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Nate Schmidt

Panthers Sign Nate Schmidt

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July 3: The Panthers confirmed a one-year deal for Schmidt on Wednesday.

July 2: The Florida Panthers are reportedly nearing a contract with defenseman Nate Schmidt, per Tim Reynolds of the Associated Press (Twitter link). The deal was confirmed by Frank Seravalli of the Daily Faceoff, who added that it will be a one-year, $800K contract (Twitter link).

This signing notably comes after Schmidt was bought out of the final season of his contract with the Winnipeg Jets. He was slated to count as $5.95MM against the salary cap – and was due $4.85MM in salary. He’ll take a substantial cut from that to join the reigning Stanley Cup champions.

The 32-year-old struggled badly last season, registering just two goals and 12 assists in 63 games in what was his worst offensive season since a one-year stay in Vancouver during the pandemic-shortened 2020-21 season. Schmidt spent three seasons with the Jets, with the last two being some of the most difficult seasons of his 11-year NHL career. While his stay in Winnipeg was largely unsuccessful, he will be reunited with former head coach Paul Maurice in Florida which factored heavily in his decision.

While Schmidt’s offensive numbers have fallen off in recent years, his underlying numbers remained strong last year. Schmidt continued to post strong possession numbers with a CF% of 52.9% at even strength and a FF% of 54.1% (as per Hockey Reference). As good as those underlying numbers were, Schmidt struggled badly in the playoffs posting a -5 in just three games.

Jets Buy Out Nate Schmidt

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The Winnipeg Jets have bought out the final season of defenseman Nate Schmidt’s contract, per Frank Seravalli of the Daily Faceoff (Twitter link). Schmidt will first have to pass through unconditional waivers before the buy out goes into effect. Should he clear, Schmidt’s contract will count towards $2.717MM of Winnipeg’s cap next season – a savings of $3.233MM – and an empty $1.617MM in 2025-26.

This move pushes Schmidt to the open market one year sooner than expected, while ridding Winnipeg of the $5.95MM cap hit he’s carried since 2019-20. Schmidt’s six-year, $35.7MM contract was originally signed with the Vegas Golden Knights, who traded Schmidt to the Vancouver Canucks in the offseason ahead of the 2020-21 season. Schmidt spent the shortened year with the Canucks, before being flipped to the Jets for the 2022 pick used to select Jordan Gustafson.

Schmidt kicked off his tenure in Winnipeg with a strong year, recording 32 points and averaging 20 minutes a night, while still offering the stout defense he’s become known for. But that impact has dwindled in the seasons since, with Schmidt managing just 19 points last year and 14 points this year. He’s fallen from a top pair role to a bottom pair role alongside the low scoring, though he still recorded the best xGA/60 (2.03) of any Jets defenders, per Evolving Hockey.

Schmidt’s decline over the last two seasons has made his hefty price tag hard to bear, especially for a Jets team in the midst of a cap crunch. But there should be no shortage of suitors for Schmidt on the open market – with his veteran presence and stout defense a great replacement for Chris Tanev, who is expected to be taken off of the market after a trade to the Toronto Maple Leafs. Schmidt will be set for a significant pay cut, but at 32, he could still find his way into a deal with term.

Jets Notes: Monahan, Coaching Staff, Schmidt

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Ken Wiebe and Mike McIntyre of The Winnipeg Free Press write that the Winnipeg Jets are increasing their efforts to retain the services of center Sean Monahan whom they acquired ahead of the trade deadline. Monahan didn’t have a great playoff with Winnipeg tallying just a single assist in five playoff games but was solid in the regular season occupying their second-line center role and posting 13 goals and 11 assists in 34 games.

Monahan made just under $2MM last season on a one-year contract and could be in line to double that figure on a multi-year deal given that he is one of the best centers available in unrestricted free agency. The 29-year-old Monahan dressed in 83 games last season split between Winnipeg and Montreal and finished the year with 26 goals and 33 assists.

