Projecting Jets' Defensive Pairings For The 2025-26 Season
As the Winnipeg Jets prepare for the next NHL season, the buzz around their projected lineup has started to commence with fans wondering what they can expect to see from the 2025-26 team. It's very early to say what the coaching staff will decide to roll out with but the Daily Faceoff has started their early predictions for Winnipeg's lineup and it appears to have some accurate aspects to it.
We look to break down the projected top six defencemen and how likely it is for the pairings to come into fruition on opening night. With the help of MoneyPuck, we'll be looking at some numbers available for the lines past performance and how successful they were.
Projecting Jets' Forward Lines For The 2025-26 Season As the Winnipeg Jets prepare for the next NHL season, the buzz around their projected lineup has started to commence with fans wondering what they can expect to see from the 2025-26 team.
1st Pair: Josh Morrissey - Dylan DeMelo
The Jets top defensive pairing is coming off a season, where they played more minutes together than any other pairing in the NHL. With 1,225 minutes played together over 80 of the 82 games in the regular season, the dynamic duo were on the ice for 51 goals scored while only surrendering 35 goals. Their chemistry is undeniable and will continue playing a factor in Winnipeg's 2.49 team goals against average that ranks first in the NHL over the last three seasons.
2nd Pair: Dylan Samberg - Neal Pionk
Winnipeg's second unit on the backend was also lethal with 710 minutes played together over 48 games played. The duo was on the ice for 36 goals scored, which outranked notable pairings with more minutes played like Vegas' Noah Hanifan and Alex Pietrangelo, who played 771 minutes but scored 34 goals or Minnesota's Brock Faber and Jake Middleton, who played 945 minutes but only scored 32 goals.
It's a telling sign when your team's second defensive unit is outscoring other teams first unit especially contenders like the Golden Knights and Wild. Samberg and Pionk allowed just 21 goals while on the ice together and had the second-best goal differential of any defensive pairing with 700 or more minutes played together.
3rd Pair: Logan Stanley - Luke Schenn
Schenn was one of the Jets most notable adds from the trade deadline this past season but his chemistry with Stanley wasn't as smooth as people hoped. They played 36 minutes together over five playoff games and were on the ice for one goal scored and four surrendered. The regular season wasn't much better as they played 38 minutes together and totaled another three goals against with no goals scored.
This lack of time together likely didn't give them much of a rhythm when working with each other and an offseason with extended time playing together should completely revitalize this line and make them far more productive. If the line doesn't work out, the Jets will have options in Haydn Fleury and Colin Miller that will both likely work in and see time if this line continues to struggle.
Could Winnipeg Target Pending Free Agent Martin Necas? Insider reports indicate the Avalanche feeling forward Martin Necas may not re-sign and could look to deal him.
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