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Rangers, Islanders, Devils Interested In Winnipeg’s Jacob Trouba

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While there are rumored to be many teams that have expressed interest in Winnipeg Jets defenseman Jacob Trouba, the New York area could be his eventual destination as the New York Rangers, New York Islanders and New Jersey Devils have been the most aggressive teams in pursuit of the young defenseman, according to the New York Post’s Larry Brooks.

Each team could truly use the 25-year-old Trouba, who hasn’t expressed any desire to sign a long-term deal with the Jets, and with him being one year away from unrestricted free agency, the Jets are expected to move the talented blueliner. However, Brooks writes that he’s heard from multiple sources that Winnipeg has not given permission to inquiring clubs to speak with Trouba’s agent, Kurt Overhardt, about a long-term contract, which could run as high as seven years and $7.5MM.

All three teams, however, would have the cap room to make a commitment to Trouba with all three teams having the assets to make a deal happen, although the price is expected to be costly. The Jets are reportedly asking for a first-round pick and two top prospects or two young NHL players, likely signed to low-cost contracts. That is likely to be exactly what they’ll get as Trouba, a 6-foot-3, 202-pound blueliner had a breakout season offensively with a career high 50 points last season, including 42 assists, which was ninth in the league for defensemen.

The Rangers already have the Jets’ first-round pick in next week’s draft (#20 overall), acquired in the Kevin Hayes trade, and could offer a significant package, according to Brooks, including restricted free agent Pavel Buchnevich and a prospect. However, that might not be enough as both the Islanders and Devils have quite a few prospects in their own system. That brings to question whether the Rangers might consider including Lias Andersson as part of their package to acquire Trouba. Would the Islanders consider moving defensie prospect Noah Dobson or would the Devils include Jesper Boqvist or Jesper Bratt in a deal?

 

Free Agent Focus: New York Rangers

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Free agency is now less than a month away from opening up and there are quite a few prominent players set to hit the open market while many teams have key restricted free agents to re-sign.  The Rangers have a lot of options when it comes to the upcoming free agency period, but don’t have as much to concern themselves with when it comes to their own free agents. New York does have a few restricted free agents they must worry about, but few players to concern themselves among unrestricted free agents.

Key Restricted Free Agents: F Pavel Buchnevich — The Rangers must be thrilled with the continued improvements of their 24-year-old forward, who has continually taken his game up a notch in all three years, scoring eight goals as a rookie, 14 goals last season and moving into a permanent top-six role in 2018-19 with a 21-goal campaign. That number was more impressive considering he only played 64 games due to a broken thumb and some issues with head coach David Quinn, although he eventually developed a solid relationship with the coach. His 15:10 ATOI was lower than a number of lesser forwards as he ranked ninth in that area among forwards, but should increase significantly next season. Now that his entry-level deal is up, New York must pay him significantly more than the $925K he was previously making. However, with his development, it’s more likely the team will seek a bridge deal in hopes that his progress continues to improve.

F Brendan Lemieux — The Rangers didn’t get a lot of time to evaluate Lemieux, who the team acquired at the trade deadline as part of the Kevin Hayes trade. While not a key piece to the deal, New York hoped that the 23-year-old would give them a key bottom-six winger for a number of years as he had proved to be an agitator in his 53 games played in Winnipeg. Lemieux started his tenure in New York off well as he provided that grit the team needed, but after averaging 7:25 of ATOI with the Jets, his minutes jumped to 12:50 with the Rangers, and he quickly wore down, suggesting he lacked conditioning. In 19 games, he accumulated six points, 64 penalty minutes and two misconducts, which is a lot of penalties. Regardless, it’s likely the Rangers will seek a short-term deal so that Lemieux can prove himself.

D Neal Pionk — After showing off impressive skills in a trial during the 2017-18 season, the 23-year-old blueliner didn’t fare as well in his first full season with the Rangers. Pionk finished the season with six goals and 26 points but also saw his plus/minus drop to minus-16, but found himself in Quinn’s doghouse quite often in the second half of the season and was often a healthy scratch as he tallied just one point and seven points in his final 37 games. With a number of young defenseman close to ready for a regular NHL role, general manager Jeff Gorton will have to decide whether Pionk should stay with the defense or whether the team should move on from him. Expect him to get a short-term or even more likely a one-year deal on a “prove it” contract.

Other RFAs: D Julius Bergman, D Chris Bigras, D Fredrik Claesson, D Anthony DeAngelo, G Brandon Halverson, F Vinni Lettieri, G Chris Nell

Key Unrestricted Free Agents: D John Gilmour — Yes, Gilmour, who played a total of five games for the Rangers this past year, is the team’s top unrestricted free agent. The Group 6 free agent played 28 games during the 2017-18 season, but found himself playing a full season for the Hartford Wolf Pack in the AHL where he dominated, scoring 20 goals and 54 points and was named to the AHL All-Star team. However, he has been passed over on the prospect chart by Ryan Lindgren and Libor Hajek and doesn’t seem to be a major part of the team’s long-range plans although he could be a cheap 6/7th defensive option for the Rangers if they want a low-cost option.

