Winnipeg Jets 2026-27 Preview: Hellebuyck Cloud Hangs Over Everything

Winnipeg went from Presidents' Trophy winners to missing the playoffs entirely in one season, finishing 35-35-12 and seventh in the Central. The front office kept the core intact, added Stuart Skinner and Mario Ferraro, and locked up Cole Perfetti long-term, but none of that matters much if Connor Hellebuyck is suspended and pushing his way out the door.

Last season in review

The numbers tell a grim story. Winnipeg scored 231 goals and surrendered 260, a minus-29 differential that explains the 82-point finish more clearly than any single stretch of bad hockey. Mark Scheifele was brilliant, posting a career-high 103 points on 36 goals and 67 assists. Kyle Connor added 92 points, and Gabriel Vilardi contributed 69. The offence was not the problem.

The goaltending was. Hellebuyck posted a .895 save percentage in a 23-23-11 season, a significant drop from the form that earned him a Vezina the year prior. A team that allowed 260 goals while carrying one of the league's highest-paid netminders cannot sustain that kind of performance and expect to compete in the Central Division.

Ins and outs

• In: Stuart Skinner (signed two-year contract, July 1)
• In: Mario Ferraro (signed three-year contract, July 1)
• In: Noah Gregor (signed one-year two-way contract, July 1)
• In: Henry Thrun (signed one-year two-way contract, July 2)
• In: Isak Rosen (re-signed two-year deal, acquired at 2026 trade deadline)
• In: Viggo Bjorck (signed three-year entry-level contract, July 13, after being selected eighth overall in the 2026 NHL Draft)
• In: Jack St. Ivany (acquired via trade from Pittsburgh Penguins for David Gustafsson)
• Out: Jonathan Toews (retired, June 19)
• Out: Eric Comrie (signed with San Jose Sharks, July 1)
• Out: Ville Heinola (signed with Vegas Golden Knights)
• Out: Jacob Bryson (signed with Detroit Red Wings)
• Out: Colin Miller (signed with Lausanne HC)
• Out: Gustav Nyquist (unrestricted free agent, unsigned as of late September)
• Out: David Gustafsson (traded to Pittsburgh Penguins)
• Extension: Cole Perfetti (five-year, $30 million extension signed July 15)

The big question

What happens with Connor Hellebuyck? The Jets suspended their franchise goaltender on September 17 after he failed to report to training camp, three weeks after he publicly confirmed a trade request. Until that situation resolves, through a trade or some kind of reconciliation, the rest of the roster picture is largely beside the point. Skinner was signed as insurance, but running him as a starter for a full season is a different proposition than using him as a capable backup.

X-factor

Isak Rosen is the player worth watching closely. The 23-year-old right winger came over from Buffalo at the 2026 trade deadline, scored three goals in 21 games with Winnipeg down the stretch, and was re-signed to a two-year deal. Winnipeg desperately lacked secondary scoring last season, and Rosen, in his first full NHL campaign, has a real chance to change that calculus if he takes a step forward.

Bold prediction

Hellebuyck gets traded before the regular season opens, and Winnipeg spends most of the year fighting for a wild-card spot rather than a division title, with Skinner carrying a heavier workload than anyone in the organization planned for.

The outlook

The Jets open at home against Boston on October 2 with significant uncertainty in net and a roster that finished below .500 last season. Scheifele, Connor, and Vilardi give them a legitimate top line, and Ferraro shores up the defence, but this team needs the Hellebuyck situation settled before it can realistically plan for anything else. Until then, the ceiling is unclear and the floor is closer than Jets fans would like to admit.