Winnipeg Jets Morning Papers

Note: The Jets including Connor Hellebuyck hit the ice for a practice on Friday as they got set to face the Capitals this evening. We didn’t get any indication from the bench boss as to whether 37 would be a player but I would say it seems to be a possibility given how much work he had on Friday. No morning skate for Winnipeg as Scott Arniel tries to keep his team fresh. Stay tuned for the pre-game report to ensure you’re up-to-date on the latest. Puck drop is at 6 PM CST.

Note II: This evening, after the final buzzer sounds between Winnipeg and Washington, we want you to be part of the conversation on the Illegal Curve Post-Game Show as we discuss and analyze the results of the game starting around 8:40 PM CST.

Note III: The Moose kicked off six games at home with a game last night against the Wild which saw them continue an unusual stretch of four straight games against each other. They split the series last weekend in Iowa and last night in Winnipeg the home team rolled to a 6-1 victory which improved them to 14-9-2-0 on the season. To put it into perspective last year’s team didn’t get win 14 until two months later in the season.

Note IV: Big night for Jets prospect Kieron Walton (2024 6th). He scored his 19th of season on a penalty shot. And he gets rewarded with unleashing of the Teddy bears toss in Sudbury. He also had 3 primary assists. He’s got 41 points (19G 22A) in 25 games. Tied for 4th overall in OHL points race.

Note V: We will have plenty to discuss on the Illegal Curve Hockey Show for two hours of Jets and Moose talk so be sure to join us here starting at 9 AM CST.

Jets news:

Winnipeg Sun: Jets’ Luke Schenn tried his fists when nothing else was working. He also offers up some thoughts on Nino Niederreiter getting to game 1000.

Winnipeg Sun: Blaming others for Winnipeg Jets’ slide ‘a cop-out’: Kyle Connor. While 81, 55 and 13 are scoring the rest of the lineup (for the most part) is not. Time to see some guys step up when the team needs them. 

Winnipeg Sun: Healthy Connor Hellebuyck no saviour for Jets, teammates say. They can say it but it isn’t true. While I get the sentiment that they need to play better there is also no question that he covers mistakes that many other goalies cannot.

Winnipeg Free Press: Niederreiter first Switzerland-born player to reach 1,000-game mark. (Paywall). What a milestone and to be the first ever from your country to accomplish it makes it all that much more special. 

Winnipeg Free Press: Expecting one player to magically fix Winnipeg Jets’ problems would be foolhardy. (Paywall). The headline ‘Hellebuyck can’t do it all’ is accurate simply because he doesn’t score goals but I do think this Jets club would have a bunch more wins if 37 was in the net. Having said that the reality is the Jets have a lot of issues and he can’t solve a deficient power play, penalty kill and many forwards not scoring (to name a few). 

Global News: Toews’ comeback a great story, but not helping Jets win games. It’s a tough situation since I suspect many folks thought it would take him awhile to get back into the flow. But the problem was trying to make him a 2C when he had missed as much time as he had.

NHL.com: Heritage Classic in 2026 will celebrate Jets 2.0, Chipman says. Count me as someone who is interest to see what the jersey ends up looking like.