Jets Success to Face Tough Test in Upcoming Season Stretch

The Winnipeg Jets have started the 2024-25 season with a historic 15-game stretch starting with a 14-1-0 win-loss record. The team has more than just proved that they are well-rounded and playing for each other, but falling short in two consecutive post-season appearances leaves doubt in the mind of Winnipeg’s faithful.

For many, the comments from former head coach and 2024 Stanley Cup Champion Paul Maurice seem like a jinx. Many have gotten a laugh at Maurice wanting one more wish in his NHL career, and that is for the Winnipeg Jets to win the next Stanley Cup. Months later and with a 14-1-0 record, the Winnipeg Jets are more than just the real deal, they are the team to beat.

The teams’ upcoming stretch is a nice test, not that the past 15 games weren’t a test. They kick off their three-game road trip in New York against the Rangers on Tuesday and then travel to face Tampa Bay on Thursday. They wrap up the stretch with a back-to-back split against Florida on Saturday and then a one-off home game against the Panthers back in Winnipeg on Tuesday, November 19th.

The Jets will return to the road for a six-game road trip beginning in Pittsburgh with other stops in Nashville, Minnesota, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, and ending in Dallas. From now until December 1st, the Jets are in for a truly season-defining stretch of games.

There’s more than just the win-games and go-home mentality. Scott Arniel has dialled the Jets into a true team-first-oriented group. Special teams coaching changes this offseason, along with Neal Pionk stepping into a true number two defenseman role, have just added to the level of buy-in for this team.

Scoring from everyone on the team, including Rasmus Kupari, Logan Stanley, Colin Miller, Alex Iafallo, and Nino Niederreiter has made the Winnipeg Jets a true threat for the 2024-25 season.

However, there’s a different aspect of this team, and they look like an entirely different team without making any major changes. What happened?

Everything else is important, special teams, rounded team scoring, goaltending, and good coaching, but this team is angry and they’re angry about how they went out in the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs. There’s no other answer that can tell the viewers different.

The team’s vibe is similar to a scene out of The Last Dance. If you’ve never seen The Last Dance, I’d encourage you to watch when the Chicago Bulls get knocked out before they go on their first run. The team decides instead of going home for the offseason, they come together and train harder because they are as good as they’ve been, but they need to take the next step to hit their true potential.

Want a hockey version? Think of Gretzky’s Oilers, they finally made the finals for the first time and got beat by the New York Islanders dynasty. There are many articles written about these teams saying that both the Islanders and the Oilers knew what it took to win and they saw the hurt and pain from some guys that they played through to win it all.

I’m not saying this is the beginning of a dynasty for the Winnipeg Jets or comparing them to Gretzky’s Oilers or even comparing them to the Bulls dynasty run. There’s just an element of this team, which includes many players specifically, that had to have taken a reflective look at what they needed to do to be better to have another 2017-18-year that they want and that the fans deserve.

Think back to the final post-game of the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs when the Jets were eliminated by the Colorado Avalanche. Connor Hellebuyck said himself that he tried to do too much in the playoffs. Vladislav Namestnikov said he spent the summer working on faceoffs. Mark Scheifele and Kyle Connor have taken an expanded role by setting the mark for backchecking and offence.

Scott Arniel, alongside his entire coaching staff, has recommitted to the defensive side of the Jets’ game and their power play. They’ve made these elements of their game work incredibly strong and it’s paying off for them so far.

I had a conversation at the 2024 NHL Draft in Vegas with a player agent about the Jets, and he was skeptical if the Jets would be able to keep up with who they were projected to lose. Free agency opened two days later and the Jets lost Sean Monahan to Columbus, and Tyler Toffoli to San Jose, but both players joined a team that was already well-built. The big losses were Brendan Dillon for his role on the Jets, mainly his physicality, and Laurent Brossoit for how he steadied the Jets’ net when they desperately needed it.

The conversation wasn’t long by any means, but I wasn’t sold on the fact that the Jets would regress a ton in 2024-25, though I certainly didn’t think that they’d start with a 14-1-0 record.

If you look back to last season, Gabriel Vilardi got hurt three games into the season and he’s been a massive part of the teams’ power play alongside Nikolaj Ehlers. Ehlers himself has taken on a huge role and found chemistry with Namestnikov and Cole Perfetti.

While losing Dillon was a hole in the team, mainly due to his physicality and toughness, he’s been replaced internally by the way Dylan Samberg has stepped up himself over the past two seasons. Having a team that is already taking fewer penalties, mainly due to one of our biggest penalty culprits now playing in New Jersey.

Finally, this team has dialled in with a consistent use of all four lines where the fourth line consistently plays 10-12 minutes a game. They’re not overly relying on the first and third lines, they roll all the lines and deploy each player with a specific role and that’s just the key to success. Facing top teams in a long 10-game stretch will only add to the adversity they face this season. If they continue to play the way they have, the Jets will have no issue for the remainder of the year.