Jets fan survey results: Breaking down all aspects of Winnipeg's high-flying start

It’s fair to say that joy levels are at an all-time high among Winnipeg Jets fans following a record-breaking start to the 2024-25 season.

Winnipeg continues to lead the NHL in goals, wins, points, goal differential and ruthless Canada Life Centre chants. Tuesday night’s bounce-back win over the defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers featured a highlight-reel hat trick from Mark Scheifele, a Kyle Connor classic, a Nikolaj Ehlers pass so good Scheifele was left awed and two of the fastest and one of the most creative empty net goals you’ll ever see Morgan Barron score.

How is this happening? How far will the Jets take their formidable start? What should they do when the defence gets healthy, what are their playoff and Stanley Cup odds, who will lead them in goals and who is their MVP so far this season?

This is part one of a two-part story that you told me, Jets fans, about the incredible run your team is having. All I had to do was ask the questions, dig through nearly 1,000 responses from some of the most passionate fans in the NHL, and write down what you told me.

I hope you enjoy.

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The Jets have started the season so well, they set an NHL record. How does that make you feel?

When 95 percent of a market feels split between “as good as it gets” and general optimism, it’s probably a good sign. I suppose a bit of caution is in order: The only other time you came close to this confident about a Jets season in one of these polls, Winnipeg was off to a hot start under Rick Bowness in 2022-23.

But that was then, this is now, and these Jets are at the top of the NHL standings. You believe in them even more than you believed in that team — and with good reason. They’re two years removed from those difficult first steps and most of what we’ve seen since that time has looked like progress.

How is this happening? Check all that apply.

The further you zoom out of Winnipeg, the more likely you are to find an analyst who thinks the Jets’ success belongs solely to Connor Hellebuyck in net. You see things more clearly than that, though, recognizing goaltending as the No. 1 strength of your team without giving it all the credit.

The Jets’ power play has been a big story this season and still leads the NHL even after dropping to 35.7 percent — still better than the 2022-23 Oilers, whose 32.4 percent efficiency was the best full-season power play of all time. If the Jets’ power play falters, no worries: you still see coaching, Winnipeg’s five-on-five play and team chemistry as major strengths that the Jets can count on.

Whether you’re on cloud nine or preaching patience … Where will the Jets finish in the regular season standings?

Not one of you picked the Jets to miss the playoffs. That seems wise, given Winnipeg’s 16-3-0 record: The Jets could play to a .500 points percentage from now through the end of the season, picking up 63 points in 63 games, and likely qualify with 95 points.

They’re much better than that, though — so how high will they fly?

While 21.3 percent of you are imagining a second- or third-place finish in the Central Division, the overwhelming majority see a divisional pennant in the Jets’ future. Almost half of you think the Jets will finish at least first in the West, while 15.9 percent of you have picked Winnipeg to hold onto its lead and win the Presidents’ Trophy.

How far will they go in the playoffs, assuming they qualify?

We all know Jets fans want playoff glory. Will you get it?

It’s a good sign that 95.7 percent of you see the Jets getting out of the first round for the first time since 2021. The bulk of predictions see Winnipeg winning at least one round and falling in either Round 2 or Round 3 — a decided step forward for a franchise that’s been pushed out of consecutive playoffs prematurely.

Roughly one-quarter of you even see the Jets hoisting the Cup itself when all is said and done. Did Paul Maurice have a crystal ball, after all?

Who will lead the Jets in regular season goals?

Scheifele’s hat trick against Florida was a thing of beauty.

His first goal was a snipe that capped off tremendous back pressure from Gabriel Vilardi and Connor that turned into a Jets counterattack off a Panthers breakout. His second was a power play one-timer that you could print on a postcard: Scheifele dropped down to one knee to bury Ehlers’ pass. His third came just after Winnipeg’s third-period power play had expired, turning Connor’s behind-the-net dangling into the game-winning goal.

Scheifele’s performance combined with Connor’s to leave the duo with identical 12-goal, 12-assist stat lines after 19 games. But you voted on this poll before Scheifele tied Connor for the team lead in goals and you left no doubt at all about who you thought would lead at season’s end.

