For the last 22 years (12 with The Hockey News) Dobber and the team have reviewed each team from a fantasy-hockey standpoint and graded them.

The 23rd annual review has appeared here on DobberHockey throughout the summer, and concludes here with the Jets. This is not a review of the likely performance on the ice or in the standings, but in the realm of fantasy hockey both for the season ahead as well as the foreseeable future. Offensively, will the team perform? Are there plenty of depth options worthy of owning in keeper leagues? What about over the next two or three years? These questions are what we take into consideration when looking at the depth chart and the player potential on that depth chart.

Enjoy!

Gone – Nikolaj Ehlers, Mason Appleton, Rasmus Kupari, Dylan Coghlan, Brandon Tanev, Chris Driedger

Incoming – Gustav Nyquist, Jonathan Toews, Phil Di Giuseppe, Walker Duehr, Kale Clague, Samuel Fagemo, Tanner Pearson, Cole Koepke

Impact of changes – Losing Nikolaj Ehlers plus a handful of depth players, and replacing him with a 37-year-old Jonathan Toews plus a handful of depth players is likely not the recipe for a step forward over the previous year. However, the Jets finished as the top team in the Western Conference last year, so even by taking a step back they are likely still firmly in the playoff picture, and noteworthy for fantasy purposes.

Ehlers was a point-per-game player despite still playing under 16 minutes per game, and he finally broke through with a healthy 22 power play points. Those minutes and scoring opportunities are going to be filled by some internal growth, as neither Toews nor the 36-year-old Nyquist are going to be able to fill those shoes. Enter Cole Perfetti who is right at his breakout threshold, who should jump in as the fourth forward on the top power play.

Overall, the team also brought in more depth pieces than they lost, which should help the competition in the bottom half of the lineup, which was lacking at times last year.

Ready for Full Time –

With the added depth, and the contention window the Jets have had the last number of years, there aren't any high upside prospects or near-locks of young players making the team.

Is this the year though that we finally see Ville Heinola make a full-time impact? Initially he looks like defenseman number eight or nine on the depth chart, but there are a few injury-prone players ahead of him, and after the top four, nothing is written in more than pencil now. He has a bit more pedigree than some as a former first-round pick who has also scored well at the AHL level. It hasn't translated to the NHL yet, but he is still only 24 and has had injuries hold him back. There's still some runway here.

Up front, again the added depth makes it a long shot that we see any real in-roads by prospects this year, but the best bet might be Nikita Chibrikov. He played four games last season, notching three points. However, he hasn't really jumped above the 0.5 pts/g rate in the AHL, and has been a heavy minus player there. If there's an injury to a scoring forward, then maybe Chibrikov gets a shot, but he likely won't be able to carve out a depth role due to the need to be a bit more sheltered.

Fantasy Outlook:

Overall, the Jets are a top-tier team in the league, and have a very clear hierarchy of scorers, which makes them excellent to own in fantasy leagues, as there is consistency and certainty there with the production. The depth options do leave something to be desired, especially up front with the aging replacements for Ehlers.

On the back end, Josh Morrissey is a top-10 fantasy defenseman, while Neal Pionk had a bounce back year offensively to go with some excellent peripherals. The rest of the D-core offers a nice blend of upsides, with some bigger bangers players, and both Samberg and Heinola as PP2 options if injuries occur.

In net, they boast the current best regular-season goalie in the world in Connor Hellebuyck. He has been absolutely fantastic for three straight years now, and has been above-average or better for his entire career. He's the safest and best goalie to own in fantasy right now, while Eric Comrie behind him will remain a worthwhile option for spot-starts or streaming in his 20 games this year too.

After being tied for third in team goals for last year, Dobber has them projected to fall to 14^th this year, but they're more likely to stick as a top-10 team than they are likely to end up lower than 20. They are firmly in their contention window now, and without a top-tier next wave coming, the team could slide a little over the coming years.

Grade – A- (last year was B-)