If Nikolaj Ehlers signs with another team on July 1, his Winnipeg Jets exit won’t be the most dramatic, most acrimonious or most needed departure in Winnipeg’s history.

But Ehlers’ role as a Jet has been the subject of discussion for several years in a row. His ice time in the playoffs — ninth among Jets forwards at five-on-five, but fifth overall, thanks to the power play — followed a regular season that saw Ehlers play the eighth most minutes per game of his 10-season NHL career.

Did the Jets leave results on the table?

More pressing: Is Ehlers about to sign in New York or Carolina or New Jersey, receive first-line minutes and deliver results that make the Jets regret his departure?

There are several famous Jets comparables, from Ehlers’ good buddy Patrik Laine to Jacob Trouba, Pierre-Luc Dubois and Blake Wheeler — among others — who have left Winnipeg for what seemed like greener pastures. It didn’t always work out for them. Still, there are cases where players left Winnipeg, picked up a few extra minutes per night along the way and took the next step in their career.

Today, we dig deeper into Winnipeg’s most famous exits, what happened to them and what it could mean for Ehlers should the UFA market win him over on July 1.

Patrik Laine (2021)

Patrik Laine was Winnipeg’s own, delightfully chaotic, “Fortnite” playing bundle of dryly comedic energy. He arrived in 2016 via a draft lottery win, with the Jets moving from sixth to second overall, and then scored 80 goals as a teenager. He adored Winnipeg and seemed to be meant for stardom — if not as an all-around play driver, then at least as a one-shot scorer — but ultimately asked for a trade in 2021.

TeamAge5v5 TOI5v5 PTS/60PP TOIPP PTS/60

21

15:13

2.03

3:24

4.4

22

14:16

1.12

2:24

3.7

23

14:23

2.53

3:32

4.4

24

14:36

2.24

3:21

5.2

25

11:23

1.17

3:02

2.3

26

10:45

1.07

3:04

7.4

With Winnipeg: Laine was mostly a second-line right wing, while playing a key role on the Jets’ top power-play unit. His best work came in 2017-18, back when Wheeler had Laine, Mark Scheifele and Dustin Byfuglien as three right-shooting one-timer options on Winnipeg’s power play. After a rookie season spent primarily on Scheifele’s wing, Laine spent a lot of time with Bryan Little and Ehlers, with Paul Stastny making a 2017-18 cameo. Laine got a bigger push in 2019-20, when he got the third-most minutes among Jets forwards — at five-on-five and overall, too. With 63 points in 68 games, it seemed as though Laine had truly arrived.

With Columbus: Laine started off as a second-line right wing, but struggled out of the gate at five-on-five. His second and third seasons with the Blue Jackets were exceptional, though — first-line minutes, Laine’s first point-per-game season, and the two most productive points-per-minute seasons of his career. His power-play production was volatile, depending on his goal scoring and suffering with respect to playmaking and puck retention. His five-on-five ice time in Columbus never quite matched that of Laine’s final year in Winnipeg, but he played a big role through most of his tenure.

Outlook: Laine entered the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program in January 2024. In August 2024, Columbus traded Laine to Montreal (at his request), where he seems to be revitalizing his career. Montreal deployed him as a power-play specialist to tremendous results, limiting him to the 10th-most five-on-five minutes among regularly used Canadiens forwards, and he shot out the lights with that power-play usage.

Was the grass greener outside of Winnipeg?

No, then maybe, then no. Laine is not on the path of stardom once anticipated for him. There are legitimate caveats available (in addition to a slew of injuries, Laine stepped away from hockey in 2024 to focus on his mental health) and it’s clear the 27-year-old can still produce points in the right contexts. The Canadiens are deploying him as a third-line forward/power-play specialist. Looking back, Laine’s workload peaked at 19:25 per game in his final year with the Jets — roughly four more minutes than Ehlers got this season. Laine was young enough to bank on continued development, but Ehlers could gain ground in terms of opportunity.

Pierre-Luc Dubois (2023)

Pierre-Luc Dubois was meant to get the Jets out of their Laine jam. For a minute there, it even seemed to work: Dubois struggled in 2021 but scored 60, then 63 points in his next two seasons. There were times when he outplayed Scheifele and times when he seemed to disappear altogether. In the end, his disinterest in signing with Winnipeg cost him a pretty good gig, while the Jets are still looking for his replacement.

