Jets miss playoffs 1 season after Presidents' Trophy, scoring among issues

The Winnipeg Jets failed to qualify for the Stanley Cup Playoffs after winning the Presidents' Trophy last season.

The Jets (35-33-12) were eliminated when they lost 6-2 to the Vegas Golden Knights on Monday.

Winnipeg defeated the St. Louis Blues in seven games of the 2025 Western Conference First Round before a six-game loss to the Dallas Stars in the second round. 

Here's a look at what happened in the 2025-26 season for the Jets, and why things could be better next season.

The skinny

Potential unrestricted free agents: Gustav Nyquist, F; Jonathan Toews, F; Cole Koepke, F; Colin Miller, D; Jacob Bryson, D; Ville Heinola, D; Eric Comrie, G

Potential restricted free agents: Cole Perfetti, F; Isak Rosen, F

Potential 2026 Draft picks: 7

What went wrong

Rough patch: An 0-7-4 slide from Dec. 15-Jan. 8 left the Jets last in the Western Conference and 11 points behind the Los Angeles Kings for the second wild card into the playoffs. Though they moved to within one point March 31, it was too tough of a hill to climb. 

Hellebuyck injury: The 32-year-old goalie who won gold with Team USA at the 2026 Winter Olympics had knee surgery Nov. 22. The Jets went 4-8-1 after Hellebuyck made 31 saves in a 4-3 shootout win at the Calgary Flames on Nov. 15 until he returned Dec. 13. They weren't much better, going 8-11-7 ahead of the Olympic break.

Scoring issues: The Jets are averaging 2.81 goals per game, tied for 24th in the NHL and quite a comedown from last season when their 3.35 goals per game tied the Dallas Stars for third. Though they got offense from Mark Scheifele (101 points; 35 goals, 66 assists), Kyle Connor (90 points; 38 goals, 52 assists) and Gabriel Vilardi (NHL career highs of 30 goals, 37 assists and 67 points), no other forward had more than Cole Perfetti's 32 points or Alex Iafallo's 13 goals.

Reasons for optimism

Scheifele soaring: He has NHL career highs in assists and points in 80 games. Scheifele and Vilardi are signed through the 2030-31 season, and Connor through 2033-34, giving the Jets a few more seasons of that combination.

Hellebuyck rebound: The three-time Vezina Trophy winner (2020, '24, '25) voted as the best goalie in the NHL also won the Hart Trophy awarded to the League's most valuable player last season. He'll most likely revert to his usual performance next season.

Player growth: Elias Salomonsson, a 21-year-old defenseman, made his NHL debut Nov. 26 and is developing into a regular. The same goes for 22-year-old forward Brad Lambert (three goals, three assists in 23 games). Cole Koepke, a 27-year-old forward, has become a solid role player.