Look at the other teams in the Division. STL, DAL, WIN, COL are all much better than this team top to bottom. AZ is in the tank, NSH is lost, CHI could be good or bad. But fighting for 3rd-5th in the Division isn't a contender, it's a fringe Playoff team.

1 10 game injury to any of Brodin, JEE, Eichel, or Kaprizov and the season is sunk. Contenders can absorb a loss of two of key players and still be fine in the regular season. This team can not.

Disagree that STL, DAL, and WPG are much better

Jets: Scheifele + PLD >/= Eichel + JEE. Conner + Ehlers >/= Kaprizov + Greenway, then add in Wheeler and Copp and they pull ahead easily in FWDs. Poink = Spurgeon, Brodin > Morrisey. Helli > MN goalies
STL: Top-4 blows MNs out of the water. Goalies are a wash, maybe slight edge to MN because Binnington had a rough year. The FWDs are about equal.
DAL: Top-4 is better. Same quality 1/2C, Kaprizov is the best wing, but DAL runs deeper overall. Goalies are as good or better. Old team though.
COL is just better everywhere.

Plus every team has cap they can make to get better. MN doesn't have that.

Stl - Faulk, Krug, Parayko(maybe), Scandella? Blows Min out of the water???
WPG- PLD has a lot to prove nobody knows what Winnipeg will get out of him. Copp could be gone by then.
DAL- they are getting older and dont have equal younger players