if Gretzky did not exist, the faith of the Winnipeg Jets in that Smyth Division would have drastically changed in the 80s. someone should work on that , see if they would have made it to a cup final?
We'll start in 82-83 when the Jets joined the Smythe Division.
82-83 (33-39-8, 74 pts, 4th place, lost 3-0 to EDM in round 1)
Even without Gretzky, the Oilers win the division easily, as they were the only club to finish over .500 during the season. The Jets "might" have won a game in the playoffs, but most likely, would be eliminated in the first round.
83-84 (31-38-11, 73 pts, 4th place, lost 3-0 to EDM in round 1)
Again, even with no Gretzky, the Oilers would have dominated the division, and much like the previous season, the Jets would have lost again in the opening round.
84-85 (43-27-10, 96 pts, 2nd place, lost 4-0 to EDM in round 2)
The Jets made a huge improvement in the standings, however, the team was still 13 points behind the Oilers. Without Gretzky, the Oilers probably still would've won the division. In the post-season, I think the Jets would have lost again to Edmonton, although it would have been a closer series (maybe Oilers in six instead of a sweep).
85-86 (26-47-7, 59 pts, 3rd place, lost 3-0 to CGY in round 1)
The Jets underachieved all season, and the Flames, who were much worse than the Oilers, coasted to a first round sweep.
86-87 (40-32-8, 88 pts, 3rd place, lost 4-0 to EDM in round 2)
Again, even without Gretzky, it's hard to say the Jets would have eliminated the Oilers considering they didn't win a game against them.
87-88 (33-36-11, 77 pts, 3rd place, lost 4-1 to EDM in round 1)
Edmonton once again was quite a bit better than the Jets in the regular season, even with no Gretzky, it's awfully difficult to see the Jets taking out the Oilers.
88-89 (26-42-12, 64 pts, 5th place, DNQ)
The Jets missed the playoffs, and probably would have even if Gretzky didn't exist. He did help the Kings improve considerably, but the Kings were a team on the rise at the time of the trade and most likely would have still finished higher than the last place Jets.
89-90 (37-32-11, 85 pts, 3rd place, lost 4-3 to EDM in round 1)
This was easily the Jets best chance at beating the Oilers. In reality, the team led the series 3-1 and should have won. If they defeat Edmonton, up next for Winnipeg was the LA Kings. With no Gretzky, and considering how in reality the Oilers easily defeated the Kings with Gretzky, the Jets probably would have won the series. That is, of course, if LA, with no Wayne, or Vancouver, who could have snuck into fourth, was still able to eliminate Calgary. If matched up against LA without Gretzky, the Jets win easily, same against the Canucks, however, the defending champion Flames would have been tough. If Winnipeg was able to make it out of the division, up next would be Chicago, followed by Boston. If the team was able to get close to Bill Ranford type goaltending out of Essensa, then the Jets would have been a tough team to handle for both the Hawks and Bruins.
Overall, other than 1990, its highly unlikely the Jets would have been able to take out the high flying Oilers, even without Gretzky. The Oilers were too talented (Messier, Kurri, Coffey, Fuhr, etc...) for Winnipeg.