It's time to believe: Why not the Winnipeg Jets? Why not now?

New York Times

19-04-2025

There was once a Winnipeg Jets team that had put together a tremendous regular season, finishing much higher than anyone expected when the season began.
It had the world's best goaltender, Josh Morrissey as a Norris Trophy-contending No. 1 defenceman, a captain named Adam Lowry who everyone believed in, and star scorers like Mark Scheifele and Kyle Connor who boasted all-world offensive ability. Its coach was widely respected, its team defence had taken great strides and, despite the great quality of its opponent, the consensus in the Jets dressing room when the playoffs began was 'Why shouldn't this be our year?'
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That was Morrissey's rhetorical question, standing in the hallway outside the Jets' workout room, in a one-on-one conversation last April.
He'd spoken with Stanley Cup champions, good friends, and rivals around the league. He had tough conversations and been told that no one knows with certainty that the Stanley Cup will belong to them when any given playoffs begin. The key, he'd been told, was to make it to the Round of 16 as many times as possible, understand the opportunity might never come again each time, and play your heart out while you had the chance.
'You don't go into the playoffs, 'This is the year we're going to win,'' he said. 'But the more opportunities you give yourself, if you do it the right way and have good teams, you never know when it might come. Why couldn't it be our year?'
It took 10 days for Morrissey's dream to end. For Scheifele and Connor to be outscored by Valeri Nichushkin and Artturi Lehkonen. For Adam Lowry to be left behind Nathan MacKinnon. For Connor Hellebuyck's Vezina Trophy-winning season to turn into 24 goals against in five devastating games.
And for Morrissey, still seething from his Game 5 loss, to name his next hope.
'I hope this stings,' he said.
This year's version of the Winnipeg Jets were even better than the one that came before them. They put together a historic start, winning 14 out of their first 15 games. They demanded relentlessness from one another, asking new head coach Scott Arniel to challenge them — to hold them to the standards of elite teams. Connor scored a career high 96 points while his defensive game soared. Scheifele took a Team Canada snub so personally he went on a midseason offensive tear and set a new career high in points. None of it matters now.
This year's version of Lowry, Nino Niederreiter, and Mason Appleton re-established themselves as one of the hardest matchup lines to play against, taking on the opposition's best players and winning, while Cole Perfetti emerged as a top six scorer and Dylan Samberg developed into a force inside the top four. Hellebuyck wrote chapters' worth of goaltending history, leading all starters in wins, shutouts, save percentage, goals against average, and goals saved above expected. None of that matters now, either.
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Gabriel Vilardi and Nikolaj Ehlers teamed up for some of the most beautiful goals in Jets 2.0 history. None of those matter — and now Vilardi and Ehlers are hurt.
Both power play units excelled. The penalty kill came on late, partly due to Samberg's return to health, partly due to adjustments made by Arniel and his staff during the 4 Nations break. For most of the season, the team stayed remarkably healthy — and remarkably consistent — and ultimately finished the season in historic fashion, too. They set a new franchise record with 116 points. They won their first-ever Presidents' Trophy, Western Conference, and Central Division titles. They won their second straight Jennings Trophy, giving up the fewest goals in the league.
None of these matter — not now, anyway. We can reflect on them when the playoffs are done, whether that's two months from now or 10 days as it was when another great Jets team got picked apart. The 2024-25 Jets were always going to be judged by what they accomplished in the Stanley Cup playoffs — by what they learned from the pain of last year's easy defeat.
Winnipeg's playoffs start today. The impetus for this season's success may have come in Morrissey's (and so many Jets players') call to arms. Its results may have depended on habits built in the offseason, renewed at training camp, and refined through 82 games and a league-best 116 points.
That's only prologue. What matters now is the Jets' ability to dictate the game against an excellent opponent when the games get harder than they've been all season.
