The Winnipeg Jets enter the 2025-26 season with high expectations and big news. They re-signed winger Kyle Connor to an eight-year contract extension on the eve of their season opener, keeping their top scorer in Manitoba. But Connor is not the X-Factor for the season. Neal Pionk is starting a big new contract and must continue his defensive dominance to get the Jets back to the playoffs.
Pionk signed a six-year deal worth $7 million per season just before the playoffs began last spring. Since joining the Jets in 2019, his ice time has gone up, and his defensive prowess has increased. Now, he has to be the number-one defenseman they are paying him to be under this new contract. Add in a preseason injury, and the pressure is high on Pionk.
The Jets will be without Dylan Samberg for the start of the season due to a broken wrist. After a breakout season on the blue line, he signed a three-year deal worth $5.75 million per season. Without him to start the year, Pionk's role as the top defensive-minded blue-liner becomes even more important.
Pionk will likely be paired with Josh Morrisey once again on the Jets' top pair this season. Morrissey is one of the elite offensive defenders in the league, finishing fourth on the Jets with 62 points in 2024-25. While he is key to their success, Samberg is not taking anything off his shoulders. Samberg was supposed to lift some weight off of Pionk, but he won't be around to start the year.
The Jets benefit from the best goaltender on Earth playing behind them in Connor Hellebuyck. That does not mean, however, that they can mail it in on defense, especially in the Western Conference. Pionk is key to their success this year, especially in the first month of the season.
The Jets' window is still open
Connor Hellebuyck's MVP season was wasted when the Jets lost to the Dallas Stars in the second round of the playoffs. The offense took a hit in the offseason, losing Nikolaj Ehlers to the Carolina Hurricanes. But young forwards Cole Perfetti and Brad Lambert can pick up the slack in the near and distant future. For this season, keeping the defense in front of Hellebuyck strong is the key to success.
The Jets are in the Central Division, which has a serious argument for the best in the league. The Colorado Avalanche and Dallas Stars are both trying to take advantage of a Stanley Cup window, while the Utah Mammoth build a contender. Despite the competition, the Jets won the Presidents' Trophy last season. They can do it again with elite defense.
The X-Factor to the Jets' offense is the connection between Connor and center Mark Scheifele. It was elite last season, with Scheifele assisting on 20 Connor goals and Connor assisting on 21 Scheifele goals. The connection will go on for a while, with both players on long-term deals, and it needs to be just as good this season.
The Jets' history of losing elite players is just about over, with Ehlers as the sore thumb of this era of Winnipeg draftees. The rest have stayed, looking to bring the first-ever Stanley Cup to Manitoba. While that is a tall task for a team that has never been to the Stanley Cup Final, they are entering a season with a great chance to do so.
The Jets open their season on Thursday against the same Dallas Stars team that eliminated them last year. Connor, Hellebuyck, and Pionk will all have eyes on them with something to prove in 2025-26. Can it lead to another division title for Winnipeg? Or will they fall off after losing Ehlers?
