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Kyle Connor Enters 2026-27 as NHL Network's No. 11 Ranked Winger
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- Kyle Connor Enters 2026-27 as NHL Network's No. 11 Ranked Winger
Winnipeg Jets star Kyle Connor has once again earned recognition as one of the NHL's premier offensive talents.
NHL Network unveiled its annual "Top 20 Wings Right Now" ranking this week, placing Connor 11th among the league's best wingers entering the 2026-27 season.
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The 29-year-old slipped two spots from his No. 9 ranking a year ago, despite putting together another highly productive campaign for Winnipeg. And he's not the only Jets star to fall in the rankings this offseason either.
Photo by Charles LeClaire/USA Today
Connor finished the 2025-26 season with a team-leading 39 goals and 92 points, adding 53 assists while appearing in all 82 games for a second consecutive year. It marked his fifth consecutive 30-goal season and gave him 323 goals and 674 points through 695 career NHL games.
His 92 points came one year after setting career highs with 41 goals, 56 assists and 97 points in 2024-25.
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NHL Network ranked Connor immediately behind Toronto Maple Leafs winger William Nylander, who checked in at No. 10, while new Los Angeles Kings forward Artemi Panarin landed one spot behind Connor at No. 12.
Cole Caufield, Matthew Tkachuk, Jason Robertson, Matt Boldy, Mikko Rantanen, Mitch Marner, Kirill Kaprizov and David Pastrnak occupied spots nine through two, respectively, while Tampa Bay Lightning superstar Nikita Kucherov retained the No. 1 position.
Connor's placement comes after another significant year in which he represented the United States at the 2026 Winter Olympics and continued climbing Winnipeg's franchise record books.
The Michigan product now sits just five goals shy of Ilya Kovalchuk's 328 for second-most in Jets/Atlanta Thrashers franchise history. Only longtime teammate Mark Scheifele, with 372, has scored more.
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Connor's future in Winnipeg is also secure.
The Jets signed their longtime winger to an eight-year, $96-million contract extension last October, carrying an average annual value of $12 million. The deal keeps Connor under contract through the 2033-34 season.
Originally selected 17th overall by Winnipeg in the 2015 NHL Draft, Connor has spent his entire NHL career with the organization.
Despite falling two places in NHL Network's rankings this summer, Connor remains the only Jets winger to crack the Top 20 and will enter his 10th full NHL season as one of Winnipeg's most important offensive weapons.
