Ranking the Top-5 Defencemen in Jets 2.0 History

Since the Winnipeg Jets returned to the NHL for the 2011-12 season, they have established themselves as one of the league’s top franchises in terms of success with a 519-381-95 record.

During that span, Winnipeg also finished top-12 in goals against average with 2.81 which beats out former Stanley Cup Champions like the Florida Panthers, Tampa Bay Lightning and Colorado Avalanche.

The Jets have shown time and time again they are a defensive minded team that can always beat you with their talent on the back-end and in net. We look back at which defencemen have made the most impact since the Jets formally rejoined the NHL in 2011. We will be referring to the Jets' second stint in the NHL as the Jets new era.

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5. Dylan DeMelo

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The 31-year-old just re-signed with the Jets on a four-year extension valued at $19.6 million. You may be asking why Tyler Myers or Brenden Dillon isn't in this spot. Myers finished with 114 points compared to DeMelo's 80 with the Jets so far. The London native isn't a flashy player but plays a key role and it shows in his underlying numbers.

He has the best plus/minus of any Jets defenceman in their new era at +77 and has averaged the sixth-most hits per 60 minutes of a Jets blueliners to have played 200 or more games with a 5.08 average. DeMelo also has a solid blocks-per-game rate at 4.39 so far in his Jets career.

4. Toby Enstrom

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Tobias Enstrom made his way over to Winnipeg from Atlanta and immediately found a fit with the team's coaching staff, new teammates and fans alike.

A solid, puck-moving defenceman, Enstrom was small in stature, but skated like the wind. He wasn't easily knocked off the puck, either.

Enstrom finished his career with 54 goals and a whopping 254 assists for 308 points. 22 of his goals came on the power play, which is second to only Dustin Byfuglien's 38 markers on the man advantage.

3. Jacob Trouba

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The current captain of the New York Rangers was a mainstay on the Jets' back-end before his departure to the Big Apple. When playing in Winnipeg, Trouba recorded the third-most points by a defenceman in the Jets new era (179) and finished with a top-5 plus/minus at +37 in 408 games.

The Rochester product always made his presence felt with booming hits that would shake opposing players to their core. He finished with a hits per 60 minutes average of 4.10 and was underrated with his takeaway abilities that saw him average 1.28 per 60 minutes, which is fourth-best in the Jets new era.

2. Josh Morrissey

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The former Prince Albert Raider has worked his way up from the AHL to becoming a superstar stud on the blueline. Not many NHL defenceman can dish the puck like Morrissey can, and it shows as he is top-4 in points for blueliners (145) over the past two seasons and has the second-most points at the position (311) in Jets new era.

His recent partnership with teammate Dylan DeMelo has been a match made in heaven, as the duo had the third-most goals by a defensive pairing last season (62) and played the second-most minutes played together with a staggering total of 1,207 minutes.

1. Dustin Byfuglien

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One of the most thrilling defenceman in hockey history was Big Buff. The winger-turned-defenceman not only helped carry the Jets on offence at times from the blueline but also delivered crushing hits and played the position skillfully, providing the team with a legit shut-down option on the back-end.

The Minnesota native is the Jets' all-time leader for a defencemen in goals (122), assists (294), points (416), penalty minutes (826) and hits (1,377).

Honourable Mention: Neal Pionk

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The Omaha native has been solid addition to the Jets backend since coming over from the Rangers just before the 2019-20 season and has made a name for himself with his stellar play. Pionk, 26, has found his way into being a solid 30-40 point producer on a regular basis and last season allowed just 34 goals against when playing in his routine pairing with Brenden Dillon.

Unfortunately, the pair will be broken up with Dillon going to New Jersey, but Pionk can still contribute his points alongside Dylan Samberg. During the Jets new era, Pionk has the third-most assists (150) and the fourth-most points (177) for a defenceman.