WINNIPEG — The Winnipeg Jets launched into a new, exciting era in 2018.
Powered by a group of talented young players primarily drafted and developed by the organization, the Jets advanced to within three wins of the Stanley Cup Final. This run marked the franchise`s first significant playoff success since moving to Winnipeg from Atlanta in 2011 and being re-established.
That roster featured a 21-year-old rookie Kyle Connor and a 22-year-old Nikolaj Ehlers. Josh Morrissey, destined to become a top defenseman, was 23 and in his second NHL season. Future captain Adam Lowry, star center Mark Scheifele, and elite goaltender Connor Hellebuyck had all recently reached age 25.
What heights could such a team reach?
With their abundance of youth and potential, the Jets won two playoff rounds in that memorable spring of 2018 before being defeated 4-1 by the expansion Vegas Golden Knights in the Western Conference Final.
Seven years later — and remarkably, still featuring these same six players — the Jets have collectively won only two playoff rounds in the seasons that have followed.
“As a younger player, you always hear the veterans talk about how tough it is just to qualify for the playoffs,” Morrissey reflected this week. “And how challenging it is to find playoff success and genuinely have an opportunity to make a deep run with the ultimate goal of hoisting the Stanley Cup. For me, looking back to 2018, it was just my second year, and we went all the way to the conference finals. I didn’t truly appreciate back then how difficult that achievement was.”
“Seven years have passed, and I haven’t been back to the conference final or advanced further. This definitely intensifies the motivation. You understand you don’t know how many chances you’ll get and in which specific years you truly have a realistic shot.”
These current Jets possess a real opportunity. Still.
Their Presidents’ Trophy win this season was not a fluke, nor is the fact that they have accumulated more victories (154) than any other NHL team over the past three years.
But winning in the playoffs presents a much steeper challenge, and this spring, the Jets are once again navigating a difficult path.
They engineered a dramatic Game 7 comeback victory against the St. Louis Blues in the first round, which was the Jets’ first series win since 2021 and their first playoff series triumph witnessed by fans in their home arena since 2018. And now they are attempting to rally against the Dallas Stars, who were decisively beaten 4-0 here on Thursday but still maintain a 3-2 lead in the second-round series.
The next contest, Game 5, is scheduled for Saturday in Dallas.
Tristan Blackwood