The last time we saw our beloved Winnipeg Jets, they were licking their wounds from a first-round playoff sweep at the hands of the Anaheim Ducks. Many names have changed on the roster since then, but unlike most teams it wasn’t a big trade or flashy free agent signing that switched things up. Most of the changes have come from within, as some of their top prospects were able to claim spots on the opening day roster after a strong preseason.
The most notable prospect is Nikolaj Ehlers, who still has a year of eligibility left in juniors. After two dominant seasons in the QMJHL, where he registered back-to-back 100-point seasons, Ehlers was anything but a long shot to make the team out of training camp. He secured a role on the second line and will primarily play with Mark Scheifele and Mathieu Perreault to start the season. The 19-year-old has the potential to be the team’s leading scorer in a few years, if not sooner.
Nic Petan and Andrew Copp also made the opening day roster and will have lesser roles as they team with veteran Chris Thorburn on the fourth line. Petan is a wizard with the puck and will definitely see some time on the power play this season. Copp will center the fourth line and play more of a checking role.
There was also the return of a familiar face in Alex Burmistrov. Burmistrov played the last two seasons in the KHL after the Jets were unable to resign him. Now 24, Burmistrov returns a little wiser, and hopefully a little more mature. He was not a fan of former Jets coach Claude Noel but seems to have gotten a fresh start under Paul Maurice. He was signed for a third of the price that Michael Frolik got in Calgary and could be a really good value if he can duplicate most of Frolik’s production last season.
Besides Frolik, other departures from last year’s roster include Jim Slater, Eric O’Dell, Keaton Ellerby, T.J. Galiardi, Lee Stempniak, and Jiri Tlusty. Tlusty and Stempniak both ended up in New Jersey on 1-year contracts while O’Dell signed with Ottawa. Ellerby, Galiardi, and Slater couldn’t find NHL jobs and wound up signing overseas.
Two contract situations to keep an eye on are those of Dustin Byfuglien and Andrew Ladd. Both are set to become unrestricted free agents next summer as neither were signed to extensions this offseason. Ladd, team captain, seems the most likely to return, but signing Byfuglien to a long-term contract for big money could prove a lot more difficult. The Jets already have Myers, Enstrom, and Stuart locked up for a few years on defense and will need to save cap room to sign Trouba, Scheifele, and Lowry to extensions next summer when they are restricted free agents.
It’s hard to believe that this is already the fifth season of the Jets 2.0. Every time they’ve dropped the puck on a new season, I’ve felt that the roster was better than the one before. This year’s team is the deepest and most talented we’ve seen yet. Making the playoffs in the West is never easy, but they will definitely be in the hunt again. Hopefully we’ll see whiteout conditions return to Winnipeg next April.
