The club's on-ice performance vastly improved compared to the previous season when the Jets won only nine games.
On July 3, 1981, Winnipeg acquired Bryan Maxwell, Ed Staniowski and Paul MacLean from the St. Louis Blues for Scott Campbell and John Markell.
Twelve days later on July 15, 1981, the Jets were involved in a three-way deal with the Colorado Rockies and Vancouver Canucks.
The Jets then traded Ashton and their own third round pick in the 1982 NHL Entry Draft to the Colorado Rockies for Lucien DeBlois.
One day before the regular season began, on October 5, 1981, the Jets picked up Serge Savard from the Montreal Canadiens in the waiver draft.