The Winnipeg Jets are trying to answer a familiar kind of question after a letdown season: was last year’s collapse a blip, or a sign of bigger problems?
After winning the Presidents’ Trophy the year before, Winnipeg stumbled. Luca Pampena has them pegged for fifth in the Central Division with 90 points, and the path back to the playoffs looks narrow unless the young forwards give them more and the team cleans up its work in its own zone.
That’s where the real pressure lands. Connor Hellebuyck remains the hinge point for everything.
If he stays healthy and gets back to his best, the Jets can hang around the wild-card race. But goaltending alone won’t solve what showed up last season: an older roster, a lack of speed, and too many dangerous chances against.
While Winnipeg searches for answers, Edmonton is hunting for a breakout.
Vasily Podkolzin is the name drawing attention as a possible difference-maker outside the Oilers’ top four. Bob Stauffer sees a player ready to take a step, with a chance to work into the top six and chip in on both special-teams units.
The appeal is easy to see. Podkolzin brings energy and toughness, and he does the dirty work without hesitation. With the new coaching staff, he could get a larger role, and if he grows into a dependable 20-goal scorer while adding another 20 or 30 assists, his $2.95-million contract would suddenly look like a steal for Edmonton.
Then there’s the ranking debate that has stirred the most head-scratching.
Corey Pronman’s latest under-23 list has already produced plenty of noise, with recency bias at the center of the backlash. Sam O’Reilly climbed to No. 40 after a big junior season.
Ike Howard was omitted despite winning the Hobey Baker and producing in the AHL and NHL. Zach Benson also slipped despite a strong year.
But the decision that stands out most is Matt Savoie being left off entirely. He earned a regular role, worked the penalty kill, eventually landed on McDavid’s line, and finished with 18 goals and 37 points. Given how strong his late-season push was, his absence from the list looks like a real miss.
In Other News...
Jets Have One Young Trade Return Ready To Prove More
Isak Rosen arrives in Winnipeg with the kind of profile teams love to keep monitoring: a young Swedish forward who has done his best work in the minors and is still trying to translate that into a regular NHL presence. The Jets added him in a trade, and at 23, he already has enough pro experience to suggest the next step is less about learning the league and more about proving he can stick in it.
For Winnipeg, the appeal is obvious if Rosen can turn his pace and production into more dependable all-around play. He is expected to open the 2026-27 season in a bottom-six role, which gives him a clear starting point but not much margin for error. If his game sharpens the way the organization hopes, there is room for him to earn more responsibility and start climbing the lineup. [Read more 🡒]
Connor Hellebuyck Keeps The Jets Stuck In An Unsettled Offseason
The offseason chatter around Winnipeg has not exactly settled down, and Connor Hellebuyck remains one of the biggest reasons why. Among the league-wide speculation on player movement and contract business, the Jets are still tied to the possibility that their No. 1 goaltender could become part of a larger summer shakeup, which keeps their own outlook hazy while other clubs sort through their own unresolved matters.
Around the league, similar questions are hanging over several prominent names, from Dylan Larkin and the Red Wings to contract situations involving Cutter Gauthier, Adam Fantilli, Alexander Nikishin and Jason Robertson. For Winnipeg, though, the focus keeps circling back to Hellebuyck and what it means for a team that would prefer clarity but instead is stuck waiting on a market that has not fully declared itself yet. [Read more 🡒]
Jets Face Growing Pressure From A Farm System They Can't Trust
The sting of missing the playoffs in 2025-26 is bad enough on its own, but Winnipegs longer-term picture is what makes the offseason feel heavier. The Jets are trying to thread a difficult needle with a veteran core that is slipping while the organizations pipeline remains thin, leaving little obvious help on the horizon if the current group needs reinforcements.
Viggo Bjrck and Sascha Boumedienne give the system at least a couple of headline names, yet the bigger concern is what comes after them. With the farm system lacking much reliable depth, Winnipeg does not have the kind of prospect cushion that can smooth over an aging roster, and that puts more pressure on every draft pick, every development season and every decision the front office makes from here. [Read more 🡒]