2020-21
Record: 56 Games Played, 30 Wins, 23 Loses, 3 Overtime Loses, 63 Points. (3rd In North Division)
Playoffs: Swept Oilers In the First Round, Swept By Canadiens In The Second Round (4 Wins, 4 Loses)
Key Losses
Mason Appleton, F
Derek Forbort, D
Tucker Poolman, D
Jordie Benn, D
Key Additions
Nate Schmidt, D
Brenden Dillon, D
Riley Nash, F
Jerseys
2021-22 Preview
3 Questions:
Can the new additions help on defense?
The Jets added defensive pieces via trade, bringing in the likes of Nate Schmidt and Brenden Dillon. Absolutely re-vamping the top 4. Looking to fix some of the defensive woes that occurred in the playoffs. Both Dillon and Schmidt are 30 years old and still have a couple of good years left in them. Schmidt bringing in some offensive talent on the blue line, and Dillon bringing his blue collar defensive mentality, how will it all mesh with the current defense?
Who will back up Connor Hellebuyck?
Hellebuyck is a workhorse of a goalie. He starts most games for the Jets, but for the games he’s not starting, who will be backing him up. Currently, Eric Comrie is penciled in. He has 9 starts in the NHL, posting a 3-5-0 record, with a 4.08 GAA and an .873 Save Percentage. If for some reason, things aren’t working out, who are the Jets going to turn to?
Who will step up in terms of depth scoring?
The top 2 lines in Winnipeg are set, and have good scoring capable between them. The bottom two lines is where the questions come in. The Jets bring in Riley Nash to help with it. But the likes of Andrew Copp and Adam Lowry need to step up, or there might be some trouble.
Projected Lineup:
Connor – Scheifele – Wheeler
Stastny – Dubois – Ehlers
Copp – Lowry – Vesalainen
Harkins – Gustafsson – Nash
Morrissey – Schmidt
Dillon – Pionk
Stanley – DeMelo
Hellebuyck
Comrie
Prediction:
Despite backup goalie and depth forward concerns, I still think the Jets will make the playoffs, but barely.
