The Winnipeg Jets unveiled their opening-night 2024-25 roster two days ahead of their first tilt of the campaign, on Wednesday, Oct. 9 versus the Edmonton Oilers.
The roster new head coach Scott Arniel will oversee as the quest to remain competitive in the Central Division begins is as follows:
- Forwards: Mason Appleton, Morgan Barron, Kyle Connor, Nikolaj Ehlers, David Gustafsson, Alex Iafallo, Rasmus Kupari Adam Lowry, Vladislav Namestnikov, Nino Niederreiter, Cole Perfetti, Mark Scheifele, and Gabriel Vilardi
- Defence: Dylan Coghlan, Dylan DeMelo, Haydn Fleury, Colin Miller, Josh Morrissey, Neal Pionk, and Dylan Samberg
- Goaltenders: Eric Comrie, Connor Hellebuyck, and Kaapo Kahkonen
- Injured Reserve: Ville Heinola, (defence) Logan Stanley (defence)
While the roster does not contain many huge surprises, but it does have a few modest ones. Let’s break it down.
Majority of Roster Players Were Locks From the Start
There isn’t a huge amount of surprise — or any, really — regarding the majority of the makeup.
17 were locks from the beginning: Appleton, Barron, Connor, Ehlers, Iafallo, Lowry, Namestnikov, Niederreiter, Perfetti, Scheifele, and Vilardi up front; DeMelo, Miller, Morrissey, Pionk, and Samberg on the blue line; and Hellebuyck in goal.
Related: 6 Jets Players Approaching Milestones in 2024-25
Kupari & Gustafsson Crack Forward Core; Chibrikov and Lambert Sent Down
With 11 forward spots all but accounted for, there were only two spots available: one lineup spot and one extra-forward spot.
Rasmus Kupari cracked the squad despite having a tough 2023-24 filled with injuries. General manager Kevin Cheveldayoff was really excited to acquire the Finn as part of the trade that sent Pierre-Luc Dubois to the Los Angeles Kings in June, 2023; in fact, Cheveldayoff insisted Kupari be part of the package in addition to Iafallo and Vilardi, who were seen as the main pieces. The coaching staff clearly still thinks highly of the 24 year old’s potential despite him having just one assist in 28 games last season.
David Gustafsson also made the team after signing a two-year extension in the offseason. The 24 year old was in and out of the lineup in 2023-24, being deployed as a fourth-line centre or winger when he was in. The Swedish 2018 pick suited up for 39 games, scoring three goals and adding four assists for seven points while averaging 9:16 of ice time and winning 54.6 per cent of his faceoffs. He also played in four of the Jets’ five playoff games, scoring a goal in Game 2.
Many fans won’t like that Brad Lambert was left off the roster as he was exceptional for the Manitoba Moose last season, was one of the contenders for the second-line centre spot vacated by Sean Monahan, and because Arniel and Cheveldayoff said in the offseason that youth are vital and would get more opportunities going forward. The 2022 first-rounder had one goal and two assists in four preseason games and received both top-six and power-play opportunities.
The fact Lambert and Nikita Chibrikov — the 2021 second rounder who was also one of the final cuts — are waiver eligible while Gustafsson Kupari aren’t likely factored into the decision. Lambert should be the first call up when an injury arises and Chibrikov will also be a compelling option. Both made the NHL debuts in the Jets’ final regular-season game last season.
Coghlan and Fleury Crack Blue Line Due to Injuries; Salomonsson Sent Down
Heinola and Stanley both having surgery — Heinola to remove an infected screw from his previously-surgically-repaired ankle and Stanley due to repair a meniscus issue — opened the door for offseason additions Coghlan and Fleury to crack the roster rather than being sent down to the Moose.
Heinola and Stanley will both begin the season on injured reserve and the coaching staff will have to figure out who to send down after Heinola and Stanley recover. Both will be out for a few weeks yet.
Elias Salomonsson, the Jets’ 2022 second-round pick and top defensive prospect, was the final cut. Considering this training camp was his first in North America since coming from Sweden, he was highly impressive. The mobile and feisty blue liner should get big minutes with the Moose and has put himself in good position for a call up sometime this season.
Backup Battle Victor Yet to be Revealed
When Cheveldayoff signed Comrie and Kahkonen on July 1, it primed the pump for a preseason battle for who would get to back up Hellebuyck to start the season and who would be sent to the Moose to play in tandem with sophomore Thomas Milic.
We will have to wait a little while longer to see who won the battle, as Hellebuyck is currently absent due to a personal/family issue so neither Comrie nor Kahkonen were waived.
Kahkonen got two starts in the preseason, getting the call against the Minnesota Wild on Sept. 21 and against the Oilers on Sept. 25. His first start didn’t go so well as he allowed five goals on 28 shots and would likely want the fourth and fifth goals back. The 28-year-old Finn rebounded quickly, though, as he stopped 26 of 27 shots the Oilers fired on him and was 3:28 from pitching a shutout before Connor Brown’s deflection beat him when the Jets were cruising up 6-0.
Comrie only got one start, on Sept. 21 against the Oilers, and looked decent, stopping 25 of 28 in a 3-2 overtime loss. The 29 year old, who is in his third stint with the Jets’ organization, also backed Hellebuyck up for the final two preseason games versus the Calgary Flames but didn’t see further game action.
Arniel is hopeful Hellebuyck will be available for the start of the regular season, meaning a goalie could be waived soon as Tuesday, Oct. 8. That will bring the active roster down to 22, meaning Arniel has committed to the idea he first mentioned as a possibility at the start of preseason. Going with a 22-man active roster instead of a 23 man will allow the Jets to accrue more cap space through to the 2025 Trade Deadline.
Let the Regular Season Begin
The Jets will open their 2024-25 regular season on Wednesday, Oct. 9 on the road in Edmonton. The Jets’ final preseason game this past weekend likely gave a fairly accurate picture of what their lines will be for that contest, with the first line being Connor/Scheifele/Vilardi, second line being Perfetti/Namestnikov/Ehlers, third line being Niederreiter/Lowry/Appleton, fourth line being Barron/Kupari/Iafallo, first defensive pairing being Morrissey/DeMelo, second pairing being Samberg/Pionk, and third pairing being Fleury/Miller.