2019 Winnipeg Jets Odds to win Stanley Cup with Expert Predictions

The Central Division was very tight last year, with three teams within one point of each other. Winnipeg was tied with the eventual Stanley Cup champions, St. Louis , just a point behind Nashville. It was a battle right up until the end of the season. And it promises to be tight again. The question, though, is if Winnipeg can be right in the middle of that battle again. They certainly have potential, as they have for a long while. But they face a ton of uncertainty, and it certainly feels possible that their window is closing before they were even able to get through it.

They've made the playoffs two years in a row, but their first-round exit to the Blues last year didn't feel particularly shocking, and their summer didn't exactly end with an improved team. The upside is here, but there are certainly questions to ask.

Winnipeg Jets Offseason Moves
 

The team has seen a lot of turnover on the backend, with three defensemen from last year gone - and one more uncertain. The biggest name was Jacob Trouba, who had been on the trade block seemingly for most of his six years in Winnipeg. He's a very talented guy coming off a career year, but he never truly meshed with the Jets, and they didn't want to pay him. So, he was traded, finally, to the Rangers . In exchange, they received defenseman Neil Pionk and a first-round pick - the same pick that Winnipeg had traded to the Rangers at the deadline last year for Kevin Hayes. Trouba, who signed a massive seven-year deal with the Rangers, is better than Pionk, but the latter could still wind up on the top pairing in Winnipeg. They also saw Tyler Myers leave in free agency as the Canucks offered him a contract that the Jets would have been truly insane to match. And Ben Chiarot joined the Jets in free agency. Pionk was the only addition of note in the face of these three losses, so defensive depth is a concern. And on top of that, Dustin Byfuglien is away from the team and suspended and is reportedly considering retirement. Defensive depth is a massive concern.

While the defense would normally be the biggest story for a team in this kind of situation, it's not nearly the biggest concern for this team. The summer of 2019 in the NHL was defined by the high-profile restricted free agents. There were tons of them, and many are true superstars in this league already. Most have signed with their teams, but the Jets have not managed to get either of theirs under contract. And though these things can change quickly, at this point it doesn't feel like they are particularly close. Out of camp are forwards Kyle Connor and Patrik Laine. Connor plays on the top line and was third in scoring behind his two linemates. Laine was fourth in scoring and third in goals. While both guys are very important, Connor plays a more well-rounded game, so it is easier to justify a long term commitment to him. Laine is a spectacular goal scorer when he is dialed in, but he is very streaky, and when he isn't scoring, he doesn't contribute much. Without these two, the hopes of this team are much less than if they are around. Connor feels more likely to receive a long-term deal and therefore seems more likely to report. But the Jets don't have the most cap space in the league, and it is unclear exactly how this gets resolved.

It wasn't all bad news on the contract front. They did lock up defenseman Josh Morrissey up for eight years, and he could man the top pairing that whole time. They also signed depth forwards Mark Letestu and Gabriel Bourque as free agents.

With the first-round pick that they traded away and then got back, the Jets selected Finnish defenseman Ville Heinola 20th overall. He has talented, but as is almost always the case with young defensemen he will need some time.

Winnipeg Jets NHL Outlook

It all comes down to when they can get their young free agents back, what kind of shape they are in when they return, and how the team finds form when they are back. The core is here, and the talent is solid - though the losses on defense are a serious concern - but those two players, and the decision of Byfuglien to a lesser extent, will have a major impact on how things turn out. Until we know what happens we can't really do much of a job of evaluating this team.

Winnipeg Jets Schedule

Not only does this team head into the regular season with all sorts of questions and uncertainty, but they also are forced to play their first four games, and five of their first six, on the road. That's never ideal and could be a recipe for the team to find themselves in a hole to start things off.

Winnipeg Jets NHL Futures Odds
 

At +1600 to win the Stanley Cup , the Jets are tied with Florida and the defending champion Blues as the sixth choice. They are the fourth choice to win the Western Conference at +800 and are tied with Nashville as the fourth choice to win the Central Division at +450 - though the favored Avalanche are only at +300, so it's a wide-open race. The season point total sits at 94.5, with action evenly split between the "over" and the "under". They are at -170 to make the playoffs and +150 to miss them.

2019-20 Winnipeg Jets Predictions
 

It's impossible to assess this team. With Connor and Laine back and happy, they are very likely a playoff team. With neither, they probably aren't. The league has become an arms race, and the Jets took more steps backwards than forwards this summer. At this point, we can only grade them as incomplete and wait.

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