Will the Jets Make the Playoffs?

Uncertainty shrouds the Winnipeg Jets as they navigate a complicated, potentially franchise-altering offseason. 

I look at what it will take for the Jets to return to the postseason. 

Jets Playoff Odds: Will Winnipeg Make the Playoffs? 

The question about whether they’ll make the playoffs will depend on what transpires in the lead-up to the regular season. 

Even so, I don’t expect the Jets, with +220 hockey odds at the BetMGM sportsbook, to make the playoffs. 

Connor Hellebuyck’s future is about as uncertain as a cat that has used up eight lives. As we saw with Brady Tkachuk, the writing is often on the wall once a player decides he doesn’t want to stay put. 

I believe that scenario pertains to Hellebuyck in Winnipeg. He was heavily critical of the organization after a 2025-26 campaign that saw them miss the playoffs for the first time since 2022. 

And it came just one season after winning the Presidents’ Trophy. 

General manager Kevin Cheveldayoff is entertaining trade offers for the three-time Vezina Trophy winner, and I believe it’s only a matter of time before he hears the right one. 

The Jets signed Stuart Skinner, ostensibly to be Hellebuyck’s backup. However, the optics,  if Hellebuyck leaves for pastures anew, make Skinner’s arrival appear more like a replacement. 

Even if Hellebuyck doesn’t stay, I don’t think the Jets will make the playoffs. Hellebuyck would have to be at his best to secure a postseason berth, and I worry about his headspace considering recent events. 

Teams like the Anaheim Ducks and San Jose Sharks are on the rise, and the Nashville Predators and St. Louis Blues are poised for better seasons.