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Poll: Should The Winnipeg Jets Re-Sign Paul Stastny?

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There is much to be proud of if you’re a Winnipeg Jets’ fan, but while most fans are paying attention to their play in the Western Conference Finals. And while the Jets find themselves down 3-1 against the Vegas Golden Knights, Winnipeg will need to find a way to win three in a row. To do that, they will need success from multiple lines, including the success of the team’s second line, including Patrik Laine, Nikolaj Ehlers and trade deadline acquisition Paul Stastny.

When the team traded for Stastny for prospect Erik Foley, a 2018 first-round pick and a conditional 2020 fourth-round pick, they got a steal. Stastny has stabilized a powerful young line next to Laine and Ehlers as the line has helped guide them through the playoffs. Just against the Nashville Predators alone in the playoffs’ second round, Stastny practically beat the team on his own, putting up five goals and five assists in seven games. He has been effectively shut down by Vegas in four games as he’s only managed one assist, yet the veteran has been key to their playoff future.

The Hockey News’ Matt Larkin recently wrote a story wondering what the chances Stastny has of returning to Winnipeg next year. The unrestricted free agent is 32 years old, a point where long-term deals start to look questionable as many players in their 30’s begin to decline, especially with speed being emphasized by many teams. Unfortunately for Winnipeg, the free agent options at center will be very limited this year after the Islanders’ John Tavares, making Stastny the likely second-best free agent on the market. With many teams in need of a center, he could easily get a big deal and while maybe not as high as the $7MM a year he’s been making recently, but he should easily fetch $5MM per year with his next deal and if the team has to overpay to keep him, it could go as high as $6MM per year.

Then the question is whether Winnipeg can afford him. While the team has ample cap space at the moment, the Jets also have 14 players on their current roster who will either be restricted or unrestricted free agents. Many of their restricted free agents like Adam Lowry, Brandon Tanev, Joel Armia and Josh Morrissey should get solid raises, while others like Jacob Trouba and Connor Hellebuyck should get major contract extensions, likely taking up a large chunk of their available cap space, leaving little or no room for Stastny. Add to the fact that Laine, Kyle Connor and Tyler Myers all will need new contracts in one year, that leaves little wiggle room unless general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff can pull of a clever balancing act to keep everyone happy.

So, should Winnipeg try to keep Stastny around next year or just let him go?

Trade Rumors app users, click here to vote.

Evander Kane Suspended For Game Two

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San Jose Sharks’ trade deadline acquisition Evander Kane had his hearing with the NHL Department of Player Safety today and the result was what many expected. Kane has been suspended for one game and will miss Game Two of the Sharks’ second round series against the Vegas Golden Knights. The incident in question was a cross-check to the head area of the Knights’ Pierre-Edouard Bellemare that cost Kane a five-minute major penalty, during which Vegas scored the final two goals in their 7-0 blowout, and a game misconduct. As if that wasn’t enough, Kane will now be absent for the Sharks as they look to even the series on the road. The rationale of the league was as follows (video):

“Kane delivers two cross-checks to Bellemare – one to his arm and a second to his head, which drops Bellemare to the ice. This is cross-checking… This cross-check occurs well after the whistle is blown and serves no purpose other than as a strike to an opponent’s head. This is not a hockey play.”

Player Safety continues to dole out suspensions this postseason, but have been measured and consistent in their punitive actions. While Kane’s cross-check came after the play and appeared more purposeful, it was not dissimilar from the cross-check by the Winnipeg Jet’s Josh Morrissey to the head area of Minnesota Wild forward Eric Staal, which also cost Morrisey a one-game suspension in the first-round. Both plays occurred in front of the net, which Player Safety acknowledged in both reviews is an area of contact, but both were seen not as accidental contact, but as purposeful punishment. While it’s fair to say that Kane’s was worse because the whistle had blown and it was the second of two checks, it’s also clear that Kane’s check was far less brutal than the one Morrisey planted on Staal.

