Previously, the Winnipeg Jets have followed up strong regular season performances with playoff flops. Thus, gamblers and fans remain skeptical. Still, no team has been more surprising this season than the Winnipeg Jets. It was feared that the coaching transition from the retired Rick Bowness to Scott Arniel would cause a drop in production. Instead, Arniel is leading a resurgence. Winnipeg began the second half of the season as the top seed in the Western Conference. But the big NHL future odds question will not come until April when the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs begin.
Since making the Western Conference Final in 2018, the Jets have not gotten past the first round in five out of six playoff appearances.
2025 Winnipeg Jets Team Overview
Just past the midway point of the 2024-25 NHL season, the Winnipeg Jets were 32-14-3 straight up and 21-25-3 over/under the offshore betting total. Also, Winnipeg was first in the Western Conference playoff standings. The Vegas Golden Knights were five points behind the Jets in the Western Conference playoff race. Winnipeg had NHL rankings of 3rd for goals scored and 1st for power play efficiency. In comparison, on defense, the Jets had NHL rankings of 4th for goals against and 15th for penalty killing.
2025 Winnipeg Players, Goaltending, and Coach
LW Kyle Connor was the 17th overall pick in the 2015 NHL Draft by the Jets, whom he has played for since 2017-18. Connor scored 34 goals last season. So far this season, Connor has led Winnipeg with 26 goals, 34 assists, 60 points, and a +2.
C Mark Scheifele was the 7th overall pick of the 2011 NHL Draft by the Jets. Scheifele began his NHL career with the Jets in 2012-13. Previously, Scheifele is a two-time NHL All-Star. He scored 25 goals last year. This year was a solid start with 27 goals, 27 assists, 54 points and a +3.
Number one defenseman Josh Morrissey has emerged as one of the NHL’s most complete blueliners. The Jets selected Morrissey 13th overall in the 2013 NHL Draft. Last year, he scored ten goals and 59 assists in 2023-24. So far, Morrisey has five goals, 37 assists, 42 points and a +9.
Head coach Rick Bowness retired at the end of last NHL odds season. Scott Arniel was named his replacement. Previously, he was the head coach of the Columbus Blue Jackets and was an NHL assistant for a decade after that.
Jets Team History
Initially, founded in 1999 as the Atlanta Thrashers, the franchise moved to Winnipeg in 2011 due to ownership issues in the Peach State. This is the second iteration of the Winnipeg Jets.
The long-term concern for the Jets and their fans is if they can ever really win a Stanley Cup. In 2017-18 it seemed as if the Jets were on the cusp. But in the Western Conference Final, Winnipeg was upset by the expansion Vegas Golden Knights. That was the only conference final in team history. Since then, the Jets have never come that close.
Winnipeg remains a difficult sell for free-agent players. And free agent coaches for that manner. In the summer of 2022, local product Barry Trotz was available in the head coaching market. But after serious talks with the Jets, Trotz decided not to take the job. The best players in the NHL never consider coming to Winnipeg, known for its harsh winters. Of major concern is that the Jets are often in danger of losing their best players for that reason, as well as oppressive Canadian taxes.