Kyle Connor Still Isnt Getting The Respect Jets Fans See

Despite a slight dip in rankings, Kyle Connor solidifies his place as a top NHL winger and remains a pivotal force for the Winnipeg Jets.

Kyle Connor is still right there with the NHL’s best wingers, even if NHL Network nudged him down a couple of spots this summer.

The Winnipeg Jets star came in at No. 11 in the network’s annual “Top 20 Wings Right Now” list, which was released this week ahead of the 2026-27 season. That marks a drop from No. 9 a year ago, but it doesn’t change the fact that Connor keeps stacking seasons that put him in elite company.

He’s coming off a 2025-26 campaign that looked a lot like the one before it: productive, durable, and right at the center of Winnipeg’s attack. Connor led the Jets with 39 goals and 92 points while adding 53 assists, and he played all 82 games for the second straight year. It was his fifth straight 30-goal season.

The numbers continue to pile up, too. Through 695 career NHL games, Connor has 323 goals and 674 points. He followed a 2024-25 season in which he set career highs with 41 goals, 56 assists and 97 points.

He’s also creeping up on some major franchise history. Connor is now five goals behind Ilya Kovalchuk’s 328 for second place in Jets/Atlanta Thrashers scoring history. Mark Scheifele is the only player ahead of both, with 372 goals.

Winnipeg already made sure Connor’s future stays in place. The Jets signed him to an eight-year, $96-million extension last October, a deal with a $12 million average annual value that runs through the 2033-34 season.

Selected 17th overall by Winnipeg in the 2015 NHL Draft, Connor has spent his entire NHL career with the organization. And while he wasn’t the only Jets star to slide in the rankings this offseason, he remains the only Winnipeg winger to make NHL Network’s Top 20 as he heads into his 10th full NHL season.

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