Kane has been an offensive force since arriving in San Jose, racking up 14 points, including nine goals, in 17 games to close out the regular season and adding three goals and an assist in the Sharks’ first round sweep of the Anaheim Ducks. His knack for finding the back of the net will be sorely missed for a Sharks team that was unable to beat Marc-Andre Fleury in Game One. Kane will have to be ready to play productive – and clean – hockey when the series returns to San Jose if the Sharks want to knock off the Golden Knights.

Western Notes: Peters, MacLean, Duclair, Niku, Suzuki

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While the rumor that former Carolina Hurricanes head coach Bill Peters is likely headed to Calgary, TSN’s Pierre LeBrun reports that the Dallas Stars had requested permission from Carolina to speak to Peters and did, but has decided that he isn’t a good fit for their coaching vacancy and is the front-runner for the Flames head coaching job. Postmedia’s Wes Gilbertson adds that the Flames were concerned about a better offer from Dallas, but the scribe writes that it is more and more certain the team will hire Peters.

“I’d like to work, I’d like to coach. I hope something is in place soon,” Peters said via Gilbertson.

While Peters was considered to be one of the top coaching prospects when he was hired by Carolina four years ago, he was never able to get them to the playoffs. The hope is that with four years of experience, the coach can take that next step with Calgary, who has a lot of talent and could be ready to make an impact next year.

  • LeBrun also said the Dallas Stars will be patient in their coaching search, but believes that the team will consider former Ottawa Senators head coach Paul MacLean as a candidate. The coach was 114-90-35 in three and a half seasons for Ottawa from 2011-2014. However, LeBrun admits there are many candidates on their coaching list.
  • Corey Snzjdjer of The Athletic (subscription required) writes the Chicago Blackhawks might not be able to retain restricted free agent Anthony Duclair. The 22-year-old acquired in January has a ton of potential, but can’t seem to put up much, in terms of points. He had two goals and six assists in 23 games until he suffered a knee injury that knocked him out for the last 13 games of the year. The scribe writes that because Duclair is on a one-year bridge deal, Chicago would have to match his $1.2MM salary, which might be too high of a price with all the young talent who could be brought in at cheaper salaries, including Vinnie Hinostroza, Victor Ejdsell and Dylan Sikura.
  • The Winnipeg Jets announced they have assigned defenseman Sami Niku to the AHL’s Manitoba Moose. Niku was recalled Thursday as the team was dealing with injuries to defenseman Tyler Myers and then losing defenseman Josh Morrissey to a one-game suspension. Niku, the AHL’s defenseman of the year, would have gone in had Myers been unable to go Friday. Instead, he returns to Manitoba as they begin their playoff series today against the Grand Rapids Griffins.
  • The Vegas Golden Knights have promoted prospect Nick Suzuki from the OHL’s Owen Sound Attack to the Chicago Wolves of the AHL. The 18-year-old prospect was the 13th overall pick in the 2017 draft and put up a 100-point season this year in 64 games for the Attack. He will join another first-rounder in Cody Glass, who was promoted earlier this week and 2017 second-round pick Nicolas Hague, who has been with the team for a couple of weeks. The prospects are just another future line of depth that could conceivably join Vegas next year, assuming they can win spots on the team during training camp.

Minor Moves: Niku, O’Reilly, Peca

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The Winnipeg Jets have recalled Sami Niku as expected, now that Josh Morrissey has been suspended for Game 5. If Niku does get into the lineup, he’ll be checking another box in what has been an outstanding season. Not only did he make his North American professional debut in the AHL, he won the league’s award for most outstanding defenseman, was named to the All-Rookie and First All-Star team, and scored in his NHL debut. A playoff appearance would be icing on the cake for the seventh-round pick.

More minor moves from around the league…

  • Cal O’Reilly has been recalled by the Minnesota Wild as another “Black Ace.” He’s unlikely to get into a game for the team, as Michael Russo of The Athletic tweets his recall was just delayed. O’Reilly has been an elite minor league player for more than a decade, and put up another excellent season with the Iowa Wild. 64 points in 75 games marked the fifth time he’s put up at least 60 in an AHL season.
  • Matthew Peca has been returned to the Syracuse Crunch ahead of their first round playoff series, despite the Tampa Bay Lightning being in the NHL playoffs. It was unlikely that Peca was going to get into a game without an injury, so he’ll go back to the AHL to stay ready. Unlike O’Reilly, Peca could be given an opportunity in the NHL playoffs if Tampa needs an extra body at some point. He’ll start his first round AHL series against the Rochester Americans tomorrow evening.