If Monahan reaches free agency the Jets may not have the cap space to replace him as they stand to have just over $13MM available at this time.

In other Winnipeg Jets notes:

  • Wiebe and McIntyre write that the Jets have two remaining slots available on their coaching staff and are likely to hire a veteran associate coach to occupy one of those roles next to new head coach Scott Arniel. They speculate that former Seattle Kraken head coach Dave Hakstol could be a possibility as well as Western Hockey League head coach James Patrick who has ties to Arniel. It is expected that the Jets will decide on rounding out their coaching staff in the next few weeks.
  • It’s possible that Jets defenseman Nate Schmidt may receive a buyout this summer as Winnipeg looks to clear cap space to address some of the holes in their lineup (as per Wiebe and McIntyre). Schmidt has one year remaining on his contract with a cap hit of $5.95MM and has struggled the last two seasons. Last year, the 32-year-old tallied just two goals and 12 assists in 63 games and saw his ice time dwindle to just 16:49 per game down from over 20 minutes a night in the 2021-22 season. A buyout would save Winnipeg $3.2MM in cap space next season but would create a $1.616MM cap hit for the 2025-26 season (as per CapFriendly).

Jets Healthy Scratch Defender Nate Schmidt

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The Winnipeg Jets are expected to healthy scratch defenseman Nate Schmidt in their Thursday game against the Vegas Golden Knights. This will be only the second time that Winnipeg has scratched Schmidt, with his last scratching coming on March 4th of last season. Schmidt slotted back into the lineup immediately after, scoring a goal in his first game back and recording seven points in 18 games through the rest of the season.

The 32-year-old Schmidt is in his third season with the Winnipeg Jets, joining them via trade after Winnipeg dealt a 2022 third-round pick to the Vancouver Canucks for the defender. His first year with the Jets was a career year, with Schmidt recording 32 points in 77 games, good for the second-highest scoring season of his career. He also averaged 20 minutes of ice time, confidently operating in the team’s top four. But his role, and his scoring, dwindled last season, with Schmidt netting 19 points in 71 games while serving on the team’s third pair. He’s maintained this latter role into the 2023-24 season and currently sits without a point, and with a -3, through three games this year.

Logan Stanley will appear in his season debut in light of Schmidt’s scratching, likely lining up next to Dylan Samberg. Stanley, 25, appeared in 19 games with the Jets last season, tallying three points and 21 penalty minutes. It was his third year of operating as Winnipeg’s seventh defenseman, with Stanley appearing in 114 games and scoring 20 points through that stretch. Winnipeg traded up to select Stanley 18th overall in the 2016 NHL Draft and awarded him his NHL debut during the 2020-21 season.

Evening Notes: Boeser, IIHF/Russia, NHLPA Leadership

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After the Bo Horvat trade yesterday, the floodgates appear to be opening on the trade front. That’s especially true for the Vancouver Canucks, who have some desirable trade assets other than Horvat that could find their way out of town by the trade deadline.

One of those is Brock Boeser, who TSN’s Darren Dreger said today continues to receive interest from around the league. However, he reported that any Boeser trade, and the corresponding interest, hinges on how much salary Vancouver is willing to retain in a potential trade. Boeser is signed to a steep cap hit of $6.65MM for the next three seasons. With so many teams already dipping into LTIR pools to stay cap-compliant, Vancouver is unlikely to find a trade partner willing to take the full brunt of the deal. The 25-year-old has nine goals and 30 points in 41 games this season. That’s a 60-point pace over 82 games.

Injury Notes: Wheeler, Kane, Gustavsson

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Cole Perfetti, Nikolaj Ehlers, and Nate Schmidt were all expected to jump back into the lineup soon for the Winnipeg Jets, but they had another nice surprise at practice today. Blake Wheeler was present in a full-contact sweater and practicing on the top line. All four players were taking regular turns, suggesting that the team is getting a huge group of reinforcements all at once. To make room, they will need to move at least one other player off the roster. Ken Wiebe of Sportsnet reports that Michael Eyssimont is not on the ice.

