The Winnipeg Jets have consistently been competitive and look to remain in the hunt for a playoff spot in the upcoming NHL season.
Playoff hockey has been played in Winnipeg in five of the last six seasons, and although this offseason has presented a number of changes for this team, their competitiveness should remain the same.
In the Central Division, there are four teams that should be considered a threat to earn one of the top three spots in the division, those are the Colorado Avalanche, Dallas Stars, Minnesota Wild, and the Jets. Last year, the Jets earned the second wild card spot in the Western Conference, which should be within reach again in 2023-24.
While the Jets lost big names such as Blake Wheeler and Pierre-Luc Dubois this offseason, they did an excellent job bringing in other players to fill the voids left by two of the team's top producers last year. Gabriel Vilardi and Alex Iafallo are both excellent additions acquired via trade from Los Angeles in exchange for Dubois, also bringing in a second-round pick in the 2024 Entry Draft and Rasmus Kupari, who could see some time in the bottom six this year.
Outside the blockbuster moves made by the Jets this offseason, this team remains similar to the product on the ice last year, which was good enough to make it to the second round of the playoffs, where they lost to the Vegas Golden Knights.
Barring any notable trades where the Jets offload big names, this team is poised to be competitive and make another run into the postseason. Despite trade rumours circulating the internet, Mark Scheifele and Connor Hellebuyck both remain on the teams roster. Scheifele and Hellebuyck have both been integral pieces of the team's successes in qualifying for the playoffs, and there's no reason for this to change as long as they remain in Winnipeg.
In a Western Conference that hasn't seen very much improvement to the lower-tier teams, the Jets are right in the mix of things when discussing potential playoff teams in the upcoming NHL season. Winnipeg has consistently been a playoff threat over the last half decade and this should be the case again in 2023-24.
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