That’s a landslide win for Connor, who is now tied with Scheifele and four other players for fifth in league goal scoring.

It’s wild to think that Scheifele actually leads Connor 79 to 77 in goals from 2022-23 to now, albeit in eight extra games. That’s a testament to Scheifele’s goal scoring prowess, despite more renown as a playmaker, while Connor’s landslide victory in this poll is a credit to his elite finishing skills.

No one is more dangerous between the top of the circles and the goal line than Connor is. His hands are elite, his feet keep him moving into yet more dangerous space with each fraction of a second, and Connor’s read of goaltenders is so strong that it always seems as though he is one step ahead of their thoughts.

Check out the utter calmness, the outright civility with which he scores this goal.

The ice in this man's veins:pic.twitter.com/tpRWvaFnWC

— Murat Ates (@WPGMurat) November 20, 2024

Connor took four shots per game the year he scored 47 goals — a career high — but he and Scheifele are each on pace for 52 goals so far this season. Neither player has hit 50 in his career; there is something compelling about Connor clearing that plateau this season.

Who will lead them in regular season points?

If Scheifele can’t keep pace with Connor for goals, at least he has 70.8 percent of your votes in this poll.

It’s wild to think but, in the five seasons since Blake Wheeler relinquished the Jets’ point scoring crown, Scheifele has led the team twice, Connor has led the team twice and they tied each other for the lead in 2019-20. The race might be closer than it seems.

Which Jets, if anyone, will win an end-of-season award? Choose all that apply.

Jets fans have spoken and they’ve given the Jack Adams Trophy to Scott Arniel and the Vezina Trophy — and/or the Jennings, and/or the Hart — to Hellebuyck. You’re not as certain that Connor will challenge for the Rocket or Art Ross, Adam Lowry will win the Selke or Josh Morrissey will win the Norris.

I think you’ve voted well, although you might not want Arniel to win the Jack Adams after all:

In May 2023, the NHL announced its finalists for the Jack Adams as coach of the year: Jim Montgomery, Dave Hakstol and Lindy Ruff.

Just 18 months later, all three have since been fired.

— Down Goes Brown (@DownGoesBrown) November 19, 2024

Paul Maurice is back in town right away. How do you feel about his departure three years down the road?

It’s been almost three years since Paul Maurice stepped down from the Jets head coaching job. The move was one Maurice initially wanted to make in the summer of 2021, a few months before his eventual departure — a move he ultimately said would mark a good day for him and the Jets alike. Now Maurice has a Stanley Cup and the Jets lead the NHL.

But how do you feel about it all?

Almost all of you are happy about how things have gone. I thought it was interesting to see how many of you owned up to being disappointed when Maurice first stepped down. I thought it was candid of you to share the change in your thinking as the years have gone by.

When Maurice won the Cup, did you hear him say he hopes Winnipeg will win it next? How did that make you feel?

It was a comment heard around the hockey world. Mere moments had passed since Florida beat Edmonton in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final, escaping Connor McDavid and company’s attempt to come back from a 3-0 series deficit. Maurice was interviewed in the midst of his jubilation, eventually telling Kyle Bukauskas of Sportsnet that his one remaining wish was for Winnipeg to win the next Stanley Cup.

"If I could have one thing more, it would be for the Winnipeg Jets to win the next Stanley Cup"

— Paul Maurice, to @sportsnetkyle, on Sportsnet

— Murat Ates (@WPGMurat) June 25, 2024

Maurice was clearly caught up in the moment. He’s backtracked on those comments, saying that Florida hopes to hold on to the Cup for a while — that Winnipeg can have it when the Panthers are done.

On Tuesday in Winnipeg, he said, “It’s like most things in my life. It’s out of my mouth before my brain decides whether I should say it or not.”

Then he attempted to explain why he felt the way that he did.

“I can’t explain the emotion and it’s different for everybody,” Maurice said. “There’s this incredible sense of peace, like love. I love those guys in that (Panthers) room. And it’s so hard to win. But I feel the same way about everybody here (in Winnipeg). I still love this place. My daughter lives here. My kids went to high school here. So much of this is just home and Winnipeg is a special team. It’s not like anyplace else. It’s in a different market. It’s not the biggest market. They’ve lost their team, it’s come back. There’s a connection there. I would love for all of the people that I love here in Winnipeg to feel what I was feeling on the ice.”

