Descrease article font size
Increase article font size
The Winnipeg Jets open training camp later this week at Hockey For All Centre.
Here’s a look at a few of the reasons this fall’s preparation for the regular season could be one of the most interesting yet in the 2.0 version of the franchise.
Story continues below advertisement
Is there a Jets fan not intrigued about how Jonathan Toews looks while taking the first of many steps towards making an NHL comeback? And the absence of captain Adam Lowry — recovering from hip surgery in late May — only adds to that storyline.
Get daily National news
Get the day’s top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day.
How will Winnipeg absorb the departure of Nikolaj Ehlers?
Depending on who you talk to, “the Dashing Dane” will be irreplaceable. And the addition of Gustav Nyquist won’t even come close to helping the Jets tread water, let alone become a better team.
More on Sports
More videos
Now, Nyquist scored 23 goals and had 75 points riding shotgun on Nashville’s No. 1 line two seasons ago, before falling off a cliff last year.
The classy Swede doesn’t have to be as good as he was in 2023-24. But I also don’t think it’s a reach to suggest he’s capable of returning to being the consistent 40- to 50-point scorer he has been for much of his NHL career.
Will it be Morgan Barron or Vlad Namestnikov who starts the season holding down the fort at third-line centre until Lowry returns?
Trending Now
2025 Emmy Awards winners list: ‘The Studio,’ Seth Rogen win big, ‘Adolescence’ dominates
Bonnie Crombie to resign as Ontario Liberal leader after weak show of support
Can one of Brad Lambert, Nikita Chibrikov or Parker Ford force their way into the NHL forward group ahead of the likes of Tanner Pearson, Cole Koepke or David Gustafsson?
Story continues below advertisement
Can one of Logan Stanley, Ville Heinola or Elias Salomonsson forge ahead of Colin Miller on the defensive depth chart?
And in the case of Stanley and Heinola, what happens if they don’t? Will general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff risk losing them on the waiver wire, like in 2022, when Jonathan Kovacevic was grabbed by Montreal? Or late January of 2024, when Minnesota was happy to take Declan Chisholm off the Jets’ hands?
Oh, and what about Kyle Connor headlining the list of 10 Winnipeg players going into a contract year — 11 if you include Heinola?
NHL pre-seasons can often be less than compelling. But that will, or at least should, not be the case in Winnipeg this month.
9:36
RAW: Winnipeg Jets Brayden Yager Interview – Sept. 10
© 2025 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.