With Winnipeg: Dubois’ first partial season in Winnipeg was a poor one, with a two-week quarantine followed by two injuries. He spent the next two years playing the role of second-line centre — sometimes excelling, sometimes going cold to the point of being completely ineffective. It was important that he move on; remember that, along with the inconsistency, Dubois delivered two of Winnipeg’s best seasons by a second-line centre ever. Little was a 64-point 1C prior to Scheifele’s emergence and a 40-50 point 2C afterward; Stastny signed in Vegas; Vladislav Namestnikov has scored 37 and 38 points in his last two seasons.

With Los Angeles: Dubois was so underwhelming, producing just 40 points in 82 games, that the Kings traded him to Washington before his no-movement clause kicked in. It seemed as though getting everything he ever wanted let the air out of Dubois as a player; the consensus analysis piled on the Capitals for acquiring him as opposed to recognizing their low-cost acquisition of a still-viable player.

Outlook: Getting out of Winnipeg was not the answer. Dubois was a markedly better Jet than he was a King. He’s found a great fit in Washington, revitalizing his game and scoring a career-high 66 points and dramatically outscoring his opponents on a line with Connor McMichael and Tom Wilson. It’s not out of line to think he could have done the same playing between Perfetti and Ehlers — let’s not get carried away calling Dubois’ resurgence a total shock — but it’s clear Winnipeg got as much out of Dubois as was possible.

Was the grass greener outside of Winnipeg?

No. It was not green at all in Los Angeles, but Dubois has found himself again in Washington.

Jack Roslovic (2021)

Jack Roslovic was packaged with Laine in the trade for Dubois. He was an afterthought at first, given Laine and Dubois’ pedigree, but Roslovic made the smoothest transition of all three players. His role has grown the most since Winnipeg — which makes sense, given his youth, the Jets’ depth and his difficulty finding minutes early on in his career.

With Winnipeg: In his final Jets season, Roslovic scored 12 goals, 17 assists, for 29 points in 71 games, finally getting a full season’s worth of middle-six deployment. His 13:10 per game at five-on-five — more than Ehlers got this season — was a dramatic increase in his nightly workload after getting buried by Winnipeg’s depth in his previous two seasons. The problem, if you were looking for an instant return, was that his scoring rate marched in place despite playing with Ehlers and Wheeler more than any other teammates. He asked for a trade and got one — to his hometown, where he was meant to flourish.

With Columbus: Roslovic flourished. He scored at a 49-point-per-82-game pace over four seasons, backing up his inflated usage on a worse Blue Jackets team with legitimate offence. The same questions persisted: Was he best at centre or at wing? Could he drive a line or was he a complementary piece? Roslovic contributed like a middle-six scorer throughout his time with Columbus and again for Carolina this season.

Outlook: He’s what Winnipeg drafted him to be, achieving the middle-six potential we saw in short doses during his Jets tenure. The grass was greener for him — first in his hometown, now with Carolina —  although it’s tough to argue with his usage in that final Jets season. (Roslovic’s ice time was paltry before that, but there are concessions available based on the sheer depth of the 2017-18 and 2018-19 Jets teams.)

Was the grass greener outside of Winnipeg? 

Yes. Roslovic is a good example in favour of “more minutes equals more points” for most players.

Jacob Trouba (2019)

With Winnipeg: Trouba was a top-pairing defenceman who received a 2018-19 promotion to the top power-play unit in the wake of injuries to Byfuglien and Josh Morrissey. He’d always been a productive five-on-five defenceman but added 18 power-play points, scoring 50 points in total. Continued power play success was never a good bet, but Trouba had been a productive even-strength defenceman for several years. The Jets’ version of Trouba was an above-average top-four defenceman, even when Byfuglien was healthy and manning the top power-play unit.

With New York: Trouba struggled early and late in his Rangers career, with a pair of good top-four seasons sandwiched between multiple seasons of getting outchanced and outscored. He emerged as a violent physical threat in New York, which is an element that is missing from the Jets lineup — and had one great season, results-wise, wherein the Rangers won his minutes by 15 goals. Most often, though, Trouba’s pairings were outchanced and outscored over the course of his Rangers tenure.

