2023-24 season: 52-24-6, second in Central Division; lost in Western Conference First Round
Key arrivals
Kaapo Kahkonen, G: The 27-year-old signed a one-year contract July 1 to back up Vezina Trophy winner Connor Hellebuyck. Kahkonen is 49-67-15 with a 3.33 goals-against average, .899 save percentage and four shutouts in 139 NHL games with the New Jersey Devils, San Jose Sharks and Minnesota Wild. He went 7-24-3 with a 3.64 GAA and .898 save percentage in 37 games last season split between New Jersey and San Jose. … Jaret Anderson-Dolan, F: The 24-year-old signed a two-year contract July 2. He had four points (one goal, three assists) in 31 games for the Los Angeles Kings and Nashville Predators last season and set NHL career highs of seven goals, five assists and 12 points in 46 games with the Kings in 2022-23. Los Angeles' second-round pick (No. 41) in 2017 will battle for a bottom-six role this season. … Scott Arniel, coach: After working as an associate to Rick Bowness in Winnipeg the past two seasons, Arniel gets his second NHL head coaching job after leading the Columbus Blue Jackets to a record of 45-60-18 from 2010-12. The 61-year-old began his NHL playing career in Winnipeg in 1981 and spent six seasons coaching Manitoba in the American Hockey League, including four as head coach from 2006-10. In addition to his time in Columbus, Arniel has 14 seasons of experience as an NHL assistant/associate coach with the Jets, Washington Capitals, New York Rangers and Buffalo Sabres.
Key departures
Sean Monahan, F: Signed a five-year contract with the Blue Jackets on July 1. Acquired in a trade with the Montreal Canadiens on Feb. 2, the 29-year-old had 24 points (13 goals, 11 assists) in 34 games for Winnipeg after getting 35 points (13 goals, 22 assists) in 49 games with Montreal last season. … Tyler Toffoli, F: Signed a four-year contract with the Sharks on July 1. He was traded to the Jets by the Devils on March 8 and had 55 points (33 goals, 22 assists) in 79 games between New Jersey and Winnipeg. He scored two goals in five Stanley Cup Playoff games. … Brenden Dillon, D: Signed a three-year contract with New Jersey on July 1 after three seasons in Winnipeg. The 33-year-old had 63 points (13 goals, 50 assists) in 238 games for the Jets and four assists in eight playoff games. … Nate Schmidt, D: The Jets bought out the final season of Schmidt's five-year contract prior to NHL free agency opening July 1 after he had 14 points (two goals, 12 assists) in 63 games last season. The 33-year-old then signed a one-year contract with the Florida Panthers on July 3. … Laurent Brossoit, G: Signed a two-year contract with the Chicago Blackhawks on July 1. The 31-year-old went 15-5-2 with a 2.00 GAA and .927 save percentage last season. His 23 games played left him two shy of qualifying to have his name next to Hellebuyck's on the William M. Jennings Trophy after the Jets allowed an NHL-low 199 goals. … Rick Bowness, coach: Following a 40-year coaching career in the NHL, Bowness retired May 6 after leading the Jets to a record of 98-57-9 in his two seasons. Bowness was named a finalist for the 2023-24 Jack Adams Award after Winnipeg's 52 wins matched its franchise record set in 2017-18. He is one of only three head coaches (Scotty Bowman, Pat Quinn) to serve behind an NHL bench in five different decades. Bowness retired with 2,726 games as an NHL coach, most in League history.
On the cusp
Ville Heinola, D: Winnipeg's top pick (No. 20) in the 2019 NHL Draft is 23 years old. Though Heinola (5-foot-11, 178 pounds) has 11 points (one goal, 10 assists) in 35 games for the Jets over the past four seasons, he is still awaiting his chance to be an NHL regular. … Brad Lambert, F: The 20-year-old (6-0, 183) had a breakout year in his first full pro season in 2023-24 with 55 points (21 goals, 34 assists) in 64 games for Manitoba of the American Hockey League. The Jets' first-round pick (No. 30) at the 2022 NHL Draft has an outside shot to make the NHL roster after impressing enough to get into his first game, when he had an assist in Winnipeg's final regular-season game in 2023-24 on April 18. … Nikita Chibrikov, F: Winnipeg's second-round pick (No. 50) in 2021 scored in his first and only NHL game last season April 18. The 21-year-old Moscow native (5-10, 170) had 47 points (17 goals, 30 assists) in 70 games for Manitoba last season, his first in North America.
What they still need
The Jets could use more offense in their top-six forward group, particularly at second-line center, following the loss of Monahan and Toffoli in free agency. They signed defenseman Dylan DeMelo to a four-year contract June 25 after the 31-year-old finished second in the NHL with a plus-46 rating last season while setting NHL career highs for points (31) and assists (28). The Jets hope the physical edge lost with Dillon's departure can be carried over by younger, big-bodied defensemen Dylan Samberg (6-3, 211; age 25) and Logan Stanley (6-7, 224; age 26).
They said it
"You don't use cap space for the sake of saying 'I'm going to use cap space.' There are lots of different avenues and things that could unfold. … You talk about some of the opportunities that players in this camp might have, or a player like Chibrikov. Those are the things you don't know until you know, and that 'you-know' comes in September." -- general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff
Fantasy focus
Jets forward Kyle Connor was limited to 65 games last season and had 61 points (34 goals, 27 assists), but a full season makes him their most valuable player in fantasy heading into the season. In consecutive seasons from 2021-23, Connor had an NHL career-high 93 points and 80 points, respectively. He has a very high ceiling and should be considered a top-30 overall player in fantasy drafts. -- Anna Dua
Projected lineup
Kyle Connor -- Mark Scheifele -- Gabriel Vilardi
Cole Perfetti -- Vladislav Namestnikov -- Nikolaj Ehlers
Nino Niederreiter -- Adam Lowry -- Mason Appleton
Morgan Barron -- David Gustafsson -- Alex Iafallo
Josh Morrissey -- Dylan DeMelo
Dylan Samberg -- Neal Pionk
Logan Stanley -- Colin Miller
Connor Hellebuyck
Kaapo Kahkonen
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