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As the medal round takes place at the 2026 Olympics, the Winnipeg Jets have started practicing again. The big picture: With 26 games remaining, the Jets sit 11 points out of the second wildcard spot. Additionally, there are four teams between them and the last playoff spot.
Safe to say, the Jets playoff aspirations for this season are toast. The next steps are pivotal for reloading for the 2026-2027 season.
Sell off pending free agents when possible
Sell off pending UFAs
- Jonathon Toews
- Tanner Pearson
- Gustav Nyquist
- Cole Koepke
- Logan Stanley
- Luke Schenn
- Colin Miller
- Eric Comrie
Among this list, the only player I can see Jets GM Kevin Cheveldayoff extending would be Eric Comrie. Comrie may ink an extension mainly due to the fact that there may not be much of a market for his services. Another reason to keep Comrie around would be due to his close friendship with the Jets starting goaltender, Connor Hellebuyck.
Majority of these pending UFA’s shouldn’t bring back more than mid-round picks at best. The only player that may bring back a first or second round pick would be the towering defenceman, Logan Stanley. He is having a career year thus far offensively with 18 points through 55 games (9G, 9A). In addition to putting up points, Stanley continues to throw hits and drop the gloves when needed.
Act as brokers
Another way to accumulate assets before the trade deadline for the Jets GM would be to utilize the ample cap space that the Jets have available to help facilitate transactions for other teams. There may be one particular contract out there that the Jets can take on that may be appealing to the Jets fanbase.
It is no secret that the Montreal Canadians are looking to shed the contract of one Patrik Laine. Laine carries an 8.7 million cap hit but is a free agent at seasons end. The Jets could easily take on the full cap hit for the remainder of the season and even receive draft capital for doing so. Since departing the Jets in 2021, Laine has been a shell of the player that the Jets fans witnessed for the nearly 5 years he suited up for the team.
Youth movement
As the regular season winds down and the UFAs on the roster are shipped out, we should witness a youth movement in the Jets line-up. Players such as Brad Lambert, Nikita Chibrikov, Brayden Yager and Elias Salomonsson should all get extended auditions to show that they can stay with the big club come October.
Draft position
As it stands, the Jets hold the 5th best odds for the draft lottery. With no playoffs this year, it is important that the Jets draft lottery odds don’t slip much. A top 5 pick in the draft of an otherwise lost season may be a decent consolation prize as it may allow the Jets to draft a player that can step into the much maligned 2nd line as soon as training camp.
The Jets resume their regular season next Wednesday February 25th when they visit the Vancouver Canucks. Thanks for reading.
