We’re not even into a month of the NHL season, but there are signs already to suggest the potential for a slugfest in the highly competitive Central Division.
When the season began, the narrative around the Winnipeg Jets was something like, ‘They don’t have to repeat their Presidents’ Trophy-winning performance of a year ago. Just use the regular-season schedule to get their playoff game in order.’ Or something to that effect.
And while that still seems like very sound logic for a team that has not advanced past Round 2 in seven-plus years, these first three and a half weeks of the 2025-26 campaign have given every indication it is going to be a dogfight just to capture one of the top four or five spots out of the Central Division.
We had a live look at the vastly improved and very impressive Utah Mammoth Sunday night at Canada Life Centre. Later this week, Chicago comes to town — and these Blackhawks appear to have ditched the rebuilding mode of the past half-dozen years or so.
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Toss in a Nashville team on the rebound from that disaster of a year ago, and a stumble and a fumble could quickly send a team to the wrong side of the playoff line in the NHL’s most difficult division.
So it’s noteworthy the Jets have managed to more than just tread water in this opening month of the schedule, without the services of Adam Lowry, Dylan Samberg and Cole Perfetti — who are all projected to return at some point in November.
Sunday’s disappointing loss kicked off a stretch of three in a row for Winnipeg against divisional opponents.
With what is unfolding, continuing a three-year trend of getting the most out of these “four pointers” is going to be a must for the Jets if they want to remain among the big three in the NHL’s toughest group.
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