Ryan Hartman To Have Hearing With Department Of Player Safety

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The playoffs have so far been quite the busy period for the Department of Player Safety, already handing out suspensions to Drew Doughty, Nazem Kadri and Josh Morrissey. Today, they’ll have a hearing with Ryan Hartman of the Nashville Predators to determine whether his hit on Colorado’s Carl Soderberg last night requires any supplementary discipline.

Hartman collided with Soderberg midway through the third period, and was given a two-minute charging penalty. The hit came after Soderberg had passed the puck and seemed to have significant contact with the head. It was actually Hartman’s third penalty of the game, and now he might face even more discipline from the league offices.

Nikita Kucherov, who was also involved in an incident last night, will not receive a hearing after his hit on Sami Vatanen last night. The league, according to Darren Dreger of TSN, decided that the head was not the main point of contact and will not review it further.

Jets’ Josh Morrissey Suspended One Game

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The NHL Department of Player Safety is staying busy this season, handing down yet another suspension. Winnipeg Jets defenseman Josh Morrissey has been suspended for Game Five of the Jets’ first round series against the Minnesota Wild for cross-checking Eric Staal in the head area. The check, which went unnoticed by the officials, was followed up moments later by a Winnipeg goal. Staal was able to return to the game, but that made the check no less dangerous and purposeful. As Player Safety explains in this video:

“Morrissey sees Staal and moves towards him, raising his stick… Morrissey raises his stick above his shoulders and makes sharp contact with Staal’s neck. This is cross-checking… This also is not a routine motion to box out an opponent. Staal is in Morrissey’s field of vision. There is no ongoing battle between the players. Morrissey is in control of this play and initiates contact… This is a reckless strike to an opponent’s neck with sufficient force to merit supplemental discipline.”

While Staal and the Wild are happy to have Morrissey out of the lineup for an elimination game on Friday, head coach Bruce Boudreau was frank that the lack of an in-game call cost Minnesota a win. Not only should the first goal of the game soon after not have happened, but the Wild should have enjoyed at least a two-minute power play.

Perhaps the Wild will get their revenge against a Jets blue line that is severely lacking right now. With Morrissey’s suspension on top of injuries to Tyler Myers and Toby Enstrom and the long-term injury absence of Dmitry Kulikov, Winnipeg may be left to employ all three of Joe Morrow, Tucker Poolman, and Sami Niku in Game Five, none of whom began the year as starters for the Jets. The suspension may also throw Paul Maurice for a loop; the head coach expected a hearing, but was adamant that Morrissey’s check did not have the requisite intent to warrant a suspension. However, Player Safety continues to play hardball in these playoffs.

Josh Morrissey To Have Hearing With Department Of Player Safety

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Many people were wondering whether Josh Morrissey would face any supplementary discipline for his cross-check on Minnesota’s Eric Staal last night, and the league has now announced that he’ll have a phone hearing later today. That means the Winnipeg Jets could be without another hugely important defender for Game 5, while already dealing with injuries on the back end.

Morrissey appeared to cross-check Staal right in the face during a penalty kill in the first period. Staal immediately went to the bench, and no penalty was called on the play. After the game, Minnesota head coach Bruce Boudreau claimed the non-call cost the Wild the game. Not only would it have been a 5-on-3 powerplay, but Boudreau believes Morrissey should have been thrown out of the game.

With Tyler Myers nursing an injury, and Toby Enstrom not ready to return, the Jets could be scrambling for a replacement on the blue line should Morrissey be given a suspension. Sami Niku, who was recalled as an insurance policy for Game 4, was returned today to the Manitoba Moose. He likely would be the first option if Morrissey can’t go, which puts a lot of pressure on the rookie.

