The often quiet Winnipeg Jets once again had a quiet off-season.
Welcome to Oilersnation’s summer series called Off-Season Review, in which we’ll take a dive into what’s going on with the other 15 teams in the Western Conference. So far, we’ve looked at every single Pacific Division team, as well as the Dallas Stars and the Colorado Avalanche. In this article, we’ll look at the team that finished second in the Central Division, the Winnipeg Jets.

The Winnipeg Jets 2023-24 Season in a Nutshell

The race for the Central Division winner was a dogfight a day before the 2024 trade deadline. In first place was the Dallas Stars, who had a 38-17-9 record for 85 points, followed by the Winnipeg Jets’ 39-17-5 record for 83 points, as well as the Colorado Avalanche’s 39-20-5 record, also for 83 points.
However, the Jets made their first major transaction at the start of February, trading their 2024 first-round pick for centre Sean Monahan. At the deadline, the Jets made two trades with the New Jersey Devils, acquiring Tyler Toffoli for a 2025 second-round pick and a 2024 third-round pick for the scoring winger. They also acquired depth defenceman Colin Miller for a fourth-round pick in 2026.
While the Jets weren’t quite able to catch the Stars in the race for the division lead, they finished with a respectable 52-24-6 record for 110 points, fourth-most in the league. It was a significant improvement over their 2022-23 record, where they finished with a 45-33-3 record for 95 points.
One knock on the Jets is that they lack a true superstar, and that rang true in their first-round match-up against the Avalanche. The first game was a barnburner, with the Jets defeating the 2022 Stanley Cup Champions 7-6, but they lost the next four games for another first-round exit.

Some Notable Statistics

“Lacking a true superstar” may not be entirely true, as netminder Connor Hellebuyck is arguably the best goaltender in the league. Last season, the 31-year-old had a .921 save percentage and a 2.39 goals-against average in 60 games, winning his second Vezina Trophy of his career. On top of that, he and former Oiler, Laurent Brossoit, won the William M. Jennings Trophy as well.
However, Hellebuyck struggled in the postseason, as the Avalanche constantly sent two players to screen the goalie. In the five postseason games, he had an .870 save percentage and a 5.01 goals-against average.
The offence is the team’s real problem, though. Kyle Connor is a great scorer, potting 34 goals and 61 points in 65 games, while Mark Scheifele led the team with 72 points and 25 goals in 74 games. Defenceman Josh Morrissey broke out as a first-pairing defender, potting 10 goals and 69 points in 81 games.
After those three players, none of which you can really consider a superstar, it was scoring by committee. Nikolaj Ehlers scored 25 goals and 61 points in 82 games, while youngster Cole Perfetti scored 19 goals and 38 points in 71 games. Depth forward Vladislav Namestnikov scored 11 goals and 37 points in 78 games.
Acquired in the Pierre-Luc Dubois trade, Gabriel Vilardi scored 22 goals and 36 points in 47 games, while Alex Iafallo scored 11 goals and 27 points in 82 games. Post-trade, Sean Monahan scored 13 goals and 24 points in 34 games, while Tyler Toffoli scored seven goals and 11 points in 18 games.
Captain Adam Lowry scored 12 goals and 35 points in 81 games, while Mason Appleton scored 14 goals and 36 points in 82 games. Aside from Morrissey, Neal Pionk (five goals, 33 points) and Dylan DeMelo (three goals, 31 points) led the way in scoring from the backend.

Off-Season Transactions

Both forwards that the Jets acquired at the trade deadline have departed, a theme for many of their pending unrestricted free agents. Tyler Toffoli signed a four-year deal with the Sharks, while Sean Monahan signed with the Columbus Blue Jackets. Also departing were goaltender Laurent Brossoit, signing with the Chicago Blackhawks, and defenceman Brenden Dillion, signing with the Devils. 
The Jets’ off-season started on June 25, when they re-signed Dylan DeMelo to a four-year deal worth $4.9 million annually. To replace the two departing goaltenders, the Jets signed Eric Comrie to a two-year, $1.65 million deal, as well as Kaapo Kähkönen to a one-year, $1 million deal. The Jets also re-signed Colin Miller to a two-year deal worth $1.5 million annually.
Sticking with the re-signings, restricted free agent Logan Stanley signed a two-year deal worth $1.25 million annually. David Gustafsson signed a two-year deal worth $835,000 annually, Ville Heinola signed a two-year deal worth $800,000 annually, and Simon Lundmark signed a one-year deal worth $775,000. Their only unsigned restricted free agent is Cole Perfetti.
The Jets also made some depth signings, bringing in Jaret Anderson-Dolan to a two-year, $1.55 million deal, Mason Shaw to a one-year, two-way deal, as well as Haydn Fleury to a one-year, two-way deal.
As for trades, the Jets acquired Dylan Coghlan from the Carolina Hurricanes for future considerations and re-signed the defenceman to a one-year, two-way deal at the league minimum.
One transaction that hasn’t happened yet is regarding their 2022 first-round pick, Rutger McGroarty. The forward reportedly asked for a trade in late June according to Elliotte Friedman in a 32 Thoughts Podcast. As for the reasoning, it seems like McGroarty wants immediate playing time next season in the National Hockey League for whatever team trades for him, electing to return to the University of Michigan.
It’s unclear if/when a trade will occur.
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Previously in this series…