Kyle Connor recently hit the 700-game milestone with the Winnipeg Jets. But that wasn’t the only milestone he hit.
The Jets may have suffered their first blowout loss of the season on Friday night, but it didn’t come without Connor making headlines. Connor kept the Jets from suffering their first shutout loss of the season when he scored at 10:36 in the third period. He also notched his 329th career goal, giving him the third-most in Jets history.
Connor’s play hasn’t gone unnoticed by head coach Scott Arniel. Even if Arniel is spot-on that Connor doesn’t often warrant the same attention as players in larger markets like Auston Matthews and Connor McDavid.
Following the Jets’ loss to the Anaheim Ducks, Arniel said via the Canadian Press at Sportsnet, “He often goes under the radar, I think around the league. We know what we have. We have a special player. (Getting to 700) is great for him, when you can play in these situations for (that long). He stays relatively healthy and can play like that and be a factor like he is every night.”
Kyle Connor Has Spent A Career Flying Under The Radar
Winnipeg is the smallest market in the NHL, so it’s easy for accolades to receive little attention. Add to the fact that the Canada Life Centre holds roughly 15,321, and it’s clear Connor has reached hidden-gem status in the NHL.
Still, that doesn’t negate the near point-per-game pace he’s been on throughout his 700 games. Connor has 682 since he debuted, and has notched over a point per game in four of his first nine full seasons with the Jets. If he keeps up his current pace, Connor will exceed the point-per-game mark again in 2026-27.
Winnipeg Jets Will Rely On Connor As Their Top Skater
Going into Monday, Connor is one of the league leaders with six goals scored in five games. That’s an 84-game pace of 101 goals. While Connor will cool down at some point, considering how early it still is in the season, scoring 50 or 60 isn’t unrealistic.
With star goaltender Connor Hellebuyck still away from the team, Kyle Connor’s presence is even more important. Winnipeg can’t rely on strong goaltending in virtually every game, as has been the case with Hellebuyck, even if Stuart Skinner and Clay Stevenson have played well so far.
The Jets must find ways to get more creative with their scoring, as they currently rank 21st in the league with 13 goals scored. Do the math, and they’re averaging 2.6 goals per game. Connor (six goals) has scored nearly half of them. Cole Perfetti has scored another three, while four other players have one goal apiece.
Connor will have no trouble flying under the radar as the 2026-27 season progresses. If his playmaking can match his production over the past two seasons, where he has 56 and 53 assists, respectively, and if he can get the rest of the team scoring consistently, he will be an even bigger factor.
If that remains relatively obscure to the rest of the league, then opponents are in for a rude awakening. Connor will remain productive.
Winnipeg Jets Coach Scott Arniel Made Strong Claim About Kyle Connor