Salary Cap Deep Dive: Winnipeg Jets

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Navigating the Salary Cap is probably one of the more important tasks for any general manager to have. Teams that can avert total cap chaos by walking the tightrope of inking players to deals that match their value (or compensate for future value without breaking the bank) remain successful. Those that don’t see struggles and front office changes.

PHR will look at every NHL team and give a thorough look at their cap situation heading into the 2017-18 season. This will focus more on those players who are integral parts of the roster versus those who may find themselves shuttling between the AHL and NHL. All cap figures are courtesy of CapFriendly.

Winnipeg Jets

Current Cap Hit: $67,661,666 (under the $75MM Upper Limit)

Entry-Level Contracts

F Patrik Laine (Two years remaining, $925K)
F Kyle Connor (Two years remaining, $925K)
F Nikolaj Ehlers (One year remaining, $894K)
D Josh Morrissey (One year remaining, $863K)

Potential Bonuses

Laine: $2.65MM
Ehlers: $850K
Connor: $850K
Morrissey: $500K

Total: $4.85MM

The future looks bright for the Jets, especially with Laine, who is constantly overshadowed by Toronto Maple Leafs Auston Matthews. Laine, who was taken second-overall in last year’s draft, put up phenomenal numbers that make Jets fans believe again in their team. He put up 36 goals in his rookie campaign and added 28 assists for a 64-point season. He should only get better and become the cornerstone of the franchise in the future. He should be joined by Ehlers, who also had a breakout year last year. The 2014 first-round pick had 15 goals in his rookie year, but added to that this past year, putting up 25 goals and 39 assists for 64 points.

The team also has high hopes for Connor to make the team and find himself a full-time role this year. The team’s 2015 first-round pick, put up big numbers a couple years ago at the University of Michigan two years ago, then scored 25 goals with the AHL’s Manitoba Moose and still managed to get 20 games in with the Jets, where he scored two goals and three assists. The team believes he has a good shot to end up on one of the back two lines. Morrissey, the team’s first-round pick back in 2013, found a full-time role with the Jets last year as he put up six goals and 14 assists. He is currently slated to start on the Jets’ third-line defense.

One Year Remaining, Non-Entry-Level

D Toby Enstrom ($5.75MM, UFA)
F Bryan Little ($4.7MM, UFA)
D Jacob Trouba ($2.81MM, RFA)
G Connor Hellebuyck ($2.25MM, RFA)
F Shawn Matthias ($2.13MM, UFA)
G Michael Hutchinson ($1.15MM, UFA)
F Adam Lowry ($1.13MM, RFA)
F Joel Armia ($925K, RFA)
F Marko Dano ($850K, RFA)
F Brandon Tanev ($700K, RFA)
F Matt Hendricks ($700K, UFA)
F Michael Sgarbossa ($650K, RFA)

That’s a long list, but most of the players are restricted free agents and should easily be retained. However, the team will have to make some decisions on some key veterans, including Little, who many feel is an underrated forward. The 29-year-old has been with the franchise from the start of his career when they were the Atlanta Thrashers and has scored 184 goals for the franchise. With the team’s large number of young forwards, might they move on from Little in a year? Injuries have plagued little over the past two years as he’s missed 48 games. His 21 goals last year were solid, but he will need to prove his value this year if he wants another long-term deal. Another potential unrestricted free agent would be Enstrom, who will be 33 next year and the team will have to decide whether to keep the veteran blueliner. His offensive numbers dropped into the teens in the last couple of years. Mattias and Hendricks are expendable fill-ins, but valuable veterans to hold that roster together.

The team will be looking to several of their restricted free agent as key players in the future. The team will be looking at Trouba to have a big season this year. The 23-year-old defenseman had a career-high 33 points a year ago and he did that in only 60 games, so many feel he may take his game up a notch this year if he can avoid injuries. Despite Hellebuyck’s down year as they attempted to hand him the starting goaltender job, the team still looks at him as a potential starter that just wasn’t ready to take their reigns last year. His 2.89 GAA in 56 games didn’t get the job done. With Mason coming in, Hellebuyck will have more time to develop as a backup.

