Murat Ates of The Athletic expects the Winnipeg Jets to check in on Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen prior to the NHL Trade Deadline. The Jets have had interest in the 30-year-old in the past and Ates thinks they could take another look at him in hopes of boosting their blueline.
Winnipeg doesn’t have a ton of draft capital in this year’s NHL Entry Draft, having moved several picks out the door in previous trades. The Jets likely wouldn’t need to move a first-round pick to acquire Ristolainen and would probably scoff if that was the cost of acquiring him from Philadelphia.
In other Western Conference notes:
- Vegas Golden Knights forward Nicolas Roy practiced today in a no-contact jersey (as per SinBin.vegas). Roy has been out of action since December 15th with an upper-body injury. The 27-year-old’s injury progressed unusually after he was first given a maintenance day and then missed several practices and eventually a game. A short time later he was put on the injured reserve and has been there since. Roy had a career year last season, posting 13 goals and 28 assists in 70 games but wasn’t able to carry the momentum into this year as he had a slow start with just six goals and seven assists in 31 games.
- San Jose Sharks forward Carl Grundstrom was a full participant in practice today (as per Max Miller of The Hockey News). The 27-year-old suffered an undisclosed injury on December 28th in a game against the Calgary Flames but is reportedly close to returning. The Umea, Sweden native has been used sparingly in 30 games, averaging just nine minutes of ice time per game. The former second-round pick has a goal and four assists and will likely return to a spot in the team’s bottom six when he is healthy.