Outlook: It’s not that Trouba’s performance fell off a cliff in New York. We always knew that he was out of his element playing PP1, as he did prior to the Jets trading him. Still, Winnipeg got Trouba’s best year in terms of points (50) and his three best years in terms of shot attempts and expected goals. Trouba’s best on-ice situation was playing alongside Morrissey on the Jets — this much is clear — even if he preferred to live in the U.S.

Was the grass greener outside of Winnipeg?

No.

Paul Stastny (2018)

Paul Stastny was acquired at the 2018 trade deadline and became an instant fan favourite, playing defensive conscience for Laine and Ehlers while contributing to the Jets’ top power play. The Jets tried to re-sign him in the offseason, thinking themselves set with Scheifele, Stastny, Little and Lowry down the middle, but Stastny chose Las Vegas instead. Two years later, Winnipeg traded for him again — this time, from the Golden Knights — with lower expectations now that he was 36 years old.

With Winnipeg: Stastny was a stretch run and postseason darling, scoring the goal that beat Nashville in Game 7 among 15 points in 17 playoff games. His friendship with Wheeler made him an instant cultural fit, while he appeared to fit seamlessly on the Jets’ top power play, taking rookie Kyle Connor’s interchange spot and adding a few tricks of his own.

With Vegas: Stastny scored at a 63-point pace in his first season with the Golden Knights, which seemed to justify Winnipeg’s efforts to sign him. An injury limited him to 50 games, however, and his point production fell off the following year. It’s oversimplistic to suggest he played poorly in his 38-point, 71-game sophomore effort with the Golden Knights — Stastny, Mark Stone and Max Pacioretty dominated the flow of play without finishing their scoring chances — but he was clearly on the downswing when he arrived in Winnipeg for his second stint.

Outlook: The Jets were right to want Stastny back in 2018 and he continued to find ways to contribute further down the lineup in his late-career encore. The grass was a little bit greener — he made the Western Conference final in the 2020 bubble — but Stastny’s own performance matched the quality he’d reached in Winnipeg. His role was almost identical to the one he’d played in Winnipeg and in St. Louis before that.

Was the grass greener outside of Winnipeg?

A little bit, via those 2020 playoffs, but nothing to worry about if you’re a Jets fan.

Blake Wheeler (2023)

Blake Wheeler was one of the world’s best five-on-five players for nearly a decade, consistently outplaying more famous competition without earning league-wide recognition. Wheeler was Winnipeg’s captain for six seasons and, thanks to a power-play explosion quarterbacking the Connor/Scheifele/Laine/Byfuglien unit, he became a 91-point player — twice — before age caught up to him.

His brash, sometimes top-down leadership approach served him well until it didn’t. His later years are marked by dressing-room conflict, struggles to integrate youth and the eventual removal of his captaincy. He was bought out in 2023 and played his final season for the Rangers.

With Winnipeg: Wheeler was everything for Winnipeg for a lot of years. In the year prior to his departure, he was 36 years old and clearly on the downswing, with second-line usage at five-on-five to go with a key role on a struggling power play. Even then, he maintained a 1.85 points per 60 minutes at five-on-five — good by second-line standards, but the third-worst production rate of his career.

With New York: To Wheeler’s credit, his 1.64 points per 60 minutes at five-on-five in New York was slightly above average for NHL forwards — while doubling as the worst production rate of his career. His ice and impact continued to decline, playing 11:29 per game at five-on-five while getting second-unit power-play duties. His scoring rate dropped on the power play, too, which makes sense moving from Connor and Scheifele to Kaapo Kakko and Alexis Lafrenière.

Outlook: It’s clear that Winnipeg had greater use for Wheeler’s skill set than New York did. It seems reasonable to guess that his status in Winnipeg led to more first-unit power-play time — his last Jets season was among his worst in terms of power-play production — but his usage had started to drop there, too. It could be a case of a veteran losing clout with a new team; it could simply be that Wheeler’s time had come. He played fewer minutes in his final season than Ehlers has at any point in his career.

Was the grass greener outside of Winnipeg?

No.

Dustin Byfuglien (2019)

With Winnipeg: ⭐

Since Winnipeg: 🎣

(Top photo of Nikolaj Ehlers and Pierre-Luc Dubois: Patrick Smith / Getty Images)