It’s a story that Winnipeg media has run with and it certainly made the rounds on social media the night Maurice won the Cup.

How do you actually feel about it?

Pretty darned good, it turns out — and probably even better now that the Jets beat the Panthers 6-3 at Canada Life Centre.

Pick an early-season MVP

There are some incredible goaltending performances going on around the league right now, from Lukas Dostal’s league-leading goals saved above expected (GSAx) in Anaheim to Filip Gustavsson’s .926 save percentage in 14 games for Minnesota. Hellebuyck is right up there with both goalies and his long-term track record implies the kind of staying power that will put him back in the conversation for the Vezina Trophy.

In the meantime, he’s your early-season Jets MVP.

Grade Winnipeg’s season so far:

I didn’t even consider an “A+” option in past versions of this poll, thinking it best to keep things simple. The Jets’ early performance prompted me to offer A+ as a choice and almost 80 percent of you thought it was the best one.

A+: 78.7 percent

A: 20.3 percent

B: 0.8 percent

C: 0.2 percent

D: None

F: None

Can you suggest a best “pleasant surprise” so far?

There were so many interesting, valid responses to this question that touched on all aspects of the organization. Concepts like coaching, team chemistry and the Jets’ record were referenced frequently.

But there were four clear front-runners for your love.

1. Neal Pionk’s resurgence
2. The power play’s remarkable improvement
3. Rasmus Kupari’s development
4. Cole Perfetti taking the next step
5. Dylan Samberg emerging as a top-four defenceman

What’s the best story of the Jets season to date?

When a team puts together the best 15-game run to start a season in NHL history — and then follows it up by becoming the fastest team to win 15 games in NHL history — it’s hard to argue with “breaking records” as a great storyline of the season so far.

Dig a little deeper, though, and your favourite storylines are the why of it all.

1. Winnipeg’s record-breaking start to the season
2. The revamped power play
3. Scott Arniel’s coaching
4. Team chemistry and balanced scoring
5. Connor Hellebuyck’s stellar goaltending

I like your commitment to process!

What should Winnipeg do when Ville Heinola returns?

Finally, a “news of the day” type item: Ville Heinola is ready to go, so we’re bumping this question up into Part 1 of our survey.

I asked you what the Jets should do with him when he returned to full health.

A substantial portion of you suggested a conditioning stint in those “other” votes, while others thought the No. 6 job should belong to him outright.

What will Winnipeg do?

It was fascinating to see your votes change when it comes to your expectations of what the Jets would actually do with Heinola. Lots of you assumed he’d be relegated to the press box or even waived, while some of your write-in votes in the “other” section included trades, wishes of good health and the aforementioned conditioning stint.

Winnipeg assigned Heinola to the Manitoba Moose for the purposes of a conditioning stint on Monday. While conditioning stints can last as long as 14 days without a player requiring waivers, the Jets don’t plan on leaving Heinola in the AHL that long. He’ll play for the Moose on Thursday and Saturday in Winnipeg before flying to Minnesota on Sunday to join the Jets on their road trip.

“I’m probably his biggest fan here,” Arniel said on Tuesday. “I want to see him.”

He then joked that he asked Moose head coach Mark Morrison to play Heinola 30 minutes per game to get him up to speed. Let’s be realistic: Heinola is coming from a long way back after missing training camp and the first quarter of the season. A recovery from where he’s at to consistent NHL minutes will take time.

If he makes that recovery, finally taking the next vital steps in his development, then it’s easy to see him finding success with veteran Colin Miller on the Jets’ third pair. Your own votes reflect that it’s a long road, with plenty of competition from Haydn Fleury and Logan Stanley, and the No. 6 job is anything but a guarantee.

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Stay tuned for Part 2 of this early-season Jets fan survey, wherein you plot Winnipeg’s course through the trade deadline, playoffs and the litany of difficult, franchise-altering decisions ahead.

(Photo: James Carey Lauder / Imagn Images)