Jets Will Try to Add Specific Position

The Winnipeg Jets may be looking to add to an already high-flying offense.

Feb 1, 2025; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Winnipeg Jets players celebrate after their overtime game against the Washington Capitals at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images / Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

The Winnipeg Jets are the top team in the NHL riding a 37-14-3 record for 77 standings points and look like an early favorite to make their way to the Stanley Cup Final. Before anyone can fully turn their focus on the playoffs, however, teams like the Jets need to make decisions ahead of the trade deadline.

In the case of the Jets, it makes perfect sense to buy ahead of the deadline, bolstering a lineup that already features the best offense in the NHL. According to Pierre LeBrun of the Athletic, there is a belief the Jets will target a center and possibly a defenseman before the deadline rolls around.

“My sense is the Jets would eventually look to add a center and perhaps also a defenseman,” LeBrun writes. “But that will depend on what the market reveals to be available.”

LeBrun spoke with Jets general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff and while he will do his due diligence in keeping an eye on the trade market, he likes where the Jets are at with their current lineup.

“I’m going to see what’s available on a daily basis,” Cheveldayoff said coyly. “But I don’t want to undersell how this group has done and what they’ve done together. It’s not about who’s at the trade deadline or whatever. It’s about who’s been a part of it for these 54-odd games.”

It’s hard not to like what the Jets roster has already done this year. They boast the NHL’s best record, are the highest-scoring team in the league with 195 goals, and have a power play that scores 1/3 of the time.

Even when opposing teams find their own offense, it’s usually shut down by reigning Vezina winner Connor Hellebuyck who has been the definition of a brick wall this season.

If/when the Jets do look to add at the deadline, looking for a center makes the most sense in Winnipeg. Mark Scheifele is no doubt the No. 1 guy, but it wouldn’t hurt to find improvements behind him. After Scheifele, the Jets are trotting out Vladislav Namestnikov, Rasmus Kupari, and David Gustafsson.

They’re all doing well in their own way, but it couldn’t hurt to add a little more punch to the NHL’s best offense.

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