The Winnipeg Jets are going to be heavily scrutinized in 2024-25 as they embark on their first campaign under new head coach Scott Arniel after a 52-win season and a second-straight first-round exit.
Winnipeg can be a bit of a media fishbowl — not to the extent of Toronto or Montreal — but there’s no doubt the Jets are at the forefront of much coverage and many discussions year-round. However, a few players in particular will be under the microscope of Arniel and his coaching staff, the media, and of course, the fans. Let’s take a look at them.
1: Cole Perfetti
Which Cole Perfetti will we see this season: the Perfetti that dominated the first half of 2023-24 or the Perfetti who struggled in the second half and was a frequent healthy scratch?
In the first half, the 10th-overall 2020 pick excelled and his play showed significant leaps forward. Through 41 games, the now 22-year-old was a key contributor to the Jets’ surprising dominance: as a fixture on the second-line right wing, he had 29 points (12 goals, 17 assists), just one point shy of his season career high with half the season to go.
However, he fell into an extended scoring drought at about the same time the team started experiencing some second-half struggles. He suffered through a 23-game goal-scoring slump from Jan. 11 to March 23, leading now-retired head coach Rick Bowness to bump Perfetti down to the fourth line and into the press box after the team added Tyler Toffoli to the forward group at the 2024 Trade Deadline.
Overall, he spent 11 games as a healthy scratch, but scored five goals and added two assists for seven points in his final 10 regular-season games to end the campaign on a positive note. He also stayed healthy all season for the first time in his three-season career.
Perfetti, under whatever type of contract he ultimately signs this summer as a restricted free agent, will look to be more consistent under Arniel, who has described young players as “vital.” The organization still sees him as a huge part of their future, and despite his struggles at times, he still set career highs with 19 goals and 38 points last season.
Arniel and his new assistants will be looking for him to become a bigger part of their present and prove deserving of a permanent top-six assignment. Despite not playing much centre in the NHL yet, Perfetti is certainly one of the candidates to fill the the second-line centre spot vacated by Sean Monahan, who signed with the Columbus Blue Jackets in free agency.
Related: Jets Have 4 Options for Second-Line Centre in 2024-25
They’ll also look to see if he can stay off the injured reserve again, because not even the most-skilled player is particularly useful if they can’t be counted on to stay in the lineup.
2: Neal Pionk
Neal Pionk has been a staple on the Jets’ second pairing for multiple seasons but it’s well know he does not really deserve to be there. His actual defensive play has gone downhill since signing a four-year extension in 2021, and his ongoing struggles to shut down opponents’ high-danger chances has made him a rightful lightning rod of criticism.
Pionk was once thought of as a potential top-pair guy — and has recorded five-straight 30-plus point seasons — but has never replicated the quality of play he provided in his first two seasons in Winnipeg after coming over from the New York Rangers in the trade that sent Jacob Trouba the other way. 30-something points per season is not nearly enough to paper over declining possession metrics and sometimes-egregious gaffes.
Pionk is entering the final season of his contract, which seemed a lay-up for general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff to buy out prior to free agency; the $5.875 million average annual value it carries is an overpay and a buyout would have increased the team’s short-term financial flexibility while helping to usher in the future of the blue line. Cheveldayoff did buy out Nate Schmidt, whose situation was similar, but Pionk remains on the books.
Because of that, every mistake the blue liner makes, especially if he’s still on the top four, will be heavily discussed and lamented. In the case he struggles again, expect calls for him to be replaced by Colin Miller, who should be highly motivated.
Miller, a veteran of 500-plus NHL contests who re-signed with the Jets despite mostly being a scratch after being acquired from the New Jersey Devils at the 2024 Trade Deadline, has played a top-four role in the past with the Vegas Golden Knights and Buffalo Sabres, has recorded as many as 41 points in a season, and has better defensive metrics over the past two seasons.
3: Eric Comrie/Kaapo Kahkonen
The backup goalie is often the most popular guy in town, but in this case, he may be one of the most scrutinized.
It seems strange to assert that someone who might make 20 or so starts behind two-time and reigning Vezina Trophy winner Connor Hellebuyck will catch much attention at all, but Comrie or Kahkonen — whoever is number-two on the depth chart — will be considering how good his predecessor was.
Laurent Brossoit was the NHL’s best backup last season and gave the Jets just a good of a chance to win as Hellebuyck did. The duo only allowed 199 goals all season and captured the William M. Jennings Trophy.
In 20 starts and 21 appearances, Brossoit had a 13-5-1 record, 2.10 goals against average (GAA) .925 save percentage (SV%,) two shutouts, and 10.4 goals saved above expected. The bet he made on himself by signing a one-year deal paid off, and he cashed in on a well-deserved raise with the Chicago Blackhawks to the tune of $6.6 million over two seasons.
Cheveldayoff, by bringing back Comrie and bringing in Kahkonen on July 1, has created the perfect conditions for a battle for backup goaltender.
Related: Jets’ Backup Battle Brewing with Comrie and Kahkonen Signings
Neither goaltender’s recent numbers inspire a ton of confidence or are close to Brossoit’s. Comrie, who is returning to Winnipeg for his fourth stint with the organization that drafted him in 2013, spent the last two seasons with the Sabres organization but struggled and bounced between the NHL and AHL’s Rochester Americans, posting an 11-16-1 record in 29 starts over two campaigns with a 3.68 GAA, .886 SV%, and one shutout.
Kahkonen split time between the San Jose Sharks and Devils, being dealt to New Jersey at the 2024 Trade Deadline. In 37 games and 34 starts between the two clubs, he had a 7-24-3 record, 3.64 GAA, .898 SV%, and one shutout.
Whoever wins the job will not only be compared to their predecessor’s performance with the Jets and his performance with the Central Division rival Blackhawks, but also to the man they beat out for the gig (who will likely be playing for the Manitoba Moose in the AHL in tandem with promising sophomore Thomas Milic.) If one struggles, expect calls for the other.
