Connor Hellebuyck is the Winnipeg Jets’ best and only hope to hang with the Central Division’s best

The Central is arguably the deepest and toughest division in the NHL, with the Colorado Avalanche, Nashville Predators, Dallas Stars and Winnipeg Jets leading the way. On this Locked On NHL Season Preview Round Table, Ann Kimmel (Locked On Predators), Chris Micieli (Locked On Avalanche), Harrison Lee (Locked On Jets) and Joey Erickson (Locked On Stars) break down the landscape of a Central Division that’s loaded up top, and has some young squads on the rise. Will the Predators’ additions of Steven Stamkos and Jonathan Marchessault give Nashville enough juice to join the Stars and Avs in the race for first? Can the Avalanche overcome uncertainty surrounding two key players? Will the Stars’ rising wave of youth help replace some key offseason losses? And are the Jets doomed to be the team of these four that drops out of the playoff picture? All that, plus FanDuel points over/unders, offseason additions, breakout players and the biggest threats to derail each of these team’s seasons.
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[@pickachu69]

The jets cycle
-Everyone says the jets are going to suck because they lost in playoffs
- jets do well
- say maybe it’s the jets year
-lose first round in playoffs to some bs Colorado or Vegas team
Repeat

[@wainber1]

The over/unders on points for what the co-hosts of the latest episode of the Locked on Winnipeg Jets' podcast (8:50 in) claimed would apply to the Central Division's top-4 teams for this coming regular season are interesting. I still the Jets as likely to lose their opening-round 2025 playoff series should they qualify because simply put their most-recent offseason was so underwhelming that I give that aspect 5.5 stars out of 10. They'd BADLY needed help on the blueline after 9 and 5 respective straight playoff games of at least 4 and 5 goals allowed and just ONE win of ANY such game (7-6 in regulation over the Avs of game 1 of that 2024 1st-round series).

[@wainber1]

I look forward to the live stream if I am available to attend although whether or not I am, over-relying on a single goalie to come remotely close to qualifying for playoff action has its limits. All any observer of the Winnipeg Jets has to do is ask how, without Thatcher Demko available due to various lower-body muscle injuries after overuse in the 2020s, the Canucks, to start the regular season, will make due. The Canucks after all this preseason have used:
- Arturs Silovs, who in a home game against the Kraken stopped all but one of 19 shots in a 3-1 win but who, in a 4-2 away loss last weekend to the Flames, allowed four goals, three of them IMO ugly ones, on 24 shots
- Jiri Patera, who allowed 3 goals (at least one of them ugly) on 19 shots in a 4-3 home OT win over the Flames
- Kevin Lankinen (acquired earlier in September off free agency), who in a 3-1 away loss to the Kraken allowed two ugly goals
- Nikita Tolopilo, who stopped, in a 4-2 away loss to the Flames, all 8 shots he had faced
Last regular season for the Canucks Demko, Casey DeSmith (the latter of whom would last offseason sign with the Dallas Stars) and Silovs started 51, 27 and 4 respective games but who last postseason would start one, two and 10 perspective games. Two regular seasons ago Demko, Spencer Martin, Collin Delia and Silovs started 32, 27, 18 and 5 respective games while the regular season before that Demko, Jaro Halak, Martin and Mike DiPietro had started 61, 14, 6 1 respective games.
Isn't it better to draft goalies than try to acquire them off free agency or via trades? While the:
- Leafs, since having drafted AM34 at first overall during the 2016 relevant Entry Draft, have qualified for postseason play in each season, the lack of consistently-good goaltending by the Canucks and Sens has over that time span resulted in playoff appearance droughts that have lasted multiple seasons
- Canucks last season snapped a playoff appearance throat that had lasted three seasons before that, the Sens from 6 to 7 seasons, with poor goaltending from Joonas Korpisalo and Anton Forsberg having hurt the Sens quite badly
- Jets, with Connor Hellebuyck, for multiple straight seasons, having started well over half his team's regular-season games, have seen playoff action in most seasons during which he has started at least one NHL regular-season game, they have allowed at least four goals over their past nine playoff games including at least five over their past five, both embarrassing stats that underscore just how putrid their defense has been in the postseason in each of those games

[@frosty.winnipeg]

No wonder Harrison never comes to Winnipeg….there’s no airport! 🤣

[@LockedOnJetsNHL]

The last time I was there, I had to sneak across the border hiding under a moose from St. Paul all the way up.

[@gordm3527]

How did I miss this live???
Sadly, I feel the Jets are in for a big uphill climb. 🧗‍♂️ In the West I fear Jets/Kings might miss, Utah & Minny in 😕

[@LockedOnJetsNHL]

In fairness this was just a pre-recording from a couple weeks ago haha, wasn't live publicly.

[@wainber1]

I see the Jets finishing top-5 in the Central Division but if they finish outside the top-3, pretty much anything goes as to whether they will see playoff action this season.