After an incredible regular season in which the Winnipeg Jets posted an incredible 52-24-6 record, followed by a quick five-game exit from the Stanley Cup Playoffs, the Jets and their management team find themselves in an interesting spot this offseason. There are four clear needs that this organization must address if it is serious about making the playoffs next season.
The Winnipeg Jets’ Biggest Need is a Senior Right Handed Defenseman
The Jets’ defense led them to the league’s lowest scoring total this season (199) and the William M. Jennings Trophy. The lineup was split by Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar and Mikko Rantanen in the first round as the Jets allowed 28 goals in five games. Their biggest need this offseason is finding a defenseman to play in the front four, either with Josh Morrissey up top or pushing Neal Pionk into the second pairing.
With Dylan DeMelo’s status up in the air as an unrestricted free agent (UFA), and with Pionk struggling in the secondary role for two straight seasons, the Jets will have to explore the market for a top four player. this offseason.
The easiest way to get a top-four quarterback is to use Nikolaj Ehlers, who could be acquired this offseason, as trade bait. Bringing back DeMelo would be smart as he’s shown great skill with Morrissey up top, and if they get a quality linebacker, he could thrive in a secondary ‘shutdown’ role.
Related: Jets Face Important Offseason Decision With Nikolaj Ehlers
With Brenden Dillon’s status up in the air regarding a return to the Jets, Pionk needing a smaller role next season, and their ineffectiveness without Morrissey in the playoffs, the Jets finding a top-four quarterback is the most pressing need this offseason.
Jets’ Cheveldayoff Needs to Figure Out How to Manage Cap Space
According to CapFriendly, the Jets will have $13.35 million in cap space this offseason. Pending UFAs include: Sean Monahan, Tyler Toffoli, Laurent Brossoit, Colin Miller, DeMelo, and Dillon. Pending free agents (RFAs) Cole Perfetti and David Gustafsson will need a new deal.
It’s unrealistic to expect all of these players to return next season without RFAs, however, finding a way to shed Nate Schmidt’s one-year contract at $5.9 million is an option the Jets should look to explore this offseason. Others who will be traded for cap reasons include Pionk, who has $5.875 million left in one season, and Alex Iafallo, who will make $4 million as his contract expires next season.
Getting out of this money will go a long way toward bringing back the long list of UFAs the Jets will negotiate with, and it’s one of the biggest tasks for General Manager Kevin Cheveldayoff to complete this offseason.
That said, Toffoli and Brossoit are likely to price themselves in Winnipeg regardless of how much money the Jets have, and they will likely get raises to their current contracts on the open market.
A Strong Trainer That Will Push Current Totals Above
Craig Berube, Sheldon Keefe, Jay Woodcroft, Dean Evason, Scott Arniel, or Todd Nelson? There are plenty of head coaches on the open market, and the Jets will have to make the right decision if they want to improve on last season. Rick Bowness announced his retirement on May 6, and looking back on his two years, he has put the next coach in a good position to continue the success he has created.
He reshaped the teams culture by stripping Blake Wheeler of the captaincy and handing that responsibility to Adam Lowry, who was an amazing captain in his first full season wearing the ‘C’. He also put together a defensive frame that led to Jennings’ championship, and the Vezina Trophy for his star goaltender, Connor Hellebuyck.
Whoever takes over for Bowness will be on the roster with playoff expectations, year in and year out. With Scheifele and Hellebuyck getting seven-year extensions next season, the next Jets coach must have a long-term vision for the franchise and where it is headed. The integration of youth is coming next season or the following year, and this coach will have to have the ability to develop those young players to stay competitive.
Players like Rutger McGroarty, Elias Salomonsson, and Brad Lambert could all play big roles in the 2025-26 version of the Jets, and a coach unwilling to trust young players could drastically change the ways players are developed.
Finding Short- or Long-Term Stabilization in a Second-Line Center
The Jets need to find stability at second line center. We know that Mark Scheifele and Adam Lowry will be filling the first and third line center spots, but that second line position is unknown. Monahan is a 29-year-old center who posted 24 points in 33 games after being acquired by the Jets, but went through the first-round series with just one assist. Monahan’s extension would give them short-term stability at that position, but they could also have a top option in-house that could be a long-term option.
Related: Winnipeg Jets 2024 Free Agents: Sean Monahan
2022 first round pick Lambert is coming off an impressive season with the Manitoba Moose of the AHL, where he posted 55 points in 64 games and led the team in scoring. He was named to the AHL’s All-Rookie first team and was named an AHL all-star. After being placed in the center to play center with the Seattle Thunderbirds (WHL) in 2022-23, his development curve has taken a sharp turn for the better, and even at the age of 20, he could be fighting for a second-line center role in training camp.
Whether it’s Monahan, Lambert, another Cole Perfetti, Gabriel Vilardi, or Vladislav Namestnikov, the Jets will need to find a solution at second-line center for the 2023-24 season.
Namestnikov was extremely productive in that role for the better part of three months last season, and it could easily be opening night for 2C if Lambert doesn’t win the job in training camp. He’s a solid short-term option, but if Lambert isn’t ready to take over that role at any point in the season, you may once again see the Jets in the market for a second-line center around the Trade Deadline.
Between improving the blueline, managing cap space, finding a strong head coach to support this core, and finding long-term stability at a second-line center, the Jets organization and GM Cheveldayoff have a lot to gain this offseason. Repeating their regular season success from 2023-24 will be difficult, but if they can succeed in two or more of these requirements, they will put themselves in prime position to get back into the Central Division title mix.
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