Anderson-Dolan (foot) has begun skating back in Winnipeg while the team is on its two-game road trip, Mike McIntyre of the Winnipeg Free Press reports Wednesday.
While it's certainly a step in the right direction, Anderson-Dolan should probably still be considered week-to-week after suffering his broken foot. Even once given the all-clear, the winger is far from a lock to move into the lineup and could find himself sharing minutes with Alex Iafallo, David Gustafsson and Rasmus Kupari. As such, Anderson-Dolan is unlikely to offer more than low-end fantasy value this year.
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Jets' Ville Heinola: Starts skating
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Although Heinola (ankle) isn't with the Jets in Detroit for Wednesday's road game, he has resumed skating back in Winnipeg, per Mike McIntyre of the Winnipeg Free Press.
Heinola isn't expected to be close to returning, but this is a good step on his road to recovery. He underwent ankle surgery in September after he suffered an infection related to a screw from a previous operation. Heinola had an assist in 10 appearances with the Jets in 2022-23. During the 2023-24 campaign, he recorded 10 goals and 27 points across 41 regular-season outings with AHL Manitoba.
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Jets' Connor Hellebuyck: Poised to start Wednesday
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Hellebuyck is set to be between the pipes on the road against Detroit on Wednesday, Mitchell Clinton of the Jets' official site reports.
Hellebuyck is coming off his first loss of the season in Monday's 6-4 defeat to the Maple Leafs, having given up five goals on 35 shots (.857 save percentage). Despite the one bad outing, the 31-year-old Michigan native is still sporting a career-best 2.14 GAA and .925 save percentage while going 6-1-0 in seven appearances. With Hellebuyck nearly unbeatable and no back-to-backs on the short-term schedule, he should continue to see a heavy workload going forward.
Vilardi scored a goal on two shots and added a power-play assist in Monday's 6-4 loss to the Maple Leafs.
The Jets didn't get much depth scoring in their first loss of the season, but the top line was in fine form. Vilardi, Mark Scheifele and Kyle Connor combined for all four goals and a total of eight points in the loss. Vilardi hasn't started as well as his linemates but still has two goals, six points (three on the power play), 12 shots on net and a minus-4 rating over nine outings. As long as he's on the top line, the 25-year-old should be a reliable scoring-only option for fantasy managers.
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Jets' Mark Scheifele: On career pace
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Scheifele scored a goal and added an assist in Monday's 6-4 loss to Toronto.
Scheifele has six goals and six assists, along with 23 shots, in his first nine games. He's the heartbeat of the Jets and a big reason they won their first eight games. Scheifele is on pace for his best season ever -- he delivered 84 points, including 38 goals, in 2018-19. And his 42 goals in 2022-23 is his high-water mark for snipes. Three words: set and forget.
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Jets' Josh Morrissey: Off to best season yet
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Morrissey put up a trio of assists Monday in a 6-4 loss to the Maple Leafs.
Two of the apples came on the power play. Morrissey sits tied for second overall in scoring from the blue line with one goal and 10 assists in nine games. Five of his assists have come with the man advantage, and he's fired 18 shots. Morrissey isn't a 100-point defender as his pace would project. But this could still be a career season -- his previous best is 76 points, including 16 goals, which he set in 2022-23. He's a worthy fantasy number one.
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Jets' Connor Hellebuyck: Had to lose at some point
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Hellebuyck made 30 saves in a 6-4 loss to the Maple Leafs on Monday. He allowed five goals.
Hellebuyck wasn't bad -- the Maple Leafs' second line was dominant. John Tavares and William Nylander were reunited on the second line, and they were joined by Max Pacioretty. Together, the trio produced nine points, including a Tavares hattie. Hellebuyck will already have this behind him. He's arguably the best regular-season goalie in the NHL, and that's reflected in his 6-1-0 record, 2.14 GAA and .925 save percentage.