Other UFAs: F Connor Brickley, D Rob O’Gara, G Dustin Tokarski

Projected Cap Space: With a little less than $64MM in commitments for next season (per CapFriendly), the team has room to make changes, but it’s unlikely the team will make any long-term commitments in house this offseason. The team is far more likely to go with multiple short-term deals and focus on fast-tracking their rebuilding efforts as they will likely attempt to bring in a top free agent to supplement its young players.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Jets Sign Joona Luoto

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The Winnipeg Jets have added to their prospect pool, announcing that they have signed winger Joona Luoto to a three-year, entry-level contract.  The deal carries a cap hit of just over $758K.

Luoto has come up through Tappara’s development system in Finland and has spent the past two seasons as a full-time player in the SM-liiga.  While he was a capable scorer at the junior level, that hasn’t translated over to the pros just yet as he has compiled just 16 points in each of the last two years and had limited production in Champions League play as well.

At least one member of the Jets will be familiar with what the 21-year-old brings to the table as winger Patrik Laine also came up through Tappara’s system and the two have been teammates at times over the years.  Luoto also played with prospect winger Kristian Vesalainen back at the 2017 World Juniors.  While it’s unlikely that he will make an impact with the Jets next season, he’ll at least give Winnipeg more depth in their system and a year or two down the road after some time in the AHL, he could then potentially push for a roster spot.

Jets Listening To Offers On Nikolaj Ehlers

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With a sizable list of free agents that are in need of new contracts, the Jets are going to have to shake up their roster to make room for these new deals.  Earlier this offseason, it was reported that Winnipeg is shopping forward Mathieu Perreault.  Now, Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic reports (subscription required) that they are listening to offers on Nikolaj Ehlers.

The 23-year-old is coming off the most disappointing season of his young career.  A shoulder injury caused him to miss 20 games and when he was in the lineup, he wasn’t particularly productive as he posted just 21 goals and 16 assists on the campaign, numbers that were well below expectations for someone that was expected to be a fixture in the top six.  Ehlers also struggled considerably in the postseason as he was held off the scoresheet in their first-round loss to St. Louis while logging less than 13 minutes a night.

With six years and $36MM left on his contract, it’s understandable that GM Kevin Cheveldayoff is open to seeing what the market is for the winger.  With Patrik Laine, Kyle Connor, Jacob Trouba, and Tyler Myers among those in need of new deals, they’re going to have to free up some money somewhere.  However, there’s also some risk in potentially dealing Ehlers at a low point in terms of his value.

However, considering that he had two straight seasons of at least 60 points before 2018-19, there should still be a sizable market for Ehlers.  The free agent market isn’t exactly loaded with top-six wingers, especially those that have been able to reach that point plateau.  An opportunity to land a player like that with extended team control doesn’t come up too often.

As for what Winnipeg may be seeking, LeBrun speculates that a young defenseman would make sense as a target to hedge against what could happen with Trouba and Myers.  It has been suggested that Trouba may not want to sign long-term with Winnipeg which, with him being one year away from UFA eligibility, makes him a trade candidate over the next couple of weeks.  Myers could ultimately choose to walk on the open market next month which would leave their back end thinned out rather quickly.  It’s certainly possible that Ehlers could be used to help re-solidify that position in the coming weeks.

David Gustafsson Signs With Winnipeg Jets

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The Winnipeg Jets have signed one of their top draft picks, inking David Gustafsson to a three-year entry-level contract. Gustafsson was picked in the second round last June, and played this season with HV71 in the SHL.

Still just 19 years old, Gustafsson has nevertheless impressed over his two seasons at the highest level in Sweden. His offensive ceiling has never been extremely high given his lack of real playmaking ability, but his game is already well suited to the North American professional ranks in a checking center role. Even at a young age, Gustafsson can be relied on in his own end and through the neutral zone in transition, despite relatively average skating ability.

He’s not going to be the next Mark Scheifele (probably, anyway), but there’s no reason to think that Gustafsson won’t be able to compete for the Jets down the road. His professional experience at such a young age is invaluable, and he will likely be able to step right into the Manitoba Moose lineup next season if that’s where Winnipeg wants him to take his next step.

Bogdan Kiselevich Expected To Return To The KHL

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  • Meanwhile, from the same report, Eronko notes that Jets defenseman Bogdan Kiselevich is expected to return to CSKA Moscow of the KHL. He parlayed a good showing at the 2018 Olympics into a contract with Florida but played a minimal role with them before being flipped to the Jets at the deadline where he served as injury depth but never got into a game.

