The Winnipeg Jets and Colorado Avalanche meet Friday, September 25, in a preseason finale where the final score matters less to fantasy hockey managers than who gets the premium offensive minutes.
Winnipeg enters with Mark Scheifele and Kyle Connor coming off 103 and 92-point seasons, while Cole Perfetti has spent training camp getting a potentially valuable look beside them. Colorado brings an even more explosive fantasy foundation led by Nathan MacKinnon, Martin Necas and Cale Makar, although Makar’s lower-body injury makes his availability an important game-day question.
There is another major Winnipeg storyline in goal. Connor Hellebuyck remains suspended after failing to report to training camp, which has created a much larger immediate role for Stuart Skinner. Skinner already stopped 31 shots when Winnipeg beat Colorado 3-1 earlier this preseason.
What I’m watching: Winnipeg’s power-play deployment, whether Perfetti remains attached to Scheifele and Connor, Colorado’s usage of its established stars, and how the Avalanche distribute offensive-defenseman minutes if Makar does not dress. In a preseason game, those developments can tell fantasy managers more than the scoreboard.
Winnipeg Jets vs. Colorado Avalanche Game Information
This is Winnipeg’s fourth and final preseason game. Colorado hosts the Jets at Ball Arena before finishing its exhibition schedule Saturday in Utah. Final dressed rosters and starting goalies had not been confirmed as of the morning of September 25.
Jets vs. Avalanche — Game Information
Winnipeg Jets vs. Colorado Avalanche Fantasy Hockey Matchup Outlook
The 2025-26 baseline strongly favours Colorado. The Avalanche went 55-16-11 for 121 points, scored an NHL-best 298 goals and allowed an NHL-low 197. They averaged 3.63 goals per game and allowed only 2.40. Winnipeg finished 35-35-12 with 82 points, scoring 229 goals and allowing 256.
One intriguing wrinkle is special teams. Colorado’s penalty kill finished at 84.6%, but its power play was only 17.1%. Winnipeg finished at 18.5% on the power play and 77.6% on the penalty kill. The Jets devoted Thursday’s practice to changing their special teams, and their first practice unit included Scheifele, Connor, Vilardi, Perfetti and Morrissey.
2025-26 Team Matchup Baseline
The teams split their four 2025-26 regular-season meetings 2-2, with no game producing more than six combined goals. Winnipeg then won their first preseason meeting 3-1 on September 21, getting goals from Gabriel Vilardi, Cole Perfetti and Dylan DeMelo.
NHL Fantasy Players to Watch in Winnipeg Jets vs. Colorado Avalanche
For Winnipeg, Perfetti is my most interesting usage watch. He has been skating with Connor and Scheifele during camp after finishing last season with 32 points in 68 games. Winnipeg’s established Scheifele-Connor-Vilardi combination was one of the NHL’s most productive five-on-five lines last season, so moving Perfetti into that neighbourhood could materially raise his fantasy ceiling if it survives the preseason.
Morrissey also matters because Winnipeg is actively rebuilding a power play that finished 24th in the NHL. His presence on Thursday’s first unit alongside Scheifele, Connor, Vilardi and Perfetti is more useful to fantasy managers than an exhibition goal from a depth player.
For Colorado, MacKinnon and Necas remain the headline offensive pieces. NHL.com’s regular-season projection has Necas beside MacKinnon and Artturi Lehkonen, while Colorado added Jaden Schwartz and other forward depth during the offseason. That projected alignment is not tonight’s confirmed lineup.
Makar is the major wild card. He is listed day-to-day with a lower-body injury. If he sits, any extra offensive and special-teams work for Devon Toews or Sam Malinski becomes worth monitoring.
NHLTradeRumor.com Fantasy Matchup Projection
NHLTradeRumor Fantasy Watch
0–2 PTS
0–2 PTS
0–1 PTS
0–2 PTS
0–2 PTS
0–1 PTS IF ACTIVE
Another name I would watch is Winnipeg prospect Viggo Björck. He has already received preseason minutes between NHL-calibre players, including Vilardi, and an impressive performance could affect his opportunity once Winnipeg begins making final roster decisions.
