NHL Saturday is winding down this miniseries on each active franchise’s best players, historically, as we have just three “long-term” teams to go—and three, unique short-time organizations, too (yes, we also have a problem here with defunct teams of substance, to be addressed later). Alas, let’s get to it today with the “second” version of the Winnipeg Jets, originally born in Atlanta as the Thrashers in 1999. Wild ride ahead!

No. 10: Bryan Little, RW—53 PS (2007-2020)

He transitioned from Atlanta to Winnipeg after his first four NHL seasons; this No. 12 overall pick in the draft never made an All-Star team or contended for a major award. His best season was 2013-2014, with 7.2 Point Shares, so he was never a dominant skater. The team made the postseason with him just three times, although the Jets did reach the Western Conference Finals (2018), little credit to his 12 points in 27 games.

No. 9: Josh Morrissey, D—56 PS (2015-present)

An active Jet this season, he was drafted No. 13 overall: he made the All-Star squad in 2023, and he has also finished in the Top 7 Norris vote the last two seasons, as well, with PS marks over 11.o each time. Just 29 this year, he is in his prime, for sure. He has a four-season streak of posting at least 23:30 ATOI in the regular season, too. Winnipeg is going to reap the benefits of his development for at least a few more years, for sure.

No. 8: Nikolaj Ehlers, LW—56 PS (2015-present)

A Top 10 pick in 2014, he’s never been an All Star or contended for a major award. His career-best 7.3 PS came awhile ago, too, in the 2017-2018 campaign. Perhaps he’s the exemplary definition of a second-line forward who light up the lamp or pile up a lot of penalty minutes. However, he is just 28 still, and he’s currently on pace for his best scoring season ever. He’s been consistently solid, and sometimes that’s enough.

No. 7: Kyle Connor, LW—57 PS (2016-present)

Impressive run of current players here, as the Jets are off to a 15-2 start this season! The No. 17 pick overall, he has been an All-Star selection twice (2022, 2024) as he plays his age-28 year right now. He finished fourth in the Calder voting (2018) and won the Lady Byng in 2022, so there’s that as well. His 10.6 PS in the 2021-2022 season represents his career best at this point, so the organization knows what he is capable of.

No. 6: Ondřej Pavelec, G—58 PS (2007-2017)

Another player who made the trip north from the ATL to Winnipeg, he was a second rounder who got stuck on some awful teams; hence, his 156-167-48 record despite 17 shutouts with the team over 10 seasons. He went 0-4 in his one postseason, too (2015). Twice he cleared 10.0 PS for the Jets (2011-2012), but it didn’t seem to matter at the time in terms of team potential and winning. One of those guys with bad luck, really.

No. 5: Dustin Byfuglien, D—69 PS (2010-2019)

He joined Atlanta after five seasons in Chicago, and he finished his career in Winnipeg. He was an All-Star selection three times with the franchise (2011, 2015-2016), which is impressive for an eighth-round draft pick. Six times he finished in the Top 15 Norris vote while with the organization (2011-2013, 2015-2017); he posted between 7.6 and 9.7 PS in seven different seasons with the Thrashers/Jets. He was consistent, for sure.

No. 4: Ilya Kovalchuk, LW—74 PS (2001-2010)

He was the top overall pick in the 2001 draft, and he made three All-Star teams (2004, 2008-2009) before Atlanta traded him away at age 26. Go figure. He finished second in the 2002 Calder vote and topped the league in goals two seasons later. Yet he only managed to get to one postseason with the Thrashers (2007), despite posting double-digit PS marks in four separate seasons (and one other partial season). Bad timing.

No. 3: Mark Scheifele, C—83 PS (2011-present)

The No. 7 overall pick in the 2011 draft, he’s been an organizational lifer: he also has two All-Star nods (2020-2021) to his credit. Yet he’s never been a serious contender for any major awards, and his best season—10.3 PS in 2016-2017—remains his only season in double-digit valuation. Sadly, though, that 2018 playoff run remains the only time in 7 postseasons that he has gotten the Jets out of the first round (42 games total).

No. 2: Blake Wheeler, RW—85 PS (2011-2023)

After almost three seasons with the Boston Bruins, the Thrashers acquired him at age 24, and he spent many years toiling away for the Jets in Winnipeg. He made two All-Star teams (2018-2019), while leading the league in assists in 2018, too. Yet he played in the same seven playoffs as his teammate above, and the team just couldn’t break through to the Stanley Cup Finals. His 9.4 PS mark in 2015-2016 was his best.

No. 1: Connor Hellebuyck, G—104 PS (2015-present)

A fifth rounder, he’s been a four-time All Star (2018, 2020, 2023-2024), a two-time Vezina vote winner (2020, 2024), and a league leader in multiple categories over his career. We also gave him our 2023 Vezina, as well. This season, currently, at age 31, he is leading the NHL in wins, GAA, save percentage, and shutouts. His 18-27 record in the postseason goes with a .910 save percentage, so he’s not at full fault for all those sads.