Jets’ league-best defense highlights how the team as a whole continues to be discounted, despite back-to-back seasons of elite defensive dominance.
Anchored by the league’s top defense, the Winnipeg Jets’ recent success has been no fluke. Yet, despite this, many media outlets continue to overlook their strongest asset in an elite defensive core that deserves far more recognition.
On Tuesday, The Athletic's Harman Dayal and James Mirtle released their rankings of the NHL’s top defensive units and the Jets were notably absent from the top tier. Instead, they were grouped with middle-of-the-pack defenses like the Canucks and Oilers, a surprising placement for a team widely regarded for its defensive prowess.
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In the top tier, the Colorado Avalanche led the pack, followed by the Florida Panthers, Dallas Stars, and Carolina Hurricanes. Notably, the Jets outperformed all of these teams last season, finishing with a league-best average of just 2.32 goals against per game. Among this group, only the Avalanche had more goals scored by defensemen thanks largely to Cale Makar.
In the second tier, the Vancouver Canucks led the way, followed by the Washington Capitals, Edmonton Oilers, and then Winnipeg. But when it comes to defensive performance, the Jets were clearly a cut above everyone again. They allowed the fewest goals in the league (190), 13 fewer goals ahead of the next closest team, the LA Kings. Winnipeg also gave up the fewest even-strength goals and were tied for the fifth-fewest power-play goals against (41), alongside the Dallas Stars and Vegas Golden Knights.
While rankings and perceptions continue to try and switch the narrative, the numbers tell a completely different story, one that paints the Jets’ blue line as not just good, but the very best in the league for two straight seasons now. Whether it’s limiting goals, shutting down power plays, or simply keeping the puck out of their net better than anyone else, the team's that play the Jets know how difficult it is to go against their defense.
Including the injured Dylan Samberg, who’s expected to miss one to two months in the evaluation overlooks the fact that Winnipeg’s defense has consistently performed at a high level for years. Once again, it feels like bulletin board material for a team that still has Stanley Cup aspirations and is looking to build on last season’s second-round playoff run.
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