What Has Happened to the Winnipeg Jets This Season?
The Winnipeg Jets didn’t enter this season expecting confusion to define it. A year ago, they looked like one of the league’s most dependable teams. Now, as 2026 begins, they’re trying to figure out how things unraveled this quickly.
Last season, Winnipeg won 56 games, captured the Presidents’ Trophy, and built success on structure. They defended as a group, got contributions throughout the lineup, and leaned on elite goaltending when games tightened. That formula didn’t just win games; it made them predictable in a good way. Opponents knew what was coming and still struggled to deal with it. That version of the Jets has been hard to find this season.
Where Things Started To Slip For the Winnipeg Jets
The standings tell part of the story. Winnipeg sits at the bottom of the Central Division and the Western Conference, a place that felt unthinkable not long ago. What’s made the season confusing is that the Winnipeg Jets haven’t looked completely outmatched most nights. They haven’t been getting blown out regularly. Instead, games keep getting away from them.
One night, the defense holds up, but the offense dries up. The next, the Jets score enough to win and give it back through breakdowns and rushed decisions. The recent loss in Toronto, where Winnipeg scored five goals and still lost after blowing a multi-goal lead, summed up the season in a single night. That wasn’t an outlier. It’s been the pattern.
The gap in the standings isn’t as wide as it looks at first glance. The Winnipeg Jets are still within reach of the wild-card line in terms of points. The problem is how many teams sit between them and that spot, and how often the Jets have failed to take advantage when chances appear.
What’s Missing Compared To Last Year
Goaltending has been part of the conversation, but it doesn’t explain everything. Connor Hellebuyck’s three-week absence hurt, and the team struggled during that stretch. Ever since his return, things haven’t settled. His numbers are down, but so is the support in front of him. Coverage has loosened. Turnovers have crept in. Too many odd-man rushes have put goaltenders in difficult positions.
The contrast with last season is clear. At this point a year ago, Winnipeg ranked among the league’s best in scoring, defending, and special teams. This season, none of those areas has carried the team. The power play hasn’t swung games. The penalty kill hasn’t erased mistakes. When the Jets fall behind early, games tend to snowball.
What’s most concerning is how familiar the explanations have become. Players and coaches talk about execution, details, and consistency. Not effort. Not preparation. The team looks organized for stretches, then loses its shape long enough for games to turn.
The habits that defined last season, such as a layered defense, pressure without the puck, and trust across lines, haven’t shown up often enough. When they do, the Winnipeg Jets look competitive. When they don’t, things unravel quickly.
Now, the conversation has shifted. Instead of talking about matchups and playoff positioning, there’s talk of the draft and long-term planning. Holding onto a first-round pick suddenly looks smart, even if that wasn’t the intent. Adding a top prospect would help, but it doesn’t erase the shock of watching a perennial playoff team sink this far.
The fall from 56 wins to last place wasn’t supposed to happen. But it has. And now the Winnipeg Jets are left trying to understand not just whether they can climb out of it, but why the foundation that carried them last year hasn’t held this time.
