Winnipeg Jets Discussion - 2026/27 season

[blue_gold_84]

Best, worst scenarios for every Central Division team

Winnipeg Jets

Key additions: Stuart Skinner, G; Mario Ferraro, D

Key subtractions: Eric Comrie, G; Gustav Nyqvist, W; Jonathan Toews, C

Cap space today: $4.48 million

Best-case scenario: The offence outscores any questions in net.

With Hellebuyck moving on, it's time to hit the reset button — in the emotional sense only, that is; there are too many talented players in their primes here to flirt with a roster reset. You won't find a rebuild here. Stuart Skinner mans the crease, and he may not play himself onto many Vezina ballots, he also isn't costing Winnipeg games. A bounce-back campaign from Cole Perfetti, paired with a breakout for first-round darling Viggo Björck, provides the perfect jolt of energy on an offence that saw Mark Scheifele hit a new career high last year. Chips on shoulders spur production. Come April, a wild-card spot is in hand.

Worst-case scenario: The Hellebuyck saga goes on... and on...

Jarring as it is to refer to the departure of your MVP-calibre No. 1 netminder as "best case," the alternative is a long, drawn-out saga that dampens the mood throughout training camp and drags into the season unresolved. Executives around the league are playing hardball, and, unable to secure a favourable return, GM Kevin Cheveldayoff is stuck between a rock and a hard place and must trade low or wait it out.

[theaardvark]

I have no issue with CH37 sitting suspended for not reporting.  Zero cost, and trade value increases as goalies get injured into the season.  Someone will get desperate soon enough.

Can he play in another league while under contract?  Does the Russian league honour NHL deals?

[DCM]

"Active NHL Contract: Hellebuyck is locked into a massive seven-year, $59.5 million contract with an annual cap hit of $8.5 million that runs through the 2030–31 season. Because he is legally bound to the Jets, no team in a major European league or the KHL would be able to secure a valid international transfer card to sign him."

[Pigskin]

He, Yager, and Bjorck score in a 3-1 win over Montreal.