The Winnipeg Jets are 23 games into the 2023-24 NHL season and it hasn’t been smooth sailing until now. Having to play games without their head coach Rick Bowness and losing some top talent like Gabriel Vilardi to injury are just some of the bumps causing the hiccups in the season. The team has put together a record of 13-8-2, which keeps them above a .500 win percentage.
Currently placing third in the Central Division, the team has many questions and concerns regarding the season up until now. Jets fans will be quick to engage in discussions about the potential changes in the lineup throughout the season. Another big question worth discussing is how many games Laurent Brossoit will start for the team. Concerns that other players like Dominic Toninato and Declan Chisholm have yet to make their season debut have been present throughout the first quarter of the season. These are all things that will eventually be answered as the season progresses.
The Jets have just passed the quarter mark in the season. When you look at the lineup, they have performed above average at even-strength play. Looking at the past 23 games, the lineup at the forward and defence positions has been worth questioning. With 59 games remaining in the season, here are some players and trends to focus on.
Overall Lineup & Special Teams
The Jets must continue to battle for position in the Central Division. The trends seen throughout the season are to win a stretch of games and then lose a stretch. The team’s unstable play creates a significant race for the remaining games of the season. While the trends are consistent for their win/loss track record, they can’t continue the entire season like this.
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Bowness must find a way to strengthen the power-play unit. I say this lightly as the powerplay is currently 19.2% and ranks 19th in the league. The Jets have deployed nearly the same power play unit throughout the entire season. The one concern that has stuck since day one is Mark Scheifele being deployed on the wall. He was by far one of their most lethal players on the powerplay in the 2022-23 season. His 22 points on the power play last season came through him being deployed in the middle. He might get a look at his old power play spot down the middle if the team continues to struggle to get their power play percentage above 20%.
This was a massive problem for the team when they faced the Dallas Stars on Tuesday, Nov. 28. The Jets were able to draw penalties close enough together to receive two 5-on-3 power play opportunities. Being down one goal against the Stars, the Jets could have easily tied the game up. The team was unable to score on either 5-on-3 opportunity which was a factor in the loss. The team has consistently struggled throughout the season to capitalize on the big opportunities that they receive. This has been a trend throughout the past 23 games and Bowness will look to break that trend as the season continues.
Focusing on the Forwards
The third line consisting of Lowry, Neiderreiter, and Mason Appleton has been the best line throughout the entire season. I briefly touched on this in my previous article. Depth has been a shining star for the team so far. The impact from players you don’t normally expect to score consistently has been a breath of fresh air. Both Nino Neiderreiter and Vladislav Namestnikov were brought in to fill depth roles. Neiderreiter has been a great puck mover on the Jets’ second power-play unit while Namestnikov has fit the second-line center position quite nicely. While he has built chemistry with Cole Perfetti and Nikolaj Ehlers, Namestnikov won’t be in the team’s top six for much longer with Vilardi returning from injury.
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Namestnikov’s impressive performance could see him earning a position higher than the fourth line. Niederreiter being an impressive puck mover has given the third line more looks and Bowness has certainly deployed them more because of this strength.
Can Kyle Connor continue his scoring pace and score 50 goals? Connor has been a bright spot throughout the 2023-24 season. His career high is 47 goals in his 2021-22 campaign. He has generated 4.07 scoring chances and 0.48 expected goals per game. While he credits his goal-scoring success to linemate Scheifele, the duo has gone on scoring outbursts, but only in smaller waves. If Connor can continue to find the back of the net, there could be a notable conversation about him becoming one of the NHL’s top scorers.
Focusing on the Defence
Nate Schmidt has been underperforming for his contract value. This is going to boil over at some point. The Jets currently have a 32-year-old player making just under $6 million until the end of the 2024-25 season. He currently has the second-highest cap hit for the team’s defence. Saturday’s matchup on Dec. 2 marked Schmidt’s third time in the press box in the 2023-24 season.
Either Schmidt being traded or bought out are the only two options at this point. There haven’t been many positives for him this season. Regardless of age, any defenceman starting to lose playing time is never a good sign. He has started to show signs of his production slowing down, and this is accompanied by his foot speed slowing down. The Jets need to decide what they are going to do with their veteran defenceman before it’s too late.
Declan Chisholm finally made his season debut against the Chicago Blackhawks on Saturday, Dec. 2. This is a player that I have been waiting to see for the first quarter of the Jets’ season. When he was reassigned to the Manitoba Moose for conditioning purposes, he played six games and posted five assists. Chisholm saw two NHL games during his 2021-22 stint with the Jets. He was called up as the roster was depleted due to COVID-19 and injuries.
This two-game showing for him wasn’t enough to impress former Jets head coach Paul Maurice enough to earn more playing time. While he has been great for the Moose, there has to be hope for a similar development path to Dylan Samberg. There has been plenty of time for Chisholm to develop, the Jets need to find out sooner rather than later what kind of impact he will have in the NHL.
There is always room for improvement on any NHL roster and the Jets are no exception. Chisholm drawing in for his season debut versus the Blackhawks was a positive sign. The team’s third line staying as consistent as expected is another great sign. Finally, the team has been fun to watch. This is complemented by Scheifele and Connor working together to score more consistently and provide veteran experience to the newer players like Alex Iafallo, Rasmus Kupari and Vilardi. Hopefully, there will also be some improvement to the special teams and more stability in the goalie position as the season moves along.