'Regardless of how well your regular season goes, you're generally judged on performance in the playoffs,' Lowry said. 'The Blues are one of the hottest teams in the league and had an incredible run down the stretch to get in. We're looking forward to the challenge … That atmosphere. The emotion. The pressure. We're really excited about this group.'
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'This is why you work all year — to get a chance in the playoffs,' Morrissey said. 'This is what you're preparing for. For us, being at home here Games 1 and 2 and to be in front of our fans, it's incredible. You can feel the energy in the city whenever we're in the playoffs this time of year.'
Why should this season be any different for Winnipeg?
I spoke to several NHL sources throughout the week — agents, a scout, and player on opposing teams who were granted anonymity — to ask them what makes this Jets team different. We all remember the Spittin' Chiclets podcast calling last year's Jets 'frauds.' Are these ones destined to go down to St. Louis the same way Colorado beat Winnipeg — or are the Jets legitimate Stanley Cup contenders? It turns out, there's a consensus.
'I think the Jets are built to make a run this year,' said an agent.
'Lowry's line has got to be the best third line in hockey right now,' said the scout.
'Don't doubt Hellebuyck with a chip on his shoulder,' said an Eastern Conference player.
The consensus is that these Jets are for real. The scout called it a testament to Winnipeg's ability to retain key players, starting with Hellebuyck and Scheifele. He said there's value to continuity and praised GM Kevin Cheveldayoff for making smart decisions about his core players.
'I think some of what you're seeing is the fruits of Winnipeg's labour, keeping the group together,' he said. 'You can see that with the Pionk and Iafallo extensions. There are times when you talk to professional hockey players and they sound like mercenaries. When I check in on the Jets, it always sounds like they know they're playing for something bigger than themselves.'
That concept came up more than once. An agent (who has players in Winnipeg) spoke to the idea that the Jets appear to love playing for each other.
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'The guys love playing for Arniel,' he said. 'When I check in, I don't get a sense they're feeling the pressure. It's a focused group that's very 'together.' There's just a belief that they should win every game.'
Good vibes don't necessarily win championships but the consensus is that yes, these Winnipeg Jets are different. Some sources thought it was sensible to doubt last season's model; others praised Colorado for elevating its game to an incredible level. An amusing disagreement was who should get the credit for the Jets' success, with some sources pointing to Connor, Scheifele, Hellebuyck, and Morrissey as top-end talent that the Blues can't match and others pointing to Winnipeg's depth.
'Winnipeg's X-factor is that they've developed from within,' said a player agent without any Jets players. 'If anyone outside of Winnipeg isn't aware of how dominant Dylan Samberg has become, that's about to be showcased. Cole Perfetti is running hot, too, giving them great secondary scoring.'
I asked if Winnipeg did enough at the trade deadline. A rival player pointed to Colorado's success adding players and wondered if the Avalanche would be a tough out in Round 2. Mostly, I was told that Cheveldayoff has the hardest job in hockey.
'I think they have a lot of great cap hits and savvy additions by trade. I heard Luke Schenn has been unbelievable in the room. He's calm but he's been there (to the Cup) and he knows how to lead guys there … Every time I reflect on (Cheveldayoff's) tenure in Winnipeg I think he's done a great job of making difficult decisions and finding opportunities.'
So there's this Winnipeg Jets team that's put together a tremendous regular season, finishing much higher than anyone had expected when the season began.
It has the world's best goaltender, Morrissey as a Norris Trophy contending No. 1 defenceman, Lowry as captain, and star scorers like Scheifele and Connor who have elevated their all-around game. Its coach is becoming widely respected, its team defence was the best in the league and, despite the great quality of its opponent, the Jets consensus is, 'Why shouldn't this be our year?'
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The Blues are a formidable opponent. Vilardi, Ehlers, and Rasmus Kupari will all miss Game 1. The playoffs upon which everything Winnipeg has done this year will be judged could end in 10 days or two months. But the Jets believe. League sources who have been critical of the Jets believe. It has to start somewhere.
Why not Winnipeg? Why not now?