In a standard Winnipeg offseason, August arrives and Jets fans can spare their pencil sharpeners — their home team’s opening-night lineup may as well be written in ink.This time, the prospect of a Connor Hellebuyck trade combines with a renewed internal focus on speed and youth to create a sense of mystery. Every passing day appears to diminish the likelihood of a blockbuster, but the Jets’ depth chart could change in an instant. It’s possible forwards Noah Gregor and Cole Koepke both win jobs, taking playing time from slower veterans with more accomplished resumes. There’s even a strong possibility the undersized but brilliant Viggo Björck, the No. 8 draft pick in June, opens the season playing a prominent role.All of this creates questions, challenges and more potential Jets lineups than is typical. Can Brad Lambert or Isak Rosén win a top-six job, breaking out as an NHL scorer for the first time? What about Morgan Barron, whose size and speed are unique in the Jets’ lineup despite a lack of high-end point production? There isn’t enough room for everybody.Let’s review Winnipeg’s depth chart in full, position by position, from the NHL to AHL and ECHL alike as we get ready to size up the Jets’ roster options at camp next month.CentrePlayer2026-27 Cap hitSigned ThroughMark Scheifele$8.5 million2030-31 (UFA)Adam Lowry$5.0 million2030-31 (UFA)Morgan Barron$1.85 million2026-27 (UFA)Vladislav Namestnikov$3.0 million2026-27 (UFA)Viggo Björck$1.075 million2028-29 (RFA)Brayden Yager$941k2027-28 (RFA)Daniel Zhilkin$878k2026-27 (RFA)Jacob Julien$958k2027-28 (RFA)One of the first things you’ll notice in this exercise is that it requires us to make choices. At centre, Mark Scheifele at No. 1 is the only easy decision to make — a 103-point veteran who plays a massive role up front.The decision gets more challenging after that. In some cases, this means listing Adam Lowry as the No. 2 centre despite a poor 2026-27 season. Lowry is likely to play the second-biggest role, knowing the minutes he plays and Winnipeg’s historical use of his shutdown line. It’s an old-fashioned idea but it worked up until last season; the Jets will likely go back to it, believing in Lowry’s resurgence.That’s the issue, isn’t it? It’s why we talk about second-line centres in Hellebuyck trade discussions, and why the Jets were interested in players like Anton Lundell and Josh Norris. An idealized Jets depth chart includes someone bumping Lowry down to the third line.Björck is the most exciting possibility of upending this depth chart. I think it’s likely he opens the year centering a nominal second line, perhaps with Cole Perfetti on his left wing. Björck will quickly pass Vladislav Namestnikov and Morgan Barron if all goes well for him. (Another option is that Barron forces his way into the discussion for second-line centre, given his size and speed.)The whole group snaps into place if Björck can win second-line minutes while Scheifele is still chaining together elite offensive performances. It falls apart if Björck needs a couple of seasons to get going, Scheifele’s production declines or Lowry can’t re-establish himself as a shutdown centre. All told, I believe the Jets are worthy of their middle-of-the-pack ranking from colleague Harman Dayal earlier this offseason.Left wingPlayer2026-27 Cap hitSigned throughKyle Connor$12.0 million2033-34 (UFA)Cole Perfetti$6.0 million2030-31 (UFA)Alex Iafallo$3.67 million2027-28 (UFA)Nino Niederreiter$4.0 million2026-27 (UFA)Cole Koepke$1.45 million2027-28 (UFA)Noah Gregor$850k2026-27 (UFA)Colby Barlow$909k2027-28 (RFA)Kieron Walton$956k2028-29 (RFA)Kevin He$933k2028-29 (RFA)“If NHL players weren’t people” is never a great way to start a sentence, but it’s August.If NHL players weren’t people and you could mix and match their attributes like a video game, Winnipeg’s left-wing conundrum would have an easy fix. All of Alex Iafallo, Nino Niederreiter and Cole Koepke are viable bottom-six options, but the video-game version of this exercise would combine their skill sets with those of Kyle Connor and Cole Perfetti. Connor would gain Iafallo’s dogged approach to winning board battles, Perfetti would gain Koepke’s speed, and the whole group would be augmented by Niederreiter’s commitment to competing in all parts of the rink.