While it still leaves Mason Appleton, Logan Stanley, and Saku Maenalanen on injured reserve, getting Wheeler back is big news for the Jets. The 36-year-old seemed rejuvenated this season (like so many other Winnipeg players) and had 26 points through 29 games before going down to injury. Though he is seeing the lowest average ice time since his days with the Boston Bruins, Wheeler has been great and should be another big boost for a Jets team that is still within striking distance of the Central Division crown.

  • After leaving early on Tuesday night, Patrick Kane’s status was completely unclear. When he was absent as practice started for the Chicago Blackhawks today, alarm bells rang out. Luckily, it seems like he has avoided serious injury, as the Blackhawks listed it as a maintenance day. Andreas Athanasiou was also missing with a non-COVID illness. With so many fans expecting Kane to be the belle of the trade deadline ball this year, a serious injury could throw a wrench into the next few weeks. Hopefully, this will prove to be nothing more than a minor ailment that needs some rest.
  • During last night’s game, Minnesota Wild goaltender Filip Gustavsson was suddenly removed from the net. Head coach Dean Evason told reporters including Joe Smith of The Athletic afterward that he didn’t know what was going on, only that Gustavsson “skated off and puked his brains out.” Michael Russo of The Athletic confirms today that it was an illness, not an injury, that caused the departure and that there is no recall anticipated by the Wild.

Injury Notes: Oshie, Fabbri, Jets

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The Washington Capitals are expected to get T.J. Oshie back in the lineup tonight, though he has been officially listed as a game-time decision. The veteran forward hasn’t played since December 17 and has just 22 appearances under his belt this season. Those have been relatively unsuccessful appearances, too, with Oshie registering just two points in the 11 games prior to the injury. He has just five goals and 11 points on the year.

Still, with Oshie, Nicklas Backstrom, and Tom Wilson all returning relatively soon, the Capitals have several key veterans getting back for the second-half run. Whether that can result in legitimate Stanley Cup contention remains to be seen, but they’ve been doing just fine so far. Washington is 8-1-1 in their last ten and have closed the gap to just two points between them and the tail-spinning New Jersey Devils for second in the Metropolitan Division.

  • The Detroit Red Wings are expected to place someone on waivers today, given the imminent return of Robby Fabbri. Team reporter Daniella Bruce reports that Fabbri will be back in the lineup playing with Pius Suter and Oskar Sundqvist tomorrow when the Red Wings take on the Devils. The 26-year-old is coming off another ACL injury and will be making his season debut after scoring 17 goals and 30 points in 2021-22.
  • If it were the playoffs, Nate Schmidt, Cole Perfetti, and Nikolaj Ehlers would all be in the Winnipeg Jets lineup, according to head coach Rick Bowness, who spoke with reporters including Scott Billeck of the Winnipeg Sun today. None of them will play, against the Calgary Flames but are on the verge of returning to the lineup. For Ehlers, a return would be his third appearance of the season and first game since October 17. Josh Morrissey, who has also missed practice recently, is expected to play.

Jets Issue Injury Updates On Blake Wheeler And Nate Schmidt

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The Jets are off to a strong start to their season, entering tonight’s game in Vancouver with a 19-9-1 record despite missing several regulars due to injuries.  That list has now grown as head coach Rick Bowness told reporters, including Mike McIntyre of the Winnipeg Free Press (Twitter link) that winger Blake Wheeler will miss at least a month after undergoing groin surgery.  Meanwhile, defenseman Nate Schmidt, who went on injured reserve yesterday, will be out for four to six weeks.

Wheeler had an interesting start to his season as the captaincy was taken away from him while getting off to a bit of a quiet start.  However, the 36-year-old has been quite productive over the last four weeks, notching 16 points in his last 13 games, bringing him up to a tie for fourth in team scoring.

