough follow-up to a brutal 2025-26 season, but Kyle Connor has given them a jolt to start 2026-27.
With Connor Hellebuyck still away from the team after his trade request went public and then turned ugly, Winnipeg has had to navigate the opening stretch without its star goalie. The Jets suspended Hellebuyck for failing to report to training camp, and the mood around the club was already sour after a 2025 season that ended with a Presidents’ Trophy and a 2026 collapse that left them out of the playoffs by 10 points.
Instead of sinking further, Winnipeg has opened 1-0-1, with an overtime loss to the Boston Bruins and a 3-2 win over the Detroit Red Wings. Connor has been the driving force. Through two games, the winger has five points, with three goals and two assists, and he’s piled up 14 shots on goal.
On Monday’s episode of Daily Faceoff Live, host Tyler Yaremchuk pointed to Connor as his “man of the weekend” and highlighted how much the winger has already meant to the Jets’ early-season tone.
Yaremchuk said Connor’s comments about Hellebuyck stood out as well, noting that Connor essentially made it clear any return would have to come from full commitment, not from simply wanting to avoid losing money. He also described Connor as one of the leaders in the room despite not wearing a letter, and said that kind of “us against the world” mindset could go a long way for Winnipeg.
Carter Hutton backed that up, saying, “100%.” He went on to talk about how real culture and leadership are inside an NHL room, saying they can’t just be manufactured overnight. Hutton pointed to his time in Nashville with Shea Weber, Mike Fisher and Pekka Rinne as an example of players who truly ran the room and helped create a powerful environment.
For now, Connor’s hot start has done more than fill the stat sheet. It has given the Jets something they badly needed: a reason to believe this season might not follow the same bleak script as the last one.
In Other News...
Kyle Connor Is Forcing Jets Fans To Rethink His Ceiling
Kyle Connor has opened the new season looking every bit like the kind of scorer who can tilt a game before the other side realizes it is in trouble. In Winnipegs 3-2 win over Detroit, he was a force on the power play and kept stacking meaningful touches in a game the Jets needed to have, which only sharpened the conversation around how high his offensive ceiling might really be.
After finishing last season with 92 points, his second straight year above the 90-point mark, Connor is already reminding everyone why he belongs in the top tier of NHL finishers. The early returns are small in sample size, but they are loud enough to make Jets fans wonder whether this is simply another strong start or the beginning of something even bigger. [Read more 🡒]
Jets Face Early Test As New Look Meets Surging Penguins
The Jets picked up their first road win of the season with a 3-2 victory over the Detroit Red Wings, and now the schedule throws another early-season challenge at them in Pittsburgh. The Penguins arrive at 2-0, giving Winnipeg a quick chance to measure how far its new-look group has come since the opener, especially with projected lineups already starting to come into focus.
One notable wrinkle for Winnipeg is the goaltending picture, with Clay Stevenson slated to make his first appearance for the club. Up front, the Jets are also weighing some lineup tweaks after the Detroit game, including Cole Koepke in line to replace Nino Niederreiter, while Vlad Namestnikov appears set to hold onto his spot despite taking two penalties last time out. [Read more 🡒]
Red Wings Suddenly Face Real Risk With Simon Edvinsson
Simon Edvinssons situation in Detroit has quickly gone from a routine contract headache to something far more delicate. The young defenseman is frustrated, has returned to Sweden and, with the Red Wings also looking at his trade value, the club suddenly has to manage both a negotiation and the possibility that the relationship is already fraying.
For Winnipeg, it is the kind of development worth keeping an eye on because teams around the league are watching the same narrow window for roster opportunities. The Red Wings do not want to let a promising defender drift, but the longer this stretches on, the more the pressure builds on both sides to find a resolution before the situation becomes harder to unwind. [Read more 🡒]