The St. Louis Blues shocked the NHL when they made a run to the playoffs under new coach Jim Montgomery, who was hired early on in the season. Unfortunately for the Blues, their season ended in heartbreaking fashion, losing to the rival Winnipeg Jets in Game 7. Three seconds from advancing, the Jets tied the game on a goal from Cole Perfetti. Then, in overtime, the Jets won on a goal from Adam Lowry.
This offseason, the Blues are basically running back the same roster, but added some pieces to bolster depth. As for the Jets, they lost some big names in the offseason, but they are still in good shape to be in playof contention.
Let's preview the Jets' roster for the 2025-26 season, much like we did with the Colorado Avalancheand Nashville Predators.
Jets forwards entering 2025-26 season
Left Wing | Center | Right Wing |
|---|---|---|
Kyle Connor | Mark Scheifele | Gabriel Vilardi |
Cole Perfetti | Jonathan Toews | Gustav Nyquist |
Nino Neiderreiter | Vladislav Namestnikov | Alex Iafallo |
Morgan Barron | Rasmus Kupari | Cole Koepke |
The top line for will be top-heavy, as Mark Scheifele will be the No. 1 center, with Kyle Conner and Gabriel Vilardi. But the forward group looks different for two reasons.
The team lost out on retaining Nikolaj Ehlers, who hit free agency and was choosing between the Carolina Hurricanes and Washington Capitals. Ultimately, he chose the Hurricanes, signing a six-year, $51 million. So the Jets are without Ehlers, who recorded the third-most points on the team last season with 63 (24 goals, 39 assists).
But the Jets did bring in a big name to add to their forward group, and that's three-time Stanley Cup champion Jonathan Toews. The former Chicago Blackhawks captain hasn't played since the 2022-23 season after he stepped away from the game to focus on his health.
Near the end of his Blackhawks tenure, Toews dealt with health issues related to long COVID and chronic immune response syndrome (CIRS). It became well-known that the Jets wanted him, and they were able to come to an agreement on a one-year, $2 million contract. It will remain to be seen if he can return to his old ways of production and help the Jets as their second line center. It's a gamble for sure.
The bottom two lines for the Jets is relatively the same, with Cole Koepke being the lone new player, as he signed after a 17 point season (10 goals, seven assists) with the Boston Bruins.
Jets defensemen/goaltenders entering 2025-26 season
Left Defense | Right Defense |
|---|---|
Josh Morrissey | Dylan DeMelo |
Dylan Samberg | Neal Pionk |
Haydn Fleury | Luke Schenn |
G: Connor Hellebuyck | G: Eric Comrie |
Now, we move onto the defense and goaltending.
Josh Morrissey leads the Jets defense, as he is coming off of another incredible 2024-25 season. In 80 games, Morrissey notched 62 points (14 goals, 48 assists), which is the fourth-most points on the team last year. Morrissey finished fourth in Norris Trophy voting last year. Pairing alongside him is Dylan DeMelo, who held a plus/minus of +31 last season, second-highest.
As for the best plus/minus on the team that was defenseman Dylan Samberg, who had a +34. Samberg is on the Jets' second pairing alongside Neal Pionk, who scored10 goals and dished out 29 assists last season.
The bottom pair defensive line features Luke Schenn, who the Jets acquired at the trade deadline, and Haydn Fleury, who struggled defensively, as evidenced by his -12 plus/minus.
Goaltending isn't an issue for Winnipeg, as they have Connor Hellebuyck as their starter. Sure, he did have his struggles in the playoffs, notably last year, but he has proven to be a great regular season goalie.
After leading the NHL in wins (47), goals allowed average (2.00), shutouts (eight), goals saved above average (41.6), Hellebuyck won the Vezina Trophy for top goalie, the William H. Jennings Trophy for the fewest goals against,"and the Hart Trophy for the NHL MVP. Hellebuyck became the first goalie to win the Hart Trophy since Carey Price did so back in the 2014-15 season.
Backing up Hellebuyck again is Eric Comrie, who last season posted a .914 save percentage, a 2.39 goals allowed average, and a 9-10-1 record in 20 starts.
What does all of this mean for the St. Louis Blues?
If the Blues are going to make it into the playoffs again, there is a strong chance they will match up with the Jets due to the not-so-new playoff format. The Jets do have some more uncertainty on their forwards lines with Ehlers gone and having a big question mark in Toews. Plus as we mentioned, the Blues are basically running it back with the same squad as last year.
Either way, Blues fans will have to keep their eyes on the Jets this season to see how they do if they are to meet up in the playoffs again.