The team will be looking for Lowry to continue to develop as well. Lowry had 15 goals last year and the 24-year-old is expected to center the team’s third line. Armia also has bigger expectations this year after putting up 10 goals a year ago. He could also end up as a wing next to Lowry on that third line. Dano could also pick up a full-time role with the Jets this year. The former 2013 first-rounder played 38 games for Winnipeg last year, putting up four goals and seven assists.

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Winnipeg Jets Re-Sign Ben Chiarot

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The Winnipeg Jets were professional multi-taskers last night. Not long after drafting Kristian Vesalainen 24th overall in the first round of the NHL Entry Draft, the “True North” locked up one of their own in defenseman Ben Chiarot. Renaud Lavoie of TVA reported the extension close at close to 11 PM CT in Chicago, as the Jets’ brass were working into the wee hours of the night. Chiarot, an impending restricted free agent, will return for two more years at $1.4MM per season.

Winnipeg has already been masterful this season at keeping their defense intact. They first convinced veteran Toby Enstrom to waive his No-Movement Clause, allowing him to be exposed in Wednesday’s Expansion Draft so that Dustin Byfuglien, Tyler Myers, and Jacob Trouba could be protected. Then, upon hearing rumors that the Vegas Golden Knights were considering selecting Enstrom, the Jets struck a deal to move down 13 spots in the NHL Draft, swapping their #13 overall pick with Columbus’ #24 overall pick, which Vegas had already acquired. Now, having survived Expansion with all of their top-four defenseman, Winnipeg has locked up their #5 at a reasonable rate over the next two years of the 26-year-old’s career. With youngster Josh Morrissey  and veteran Mark Stuart also in the fold, it seem that the Jets will enter free agency next week with a solid seven on the blue line and no need for concern.

Chiarot, a big stay-at-home defenseman, also put up a career-high 12 points in Winnipeg last year. In 59 games, the 6’3″, 219-lb. blue liner registered two goals and ten assists, all at even strength. While Chiarot may not be an asset on the power play, he is one of the team’s top penalty killers. Chiarot can check and block shots very well, though the Jets wouldn’t mind if he did more of both. They have two more years to work on rounding out the still-developing defender’s game before he hits unrestricted free agency in 2019. Don’t be surprised to see Chiarot on a short leash over the course of this new contract, as Winnipeg already sports strong depth on defense with top prospects Logan Stanley and Luke Green on their way up sooner rather than later as well.

Team Canada Names Eighteen Players To World Championship Squad

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With the World Championships beginning in just a few weeks Team Canada has released their first wave of players, announcing 18 names for the upcoming tournament. Five players are returning from the 2016 gold medal team: Calvin Pickard, Michael Matheson, Matt Duchene, Ryan O’Reilly and Mark Scheifele. The full roster so far is as follows:

Eric Comrie (Winnipeg Jets)
Calvin Pickard (Colorado Avalanche)

Tyson Barrie (Colorado Avalanche)
Calvin de Haan (New York Islanders)
Jason Demers (Florida Panthers)
Michael Matheson (Florida Panthers)
Josh Morrissey (Winnipeg Jets)

Sean Couturier (Philadelphia Flyers)
Matt Duchene (Colorado Avalanche)
Claude Giroux (Philadelphia Flyers
Alex Killorn (Tampa Bay Lightning)
Travis Konecny (Philadelphia Flyers)
Ryan O’Reilly (Buffalo Sabres)
Nathan MacKinnon (Colorado Avalanche)
Brayden Point (Tampa Bay Lightning)
Mark Scheifele (Winnipeg Jets)
Wayne Simmonds (Philadelphia Flyers)
Jeff Skinner (Carolina Hurricanes)

The tournament will start on May 5th for Canada with their first game coming against the Czech Republic, and will be held in Paris, France and Cologne, Germany. The coaching staff will be made up of Jon Cooper (Tampa Bay Lightning), Gerard Gallant (Vegas Golden Knights), Dave Hakstol (Philadelphia Flyers) and Dave King.

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