With less than two months until the start of the regular season, there is a lot of uncertainty surrounding the Winnipeg Jets, such as lineup decisions and their ability to compete. Still, here are three predictions for the Jets’ 2024-25 campaign.
Vladislav Namestnikov Starts the Season at 2C
One of the biggest debates of the Jets’ offseason is who will take over the 2C mantle. Barring another trade, the team has three options: Cole Perfetti, Brad Lambert, and Vladislav Namestnikov. All three are quality candidates, but Namestnikov will hang onto the position, at least to start the year.
Namestnikov centred the second line most of last season until the Jets acquired Sean Monahan. The Russian-born player had one of his best seasons in years, reaching 37 points – the second highest total of his career. That being said, his faceoff percentage is not great, coming in at 36.8% last season and 42.2% in his career.
With that in mind, two things give him an advantage over Perfetti and Lambert: his reliability and NHL experience. Namestnikov can play any forward position without missing a beat, and he’s known for making his teammates better, which makes him a quality choice. Besides that, he has 10 years of NHL experience, which Perfetti and Lambert both lack.
That said, I don’t expect Namestnikov to stay at 2C the entire season. Under head coach Scott Arniel, Perfetti will likely get more ice time than he did under Rick Bowness, but he might start on the wing while the coaching staff tests the waters on whether he can be a solid NHL center. Lambert should make the roster, but I think the team will want to start him at 4C with limited ice time while he adjusts to the NHL before making the jump to 2C. While both Perfetti and Lambert adjust to their roles on the team, Namestnikov can hold down the fort.
Nikolaj Ehlers Signs an Extension
I’ll admit, this might be the most far-fetched prediction on this list, but I think Nikolaj Ehlers will be a Jet for a few more years. Assuming he is still with the team to start the season, I expect him to see more on the top line with Arniel in charge. It seemed that Ehlers was unhappy with Bowness’ expectations of him, but I can see him being utilized to his strengths this season. General manager Kevin Cheveldayoff made it clear he believes Ehlers is a key piece of the roster, and maybe with this leadership change, the forward will be more open to what they have to offer.
That he hasn’t been traded yet leads me to believe something may have changed behind the scenes. Perhaps it’s because Cheveldayoff hasn’t found the right fit, but I find that hard to believe based on the countless trade rumours that were swirling around. Maybe I’m optimistic, but based on last season’s extensions for Connor Hellebuyck and Mark Scheifele, I am (mostly) confident that Ehlers will stick in Winnipeg a little longer.
Jets Finish Third in the Central Division
I’m not a pessimist, but I expect the Jets to finish a bit lower than they did last season, and not necessarily because I think the team got worse. Until the very last second, they were neck and neck with the Colorado Avalanche for that second-place spot. I expect things to play out similarly in 2024-25.
Related: 5 Must-Watch Winnipeg Jets Games in 2024-25
It’s fair to say the team got worse following free agency, but not enough to make a massive impact on the season. The biggest losses were Laurent Brossoit and Brenden Dillon, but those are holes the team has already addressed. Losing Sean Monahan and Tyler Toffoli wasn’t ideal, though the team isn’t that much worse off without them. The Jets have lots of depth as well as tons of talent waiting to make the jump from the American Hockey League. In that regard, the team will be fine, and if players like Scheifele, Hellebuyck, Kyle Connor, and Josh Morrissey keep playing at an elite level, the Jets will make a decent run.
The main reason I think they will finish lower in the standings than last season is because of the other teams in the division. The Nashville Predators, in particular, made a huge splash in free agency, signing Jonathan Marchessault, Brady Skjei, and Steven Stamkos. All three are on the older side, but adding that many talented veterans to a team that was already on the uptick could make waves this season.
Also, the Dallas Stars and Colorado Avalanche are set to be competitive again this season. I’m not sure the Stars or Avalanche got significantly better this offseason, so it’s anybody’s game at this point; no team is expected to run away with the division yet. I think the Jets will still make the playoffs, but they may wind up in a lower spot than in 2023-24.
