WINNIPEG — For a team with high aspirations, the Winnipeg Jets couldn’t have scripted a worse start.
Last season, the Jets finished seventh in the Central Division and 26th league-wide with a 35-35-12 record. Returning to the playoffs will demand more from everyone on the roster.
So when star goaltender Connor Hellebuyck refused to report to camp — triggering an indefinite suspension — the club’s route to redemption nearly derailed. The holdout has created panic among the local fanbase, but an unwavering belief still exists inside the locker room.
“We still have a lot of good pieces,” Jets captain Adam Lowry said. “(There’s) the belief that a lot of us didn’t live up to our expectations last year. We’re going to find our game again, and we’re going to get back to where we want to be.”
Lowry acknowledged the goalie-size elephant in the locker room, noting teammates felt heartbroken by Hellebuyck’s decision. Winger Kyle Connor, a close friend and U.S. Olympic teammate, took it further, saying a seamless return requires Hellebuyck to fully recommit.
“If he just comes back,” Connor said, “that’s going to be a pretty rough situation to walk into, to be honest.”
In his season-ending press conference, Hellebuyck had questioned the Jets’ ability to compete for a Stanley Cup and blamed general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff’s off-season roster moves for a seventh-place finish in the Central Division.
“He’s one of the best goalies in the league, if not the best,” head coach Scott Arniel said, describing the situation as unfortunate. “He’s been a big part of the core for a long time and had an awful lot of success here.”
So begins life without their three-time Vezina and Hart Trophy winning goalie.
Stuart Skinner, who inked a two-year, US$7.5-million contract on July 1, takes over in net. He spent parts of five seasons in Edmonton — leading the Oilers to back-to-back Stanley Cup finals — before a mid-season trade to Pittsburgh.
Up front, the Jets are highlighted by a remade top line of Mark Scheifele, Connor and Cole Perfetti. Gabriel Vilardi moves down to support centre Viggo Bjorck, the eighth overall pick in June’s NHL draft, on a second unit that also includes rookie Isak Rosen.
“We want to get better in a lot of areas and just clean some stuff up,” Perfetti said. “It might not be a Picasso right away but... everyone’s picking up on it pretty quick.”
Lowry is fully recovered from hip surgery that derailed much of his season. The Jets need him to regain his form on a third line alongside Morgan Barron and rookie Brad Lambert that is expected to eat up minutes against the opposition’s best.
The fourth line has been a battleground between older and younger players, with veterans Nino Niederreiter and Vladislav Namestnikov vying for spots against rookies Brayden Yager and Danny Zhilken.
“We gave up the blue line way too easy last year,” Vilardi said he told the coaches in his exit meeting. “When we were at our best two years ago, we were one of the best defensive teams in the NHL.”
Josh Morrissey headlines a blue line that will feature some new faces as second-year defenceman Elias Solomonnson recovers from off-season shoulder surgery, with an expected mid-October return date. Dylan Samberg and Neal Pionk return as the second pairing, while free-agent addition Mario Ferraro shores up the left side with either Tyrel Bauer or Jack St. Ivany.
Special teams also underwent a makeover following last year’s struggles. Quicker decision-making and aggressive tendencies have been buzz words throughout camp.
“I’m not going to give away a lot of the secrets, but I like some of the changes we’ve made,” Morrissey said. “A goal would be a top-10 team in both categories.”
Ultimately, the Jets’ season rests on their ability to quickly move on from the Hellebuyck drama. The Jets believe they are resilient and have the pieces to return to the club that won the President’s Trophy just more than a year ago, even if the margin for error is incredibly thin in the Central Division.
“We got to focus on the guys that are here and make the best of the situation,” Lowry said. “Right now, we have to focus on what we have in camp, the pieces we have and how we can optimize the lineup however it shakes out and get off to a good start. It’s unfortunate he’s not here, but we’ve got a lot of good players in this organization, a lot of players that want to step up and get us back on the right track.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 27, 2026.
Jeff Hamilton, The Canadian Press
