A goal without a plan is just a wish. We know the goal of the Winnipeg Jets is to win the Stanley Cup. It would be odd if a professional hockey organization had any other goal. But what is the plan?
Kevin Cheveldayoff and the Jets’ brain trust do not transparently share or divulge their blueprints. As such, we have to infer intention from ancillary clues. What is obvious is that the Jets are not interested in a rebuild. A retool, sure, but this team believes in its core, and the contracts bear this out.
The core of the Winnipeg Jets consists of six players who do not become unrestricted free agents (UFAs) until 2031 or later. They are Mark Scheifele (2031), Kyle Connor (2034), Gabriel Vilardi (2031), Neal Pionk (2031), Adam Lowry (2031), and Connor Hellebuyck (2031). Many would put Josh Morrissey in this camp, but he only has two years left on his deal and will become a UFA at age 32. To prognosticate: I envision an extension for Morrissey, and a good bet is that it will be through 2031.
If we include Morrissey’s salary, the Jets’ core seven players are being paid roughly $55.5 million on an annual basis, with the current NHL salary cap sitting at $95.5 million. That represents 58 percent of the Winnipeg Jets’ overall yearly budget. Extrapolating forward, the cap will increase, but crudely put, the Jets are locked into this spending pattern until 2031. I’m on the record for how the Winnipeg Jets should manage their 58 percent, but what about the remaining 42 percent?
For the moment, let’s assume that Chevy has an unlimited runway with the Jets. It’s a safe assumption, given that he is the second-most tenured general manager in the NHL at 15 years, behind only Doug Armstrong of the St. Louis Blues at 16. Let’s further assume that, barring any seismic changes, the Jets plan to try to stay competitive with their core seven until 2031.
What does this mean?
First, other than Vilardi, every player in their core seven is 30 years old or older. The average age of NHL players for the 2025–26 season is approximately 28.4 years. Team average ages generally fluctuate between 25 and 30, with younger teams, such as the Montreal Canadiens, averaging under 26 and older teams, such as the Winnipeg Jets, approaching 31. In short, the Jets are old now, so projecting five years into the future is bleak.
The Jets will, however, have the opportunity to get younger. Jonathan Toews and Gustav Nyquist should soon be put out to pasture. They represent an average age of dust. That leaves Nino Niederreiter, Vladislav Namestnikov, Dylan DeMelo and Alex Iafallo in the group I will call “declining role players.” All four are on the roster next year, with Iafallo and DeMelo on the books past 2027. To tally it up, the Jets will enter the 2026–27 season with eleven of their top-paid players averaging 31 years of age.
“So?” you might say. A year ago, this core won the Presidents’ Trophy and advanced to the second round of the playoffs. It was a great year indeed, but this year they are mathematical underdogs for a wild-card spot. Also, the “declining role players” are doing more declining than role-filling. That is not intended as a slight, as all four have contributed in the past, but this is what happens when you sign veterans to multi-year contracts.
Now we get into speculation. I want to assume that Cheveldayoff will offset his aging core with some youth. In the established “young guys” bracket, I would put Elias Salomonsson, Brad Lambert, Morgan Barron, and Cole Perfetti. Each has finished the year stronger than they started, which is a bona fide asset. None, however, at least at this stage, moves the needle enough to push the Jets into the upper echelon of Stanley Cup contenders.
What about prospects such as Alfons Freij, Sascha Boumedienne, Brayden Yager, or Kieron Walton? The two Swedish defenders, Freij and Boumedienne, have both shown signs of promise. Neither is someone I’d pencil in as a sure-fire star today, but both are good enough that they belong in the conversation when people talk about filling top-six roles. Yager and Walton have drawn buzz as of late, and both are solid prospects, but how long will it be before they are ready?
Another compelling prospect is Kevin He, whose breakout campaign has become one of the most notable stories in junior hockey this year. He has been electric offensively, notching 36 goals and 36 assists for 72 points in 56 games - showcasing a dynamic scoring touch and strong playmaking ability.
Accelerate their development and toss them in the mix, I say. Let's see what Isak Rosen can do next to Scheifele and Connor. Why is Yager not playing out the string?
The key here is that it never appears the Jets’ “plan” is to insert youth into the lineup and let them gather experience in real time. Lambert and Salomonsson got an extended chance at playing time through the sheer luck of injuries. This was true of Dylan Samberg as well. Cheveldayoff tends to sign veteran players like Toews, Nyquist, Matt Hendricks, and Luke Schenn to fill roles that should instead be used to try out prospects.
Jets fans can be confident that we know what 58 percent of the plan is. This is the Jets’ core. Past 2026, how will the Jets roster be filled out? Will it be used to infuse youth and speed into the lineup, or will Cheveldayoff offer a redux of 2025–26 and fill open roles with “experience”? If the ultimate goal is winning the Stanley Cup, you have to develop youth; otherwise, the Jets' plan is just a wish.