As the days in August wind down to a close, the National Hockey League’s offseason hits its home stretch with training camps set to begin next month.
The Winnipeg Jets enter this season fresh off of a banner 2024-25 campaign that saw them claim the franchise’s first-ever Presidents’ Trophy with the top record at 56-22-4 among the league’s 32 teams.
Winnipeg’s roster underwent significant change over the offseason, marked by the departure of Brandon Tanev, Mason Appleton, and Nikolaj Ehlers. In the wake of those losses, general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff shored up his forward group in free agency with the signings of Gustav Nyquist, Tanner Pearson, and Winnipeg native Jonathan Toews.
Toews is attempting an NHL comeback with the Jets after sitting out the past two seasons while dealing with health issues, including a bout with Chronic Immune Response Syndrome.
The three-time Stanley Cup champion inked a one-year deal with his hometown team over the summer and figures to slide into the top six while captain Adam Lowry recovers from offseason hip surgery.
“I think we’re in a really good spot again,” goaltender Eric Comrie said on the state of the Jets Wednesday morning on TSN1050’s First Up. “I think we have a veteran team, I know we’ve lost a few really good players and big, key pieces but I think our GM does an amazing job of bringing in some really good players.
“The core of our group is still the same and if you have Connor Hellebuyck in net, I think you have a chance to win every single night. He’s the best goalie in the world and he just does an amazing job of building confidence in our group and giving us a chance to win every single night.”
Comrie had a front-row seat to one of the great goaltending seasons in recent memory from Hellebuyck, who posted a 2.01 goals-against average and a .925 save-percentage in 63 games played.
He took home his third-career Vezina Trophy as the NHL’s best goaltender, the most among active players, and the Hart Memorial Trophy as the league’s most valuable player.
The Commerce Township, Mich. native became the first netminder to win the Hart since Carey Price did so in 2015, and the fourth overall at the position in the expansion era.
Winnipeg’s 2024-25 season ended in a six-game series loss to the Dallas Stars in the second round, the further the team has gone since a Western Conference Final loss to the Vegas Golden Knights in 2018.
“I think we still have a very good team and a very good chance of doing some great things,” Comrie added. “Last year was such an amazing season, we’re just looking to build off that success.”
A second-round pick of the Jets in the 2013 draft, Comrie made his NHL debut during the 2016-17 season. He played sparingly behind Hellebuyck in his first stint with the team, making just five appearances over three years before being placed on waivers in 2019.
The Edmonton native would then bounce around the league, spending time with the Arizona Coyotes, Detroit Red Wings, New Jersey Devils, and Buffalo Sabres, as well as another stint with the Jets in 2021-22.
The 30-year-old netminder signed a two-year deal with the Jets in the summer of 2024, once again in back-up role behind Hellebuyck, who Comrie says has played a big role in his development.
“Just learning from [Hellebuyck] on a day-to-day basis is unbelievable,” he said. “He’s built my game more than any goalie coach or anything like that because I can watch him every day in practice. How he works, how efficient he is in the net, even just every single game we talk all the time.
"I ask, ‘What did you think on that play, why’d you play it like this’ and he’s so open with me and tells me everything he’s thinking, which is unbelievable. You don’t get that a lot. Just the relationship we have has been so close, we’re really good friends off the ice. We golf together, we hang out together, we just have a lot of fun, and I think it really helps having that relationship.
"Some guys, it’s less of a partnership. We’re truly a partnership and we’re cheering for each other every single night. It’s special that we have that and I’m super excited that he’s willing to help me that much and make me grow as a player and as a person.”