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Jets' Kyle Connor: Season-opening streak at 9 games
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Connor scored twice and added two assists in a 6-4 loss to Toronto on Monday.
Both goals came on the power play. Connor sits in a three-way tie with Mikko Rantanen and Nikita Kucherov for eighth on the NHL scoring list with 14 points (nine games). His eight goals are one shy of the NHL lead, held by Nico Hischier. Connor has tallied in every Winnipeg game this season, and he has propelled the Jets to an 8-1-0 start to the year. The 27-year-old is a fantasy juggernaut right now, and with this start, another 90-plus point season could be in the cards, health willing.
Hellebuyck will protect the home net Monday against Toronto, Mitchell Clinton of the Jets' official site reports.
Hellebuyck has won six straight games to begin the 2024-25 season, posting one shutout and allowing 10 goals on 166 shots. Still, he has struggled against Toronto, earning a 7-9-3 record with a 3.07 GAA and a .906 save percentage across 21 appearances.
Niederreiter registered two assists, three shots on goal, five hits and two PIM in Saturday's 5-3 win over the Flames.
Niederreiter is on a four-game point streak, earning four goals and two assists in that span. This was his third multi-point effort of the campaign, and he continues to thrive on Winnipeg's strong third line. Overall, the veteran winger is at four goals, four assists, 20 shots on net, 18 hits and a plus-9 rating through eight contests.
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Jets' Adam Lowry: Provides pair of helpers
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Lowry logged two assists, two shots on goal and a plus-2 rating in Saturday's 5-3 win over the Flames.
One of Lowry's helpers came on a shorthanded goal by Kyle Connor in the first period. This was Lowry's first multi-point effort since Opening Night, but he has been consistent as a depth scorer for the undefeated Jets. The center has two goals, five helpers, 13 shots on net, 13 hits and a plus-8 rating over eight appearances. While he'll rarely see power-play time, he gets enough ice time and adds strong non-scoring numbers in a middle-six role to earn a look in fantasy.
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Jets' Dylan Samberg: Finds twine Saturday
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Samberg scored a goal on two shots, added two PIM and went plus-3 in Saturday's 5-3 win over the Flames.
Samberg has two points over his last three contests. The 25-year-old defenseman doesn't score a lot -- his two goals this season already matches his career high from 2022-23. He's at three points, 13 shots on net, 10 hits, nine blocked shots, four PIM and a plus-5 rating over eight outings in a second-pairing role.
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Jets' Cole Perfetti: Tallies on power play
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Perfetti scored a power-play goal in Saturday's 5-3 win over the Flames.
Perfetti cashed in at 16:16 of the third period to break a 3-3 tie. The winger's slow start is quickly becoming a distant memory -- he's earned nine points over his last five games, accounting for all of his offense on the year. Perfetti has added 19 shots on net, six blocked shots and a plus-7 rating across eight outings this season, and he's seeing steady time in a second-line role.
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Jets' Nikolaj Ehlers: Scores again Saturday
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Ehlers scored a power-play goal on five shots and added two PIM in Saturday's 5-3 win over the Flames.
Ehlers' shot was deflected in off the skate of a Calgary player to tie the game at 1-1 just 1:51 into the first period. It extended Ehlers' point streak to five contests (four goals, four assists). The winger is thriving on the Jets' second line, earned 10 points (three on the power play), 21 shots on net and a plus-7 rating over eight outings. Ehlers' top performance is a season is 64 goals in 2016-17, but he could find another level if Winnipeg's strong start to the campaign isn't a smokescreen.
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Jets' Neal Pionk: Extends point streak to five games
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Pionk notched two assists, one shorthanded, in Saturday's 5-3 win over the Flames.
The veteran blueliner extended his point streak to five games with the performance, a stretch in which he's collected one goal and nine points. Pionk's hot start to the campaign has come without the benefit of consistent power-play time, and once the undefeated Jets begin to cool down, his production will likely cool down as well.
