The Winnipeg Jets have been hurt by a defensive group that is injury prone in the past few seasons. Of course, it is highly unlikely that the Jets will end up as beat up as they were to end the 2016-2017 season, but the Jets still need some solid AHL defencemen to be available for call-up if needed.
First of all, Tyler Myers should be back and Dmitry Kulikov has been added. Now, Myers is coming off of his second hip injury in two seasons, and Kulikov missed most of last season with a back injury. This is not including Tobias Enstrom who has missed time with various injuries in recent years. With the significance of the injuries that Myers and Kulikov are returning from, it is fair to say that the Jets need some reliable depth players they can call up if needed.
The Jets forward depth is solid with Kyle Connor, Jack Roslovic, and Chase De Leo. Their defensive depth is no nearly as good and that could become a problem. Even though the Jets have players who managed when they were called up last season, it was not ideal to have Julien Melchiori and Nelson Nogier on the blueline at the same time. However, the Jets are lacking other options to call up and play instead of those two.
The Jets NHL defensive depth was instantly improved with the signing of Kulikov. Now, they have to make sure there are players in the AHL who can be readily called up and not put the team in a tough spot.