All of a sudden, the Jets find themselves without their top three right wingers.  Nikolaj Ehlers has missed all of two games this season, Mason Appleton has been out since mid-November, and now Wheeler will be out for a little while.  None of these injuries are season-ending so they can’t create any LTIR space for themselves and their cap space is starting to dwindle as a result of their injury-associated recalls so GM Kevin Cheveldayoff will be in tough to try to shore things up in the short-term.

As for Schmidt, he has cleared concussion protocol and is believed to be dealing with a shoulder issue.  The 31-year-old has six points in 29 games so far this season while he’s averaging just shy of 20 minutes a night.  He joins Logan Stanley as blueliners that are banged up while Ville Heinola has missed four straight games due to illness.

Nate Schmidt Placed On Injured Reserve

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The Winnipeg Jets have quickly moved Nate Schmidt to injured reserve after he suffered an upper-body injury last night. After the game, head coach Rick Bowness confirmed to Murat Ates of The Athletic that Schmidt had been placed in the concussion protocol. In his place, the team has recalled Ville Heinola under emergency conditions.

Schmidt took a huge hit from Tanner Jeannot and stayed down, while the Nashville Predators forward did not receive a penalty on the play. With him exiting after just 5:30, the Jets leaned heavily on the trio of Josh Morrissey, Neal Pionk, and Brenden Dillon, with the latter even getting some unexpected powerplay time. Morrissey played more than 27 minutes in the overtime win.

It’s a good opportunity for Heinola, even if it does through an injury. The 21-year-old defenseman has been something of a squeaky wheel this season, with his agent publicly acknowledging frustration about how the Jets have used him. The 20th overall pick from 2019 can’t seem to secure any consistent NHL playing time, and has just 27 appearances over parts of four seasons.

Schmidt, meanwhile, had played in 29 games this season, averaging just over 20 minutes a night before exiting last night early.

Snapshots: O’Reilly, Edmundson, Schmidt

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While the Toronto Maple Leafs have been among the NHL’s most successful regular-season teams for the past half-decade, playoff success has eluded them. One player who had similarly spent an extended period without any playoff success is Ryan O’Reilly, who spent nearly his first decade in the NHL without making it to the second round. In 2019, though, O’Reilly bucked that career trend, leading the St. Louis Blues to a Stanley Cup victory and winning the Conn Smythe Trophy along the way.

The Maple Leafs want to do the same this spring, and it seems that they view O’Reilly as someone who can help them get there. Per Pierre LeBrun in The Athletic’s first 2022-23 trade board, Toronto has “talked about O’Reilly internally,” debating the prospect of acquiring him from the Blues. (subscription link) While O’Reilly’s scoring numbers have slowed down, Toronto could add him to a center corps that already boasts Auston Matthews and John Tavares, forming what would be likely the best trio of centers in the NHL. He remains a player with a sterling reputation as a playoff performer, and as a pending unrestricted free agent acquiring him would pose no long-term financial complications.

For some other notes from across the NHL:

  • The Montreal Canadiens have been better than expected this season, as they were the NHL’s worst team last year but have hovered around the .500 mark so far in 2022-23. Despite that, the team is still anticipated to engage other teams as a seller in next year’s trade market, and one of the players reportedly garnering interest from other teams is defenseman Joel Edmundson. On TSN’s Insider Trading segment, LeBrun reported that the Edmonton Oilers had interest in adding Edmundson, a 2019 Stanley Cup champion who has taken an important leadership role on a young Canadiens team.
  • The Winnipeg Jets announced tonight that defenseman Nate Schmidt has suffered an upper-body injury, and will not return to their game against the Nashville Predators. Schmidt appeared to suffer the injury after a high hit from Predators forward Tanner Jeannot. The loss of Schmidt costs the Jets one of their top-four defensemen, as he has skated in over 20 minutes per night, including time on the second units of both special teams phases.

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