Top Five Winnipeg Jets and Colorado Avalanche Fantasy Scorers From Last Season
Winnipeg’s offense was heavily concentrated at the top. Scheifele led with 103 points, followed by Connor at 92 and Vilardi at 69. Colorado had two 100-point players: MacKinnon with 127 and Necas with 100.
Colorado’s historical top five includes Valeri Nichushkin because this index measures 2025-26 Avalanche production. He was traded to Columbus on June 25 and is not part of Colorado’s current roster.
NHLTradeRumor.com Top-Five Scoring Index
*Nichushkin’s total reflects his 2025-26 production with Colorado; he was traded to Columbus in June 2026.
Injuries and Absences That Could Affect Fantasy Value
The biggest absence belongs to Winnipeg, but it is not an injury. Hellebuyck is suspended after failing to report to camp. PuckPedia also lists Garrett Brown and Walker Duehr day-to-day with lower-body injuries and Elias Salomonsson week-to-week with a shoulder injury.
For fantasy purposes, Hellebuyck’s absence makes Skinner’s workload much more important. Skinner made 31 saves against Colorado on September 21, but no starting goalie had been confirmed for tonight when this article was prepared.
Colorado’s most consequential injury is Makar’s lower-body issue. PuckPedia lists him day-to-day, while goaltender Trent Miner is also dealing with an undisclosed injury. If Makar remains out, I would focus less on trying to predict an exact replacement unit and more on which defenseman receives the offensive-zone and power-play rehearsal.
Winnipeg Jets vs. Colorado Avalanche Salary-Cap Snapshot
We currently project Winnipeg at $3,565,001 in cap space and Colorado at only $404,159 under the $104 million ceiling. Those numbers can change quickly around final roster cuts.
Salary-Cap Snapshot
Winnipeg has considerably more immediate flexibility, while Colorado is operating very close to the ceiling. For fantasy managers, that matters mainly when injuries, waivers or late roster changes create new opportunities.
Winnipeg Jets vs. Colorado Avalanche Fantasy Hockey Prediction
MY SCORE PREDICTION: Colorado Avalanche 3 – Winnipeg Jets 2
I lean slightly toward Colorado, but I would attach far less confidence to this prediction than I would to a regular-season game. Colorado was dramatically better over the full 2025-26 season and is playing at home, but preseason personnel can change the matchup completely.
Winnipeg already showed it can frustrate Colorado in the 3-1 win on September 21. Skinner was excellent in that game, and Connor, Scheifele, Perfetti, Vilardi and Morrissey give Winnipeg enough high-end skill to generate fantasy value regardless of the final result. Colorado, however, has the stronger underlying offensive and defensive baseline if MacKinnon, Necas and more of its established NHL group receive meaningful minutes.
My projected scoring environment is therefore moderate rather than wide open. The previous four regular-season meetings all finished at six combined goals or fewer, and the first preseason meeting produced four.
My fantasy takeaway: the most important result tonight may not be 3-2, 4-2 or 2-1. I care more about whether Perfetti continues earning premium minutes, how Winnipeg structures its first power-play unit, whether Makar participates, and which goaltenders get meaningful work. Those clues can affect draft and waiver decisions long after an exhibition score is forgotten.
How to Watch Winnipeg Jets vs. Colorado Avalanche
The Jets and Avalanche are scheduled for 8:30 p.m. ET, 7:30 p.m. CT and 6:30 p.m. MT at Ball Arena. The Jets have confirmed that their September 25 preseason game will be available through their website in the Jets viewing region, with radio coverage on 680 CJOB and Power 97. Colorado says all its preseason games air on Altitude Sports Radio 92.5 FM or 950 AM and its radio streams.
No verified U.S. television channel or national Canadian television channel had been announced when this article was prepared. Regional streaming restrictions can prevent a feed from working outside its authorized territory, so fans should check their provider or the teams’ official game-day listings shortly before puck drop.
For more coverage, check the Winnipeg Jets on TV today schedule, the Colorado Avalanche on TV today schedule, and our 2025-26 NHL point leaders. While you’re here, join our NHL Fantasy Hockey Pool to test your GM skills against other hockey fans and compete for ultimate bragging rights.
The post Winnipeg Jets vs. Colorado Avalanche Fantasy Hockey Prediction: Players to Watch, Score Pick & How to Watch appeared first on NHL Trade Rumors.
