Playoffs

Either than Helly, Jets don't have any superstars, but in Winnipeg they are tough to come by and attract. But after the PLD trade aka Fleece, they have a solid top 9 and a good dcore group that can play well together by committe. And also they have enough cap room to add another forward to the bottom 6 as a rental come TDL or barring injury to the dcore another Dman if needed. It's not all bad in JetsVille.

Other than Stanley and Jonsson-Fjällby likely not making the team (in favour of Ville Heinola and Declan Chisholm) this is pretty much exactly what the Jets are bringing into the season. Coach Bowness has said he's swapping Vilardi-Ehlers and Nino-Iafallo for a more balanced top 6. D-pairings are likely to be what they were last year (Jomo-DeMelo ; Dillon-Pionk ; Samberg-Schmidt) with possibilities to swap Dillon and Samberg.

Also likely that Heinola and Chisholm get frequently rotated in even on a healthy roster. I wouldn't be surprised if Schmidt gets a break every now and then. I also wouldn't be surprised if Pionk is in "play well or sit" mode all season long. Dillon and DeMelo are kind of shielded from that because they're both on UFA years and likely traded at TDL if this season doesn't go well.

If we're doing well at TDL, it's likely the Jets will be in the market for a proven 2nd line centre. Good to have even if Perfetti is doing a solid job, because they don't really have an effective 2c option if there's an injury. Namestnikov did okay last year, Vilardi might be alright for a game or two, but hopefully not in the playoffs. Kupari would be interesting to try if he's having a good year. But it would be a lot better for chances at a deep playoff run if the Jets had an extra bonafide centre.

All taken into account, this Jets team should be 4th in the Central and wild card #1 in the West. They have enough talent to steal a round or two like back in 2018. The question is whether they have the drive and grit.