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Jets hoping Jonathan Toews can dial back the clock: Off-Season Recap
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Ryley Delaney
Aug 19, 2025, 14:00 EDTUpdated: Aug 19, 2025, 14:56 EDT
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This is Off-Season Recap, a summer series where we’ll look at what the other 15 teams in the Western Conference have done ahead of the 2025-26 NHL season. So far in the series, we’ve looked at every Pacific Division team. In this article, we’ll look at the other Canadian team in the Western Conference, the Winnipeg Jets.

The Winnipeg Jets’ 2024-25 Season in a Nutshell

In 2023-24, the Winnipeg Jets finished with a 52-24-6 record, finishing second in the stacked Central Division. After a high-scoring Game 1 against the Colorado Avalanche, the Jets lost the next four games and were eliminated from the postseason.
In the first game of the 2024-25 season, the Jets smashed the Oilers 6-0, beginning an eight-game win streak to kick off the season. After a 6-4 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs, the Jets won another seven games to start the season 15-1.
These two win streaks weren’t their only massive win streak, as a 3-2 overtime win on Jan. 22 kicked off an 11-game win streak. At the end of the season, the Jets finished with a 56-22-4 record with 116 points, winning the first Presidents’ Trophy in franchise history.
Even with home ice advantage, the Jets were in a dogfight with the eighth-seeded St. Louis Blues. The Blues had a 3-1 lead with just under two minutes left, but Vladislav Namestnikov scored to get within one, and Cole Perfetti scored with three seconds left in the season to send the game to overtime. Eventually, Adam Lowry found the game-winning goal to send the Jets to the second round.
Unfortunately for the Jets, they were unable to defeat the Dallas Stars, losing in six games. Even more heartbreaking is that Game 6 went to overtime, with Thomas Harley scoring the game-winning goal just 93 seconds into the period, ending the Jets’ season on the spot.

The Jets’ core

The Jets arguably have the best netminder in the league. For the second consecutive season, Connor Hellebuyck won the Vezina Trophy thanks to a .925 save percentage and 2 goals against average in 63 games. He was so good that the netminder was also named the Hart Trophy winner. However, Hellebuyck struggled in the postseason, posting an .866 save percentage and 3.08 goals against average in 13 games.
Kyle Connor led the team with 41 goals and 97 points in 82 games, and he’ll enter the 2025-26 season in the final year of his contract. Mark Scheifele didn’t finish too far behind Connor, as the long-time Jet scored 39 goals and 87 points in 82 games. Gabriel Vilardi had a breakout season, scoring 27 goals and 61 points in 71 games.
On the backend, Josh Morrissey finished with 14 goals and 62 points, becoming one of the best defencemen in the league. Neal Pionk also had a solid season, scoring 10 goals and 39 points in 69 games.
This doesn’t even mention the rest of the Jets’ depth. Cole Perfetti, Vladislav Namestnikov, Nino Niederreiter, Adam Lowry, and Alex Iafallo all finished with 10 or more goals.

Off-Season Transactions

So what did the Jets do to improve this off-season? On the opening day of free agency, they signed Manitoba-native Jonathan Toews to a one-year contract worth $2 million. Toews, a three-time Stanley Cup winner, hasn’t played since 2022-23 due to long-COVID. 
They signed another Stanley Cup winner, Tanner Pearson, on Canada Day. Two other notable signings are Gustav Nyquist and Philip Di Giuseppe. The Jets also extended Dylan Samberg, Vilardi, Morgan Barron, Haydn Fleury, Neal Pionk, and Alex Iafallo.
Does the addition of Toews, Pearson, Di Giuseppe, and Nyquist offset their losses? Not quite. Nikolaj Ehlers scored 24 goals and 63 points in 69 games last season, with five goals and seven points in eight postseason games. He agreed to terms with the Carolina Hurricanes.
Moreover, Mason Appleton departed the Jets in free agency, signing with the Detroit Red Wings. Last season, the bottom-six forward scored 10 goals and 22 points in 71 games. Acquired before the 2025 trade deadline, Brandon Tanev signed with the Utah Mammoth. Captain Adam Lowry will miss the start of the season due to hip surgery.

What’s Next for the Jets?

Despite lacking a true superstar skater, the Jets consistently overachieve in the regular season before collapsing in the postseason. A big reason for that has been Hellebuyck’s performance.
If Hellebuyck performs in the postseason as he does in the regular season, the Jets are a true contender thanks to their strong depth. Still, it’s been three consecutive postseasons where the league’s best netminder has struggled in the postseason.
Simply put, for the Jets to get over the hump, they need Hellebuyck to perform like a Vezina-calibre netminder.

Other Off-Season recaps:

Ryley Delaney is a Nation Network writer for Oilersnation, FlamesNation, and Blue Jays Nation. Follow her on Twitter @Ryley__Delaney.

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