theScore is previewing each team leading up to the 2016-17 season.
After delivering fans in Winnipeg postseason hockey for the first time in almost two decades, the Jets fell short of adjusted expectation last season, quickly falling out of the race in the perpetually ultra-competitive Central Division.
With lessons learned and a new lease on life, along with second overall pick Patrik Laine leading a whack of quality prospects who've inched closer to contributing, there's plenty of reasons for optimism.
And yet that division remains.
Here are three questions facing the Jets:
Who breaks out?
For good reason, all eyes will be on Laine when the season begins. This is the magnetic, pure, lethal goal-scorer Winnipeg has been without in its most recent history - except this team isn't limited to its big-ticket draft night addition when it comes to assessing breakout candidates.
Well-established, but not yet in the upper echelon of NHL stars, Mark Scheifele created offense at an astounding rate over the final eight weeks of last season. He scored 17 times and contributed a league-best 29 primary points over that span, showing every sign that he's capable of being a dominant No. 1 center in the NHL.
There's also Nikolaj Ehlers. On a line with Scheifele and Blake Wheeler late in the year, the dynamic attacking talents that made him the ninth overall pick began translating before an eye injury stalled his momentum. And along with Laine, we're expected to see the rookie season of Kyle Connor, the Hobey Baker runner-up who led the nation in scoring in his dominant final season at Michigan.
The Jets are loaded with fresh faces primed to make an impact, a luxury that's become paramount in the NHL.
Trouba: Will someone flinch?
Leverage may be on the Jets' side in their standoff with a 22-year-old defender with four more seasons of organizational control. But make no mistake: Jacob Trouba's conviction that his development is being curtailed because of his affiliation is an enormous blow to the Jets.
While his request is borne out of the fact that right-shot defense is a clear position of strength, without him, Winnipeg is rendered dangerously thin on the backline, and a team with an enduring inability to stay out of the box would be without its minutes-eater on the kill.
If the two sides remain at an impasse, the Jets are seriously undermining their ability to contend for a postseason spot, in the same way Trouba's risking his own career trajectory. And if they appease his request - and the return is anything short of a direct comparable in terms of contract, control, position, and ability - then the Jets risk squandering one of their more valuable assets in a league that tends to punish such mistakes.
Who's in net?
The biggest question emanating from the actual happenings at Jets camp is centered around a cluttered crease. Ondrej Pavelec, Michael Hutchinson, and Connor Hellebuyck all had turns shouldering the load last season, and each made cases to return in that capacity with encouraging performances in camp.
The veteran Pavelec is entering the final season of his current deal, valued at $3.9 million. He's likely not part of the future, and, statistically, he's been a subpar starter throughout his career with the Jets. At the same time, his peak late in the 2015 season was the driving force behind this team's lone playoff appearance.
Hutchinson's destined for the backup role; this is defined by the two-year, $2-million extension he signed over the summer. While that transaction cleared up his situation, it introduced more uncertainty for Hellebuyck, who posted the best numbers among Jets goalies last season.
Hellebuyck remains on a two-way deal, so the goaltender with options - who many consider the best option - figures to start in the minors for at least one more season barring a trade, an injury, or the rare decision to roll with three goaltenders.
