The Winnipeg Jets’ season thus far has been a far cry from last year’s historic campaign. Entering Monday night’s action, the Jets are dead-last in the NHL with 34 points. Their epic collapse in Toronto last Thursday night did little to infuse optimism in the team. The team is now mired in a nine-game losing streak with little end in sight.
That scenario has the Winnipeg Jets on track for a dubious distinction. The team is on pace to become the fifth team in NHL history to win the Presidents’ Trophy one season and miss the playoffs the next.
Last season, the New York Rangers faced the same fate. The Rangers were the toast of the NHL in 2023-24, pacing the league. They won the Presidents’ Trophy and made it all the way to the Eastern Conference Final.
Last year, it was the Winnipeg Jets that took the regular-season crown. They had to go all the way to seven games to get past the plucky St. Louis Blues in the first round. Unfortunately, the Jets could not surpass the Dallas Stars in the second round.
That run opened the door for optimism this year, the loss of Nikolaj Ehlers notwithstanding. The Jets started the year all right, but the proverbial wings fell off the Jets. Their legendary slump has pretty much ended the team’s hopes for a turnaround.
Yes, the Jets are on pace to miss the playoffs, but if there is anything worse than just missing the playoffs, it’s going from first to worst.
Winnipeg Jets Plagued by Lack of Scoring
In 2024-25, the Winnipeg Jets had a high-flying offense, much like the Colorado Avalanche have this season. This year, however, their offense has sunk. The club is 21st in the league with 2.85 goals per game. That’s barely a step up from non-playoff teams like the Chicago Blackhawks and Nashville Predators.
While the Winnipeg Jets have a relatively manageable -11 goal differential, that’s little consolation. The loss of Nikolaj Ehlers this past offseason has seemingly made things worse for the Jets. As such, the onus will be on finding answers to the lack of goals this season.
But the problems don’t just stop there.
Jets’ Defense Middle of the Pack
One would think that a team that boasts the NHL’s best goaltender could make up for its lack of scoring. But that hasn’t been the case. Despite having Connor Hellebuyck in the crease, the Winnipeg Jets are 18th in the league with a 3.13 GAA.
The Jets are also 18th with an .893 SV%. The numbers are not awful, but they’re not exactly becoming of Stanley Cup contenders.
Hellebuyck has been good, though not the all-world goalie fans have come to know. He’s got a 2.58 GAA and a .905 SV%. Those are numbers any goalie will kill for. But they’re not precisely Vezina Trophy-worthy.
Meanwhile, backup Eric Comrie has been bad. His 3.49 GAA and .880 SV% were hardly what the Winnipeg Jets need. Comrie has been unable to spell Hellebuyck, especially during the time Hellebuyck missed while on IR.
Ultimately, there’s no real answer to the Winnipeg Jets’ issues. The goaltending has been subpar and the offense just hasn’t been there. Unless things drastically turn around in the next couple of weeks, the time may have come to write the obituary on Winnipeg’s season.
Winnipeg Jets on Track for Dubious Distinction