The Winnipeg Jets went 8-3-1 in January, flying high at the beginning of the month before falling back down to earth a bit in the final half-dozen games due to some injuries to key personnel.
The Jets sat in first place in the Central Division and entire NHL at one point in the month, but now sit third in the Central and fourth in the Western Conference with a 30-12-5 record.
While they weren’t at their best for all of January, they still had some strong performers just as they have all season long. Here, we’ll look at their top three.
3: Vladislav Namestnikov
The Jets acquired Vladislav Namestnikov for just a fourth-round pick last March and they are getting outstanding return on that small investment.
In January, the 31-year-old forward proved his versatility — one of the main reasons the Jets re-signed him in the offseason — by playing up and down the lineup. Such as been the case periodically throughout his tenure with the Jets, he was asked to jump up to the top six and shouldered the top-line centre role in Mark Scheifele’s absence (Scheifele missed the last six games prior to the All-Star Break with a suspected groin injury.)
While the Jets don’t really want Namestnikov to be their first-line centre — for certain, head coach Rick Bowness would prefer to deploy him in a bottom-six role considering Namestnikov is not the strongest in the faceoff dot — it’s tough not to respect a player who is willing to take on any role and provides a steely stability to his linemates, whoever they are.
The Russian product put up two goals and six assists for eight points in 12 January games, boosting his season totals to six goals and 19 assists for 25 points. He is on pace to challenge his career-best point total of 44, which he set on a high-octane 2017-18 Tampa Bay Lightning squad.
The Jets, despite going 2-3-1 in the six without Scheifele, continue to sit in a good position. Nothing’s been accomplished yet, Namestnikov said recently.
“The ultimate goal is to win the Stanley Cup. Everything else is kind of secondary. That’s the focus and there’s still a lot of games. Gotta keep focused,” he said. “I know the guys here, everyone has the exact same goal. We believe in ourselves and the guys in this locker room. That’s our goal and we’re going to stick with it. But we gotta keep plugging away. There’s still a lot of games and we’re going to keep going.” (From ‘Hellebuyck, Jets flying high,’ Winnipeg Free Press, Jan. 19, 2024.)
2: Nikolaj Ehlers
The two most important things for Nikolaj Ehlers is that he 1) stays healthy and 2) uses his game-breaking creativity. He has done both.
The dynamic Danish right winger posted five goals and four assists for nine points in January, boosting his season totals to 16 goals and 19 assists for 35 points through 47 games. Yes, he’s played in all 47 after missing significant time with various injuries over the past few seasons, including 37 games last season.
Ehlers also delivered one of the most exciting moments of the month. On Jan. 11, against the Chicago Blackhawks, he zoomed through centre ice and a gauntlet of defenders to rip home the game winner with just 1:05 left in the third period; Gabriel Vilardi had just scored to tie the game 2:24 earlier.
Ehlers, who had a six-game point streak in the first half-dozen games of the month, started slowly this season after missing all of training camp, recording just 11 points through the end of November. He has 26 point in the 25 games since Dec. 1, 2023 and like Namestnikov, is on pace to challenge his career-high in points of 64, which he set in 2016-17. Consistent production from and continued health for Ehlers will both be crucial to the team’s stretch run.
1: Connor Hellebuyck
Connor Hellebuyck continued to excel in the new year and is making a strong case for not only his second Vezina Trophy, but also a Hart Trophy as the league’s most valuable player.
Indeed, Hellebuyck is the frontrunner for the former and should at least be a candidate for the latter as he’s been the “elite of the elite,” as Namestnikov said (even though the team in front of the goaltender has played much better defensively and thus made his life easier.) In January, the 30-year-old remained at his “big and boring” best, going 6-3-0 with a 1.78 Goals Against Average, .940 Save Percentage, and one shutout while allowing two or fewer goals in seven of nine starts. He now has a 23-9-3 record, 2.20 GAA, .924 SV%, and a pair of shutouts on the season.
As of Feb. 1, Hellebuyck’s GAA is the best in the NHL, while his 22.1 goals saved above expected and 3.68 wins above replacement are also tops league wide. He is tied for second in SV%, third in wins, and has not allowed more than three goals in a start since Nov. 2, 2023 — 27 starts ago.
Hellebuyck, just a few months removed from signing a massive seven-year extension, would be hard-pressed to perform any better, but when it comes to a Hart Trophy bid, he’ll be in tough against the Colorado Avalanche’s Nathan MacKinnon, the Edmonton Oilers’ Connor McDavid, and Lightning’s Nikita Kucherov. However, Hellebuyck has made it clear for years now that he doesn’t care about individual accolades and his only goal is to hoist a Stanley Cup.
He has made 35 starts now and Bowness has said he’s serious about keeping his number-one goaltender fresh for the stretch run — which could involve trying to lock down first place in the Central and/or Western Conference if the Jets can get back to their winning ways after their much-needed break — and potential playoff run.
Related: Banged-Up Jets Badly Need NHL All-Star Break
Backup goaltender Laurent Brossoit has been rock solid as well, owning a 7-3-2 record, 2.07 GAA, .926 SV%, and 5.1 goals saved above expected in 12 starts. Even though Hellebuyck is a noted workhorse who always wants the net, it would be best for him and everyone involved if Brossoit has at least 25 starts by season’s end.