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Pacific Notes: Golden Knights, Oilers, Canucks

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After two years of heavy turnover and maneuvering to get their franchise off to a hot start, it looks like the Vegas Golden Knights will be taking a back seat when free agency opens on July 1. While most people weren’t expecting Vegas to be active this offseason, with their cap room already used up, Ken Boehlke of SinBin.vegas writes that President of Hockey Operations George McPhee admitted the team will be inactive:

Well we’re in pretty good shape with our core group. We have basically everyone signed up and we are close on some other things. So I don’t imagine we’re going to be out looking at free agents this summer. We like the team the way it is and we like the young guys that we have coming along.

What McPhee meant when he said the team was close on some other things could be very interesting, although it could range anywhere from a potential long-term deal with restricted free agent William Karlsson, to potential deals for fellow RFA’s Nikita Gusev, Tomas Nosek, Jimmy Schuldt or veteran UFA Deryk Engelland, or even a trade to free up cap space to sign any of them.

  • The Athletic’s Jonathan Willis (subscription required) looks at the potential compatibility between the Edmonton Oilers and the Winnipeg Jets, wondering if the two teams might be a perfect match for solving each of their problems. The scribe suggests the Jets could use Edmonton to help unload some of their less-significant contracts, such as Mathieu Perreault or Dmitry Kulikov, or if the Jets are more motivated, they could consider sending winger Nikolaj Ehlers, who is coming off a disappointing season, to Edmonton for a package that could include a defenseman such as Darnell Nurse or Andrej Sekera and some of Edmonton’s youth that could help bolster the team’s depth.
  • Allan Mitchell of the Athletic (subscription required) writes that the Oilers are in need of an inexpensive third-line center option, one that can kill penalties, suggesting the team look via the trade market to find that player. He writes that the Oilers should consider trying to pry Montreal Canadiens’ center Phillip Danault, as well as look at Winnipeg’s Adam Lowry, Ottawa’s Jean-Gabriel Pageau, Detroit’s Luke Glendening, or Dallas’ Radek Faksa. The scribe adds that the most likely candidate that Edmonton would be able to steal away could be Pageau.
  • The Vancouver Sun’s Patrick Johnston writes that the Vancouver Canucks should seriously consider trying to convince Toronto Maple Leafs unrestricted free agent Jake Gardiner to sign with them this offseason. While there have been rumors that Toronto wants to unload other contracts in hopes of keeping Gardiner in the fold, Johnston writes that Gardiner would be the perfect puck-carrying defenseman that the team hasn’t had since Alexander Edler was in his prime. However, he wonders whether the U.S.-born blue liner might prefer to avoid playing in Canada after a taking a lot of heat from Toronto fans over the years.

Winnipeg Jets Re-Sign J.C. Lipon

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Like with Seth Griffith earlier today, the Winnipeg Jets have re-signed a minor league forward. J.C. Lipon has agreed to terms with the Jets on a one-year, two-way contract worth $700K at the NHL level. Lipon was scheduled to become a Group VI unrestricted free agent this summer after failing to get much of an NHL opportunity with the Jets so far in his career.

Lipon, 25, was originally selected in the third round of the 2013 draft after an impressive finish to his junior career. The winger ended up with 112 points and 135 penalty minutes that season for the Kamloops Blazers, mixing physicality and offense to make him a dangerous opponent. That mix continued in the minor leagues the next season when the overage Lipon jumped right into professional hockey, recording 42 points and 136 penalty minutes for the St. John’s IceCaps of the AHL. That kind of versatility has continued throughout his career, but with only nine games in the NHL so far the Jets have obviously not believed it can be sustained at the highest level.

Still, Lipon is an important part of the Manitoba Moose and has worn an “A” as alternate captain for the past three seasons. He’ll be back in the AHL most likely in 2019-20, unless the Jets find themselves struggling to fill the fourth line after their upcoming cap crunch. At the very worst, he’ll provide some depth for the team in case of injury.

Winnipeg Jets Re-Sign Seth Griffith

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Though news of the deal came out late last night, the Winnipeg Jets have now officially announced the new contract for minor league forward Seth Griffith. Griffith has agreed to terms on a one-year, two-way contract which will pay him $700K at the NHL level. The 26-year old forward was set to become a Group VI unrestricted free agent this summer.

Griffith has bounced around the league since being selected in the fifth round seven years ago, playing for the Boston Bruins, Toronto Maple Leafs, Florida Panthers, Buffalo Sabres and now Winnipeg Jets. During that time he has barely seen any NHL action, suiting up 79 times—interestingly just a single game below the Group VI threshold. Part of the reason that opportunity has been difficult to find is Griffith’s skill set, as he is an offensive player that can produce on the powerplay and doesn’t fit in quite well in a checking role.

In the minor leagues, that offensive role has suited Griffith just fine. Through 318 AHL contests the undersized forward has registered 300 points, including a 57-point season for the Manitoba Moose in 2018-19. That’s likely the role he’ll return to next season, though he’ll have to clear waivers at the start of the year in order to be assigned to the minor leagues.

Snapshots: Capuano, Roslovic, Tryamkin

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New Ottawa Senators head coach D.J. Smith was given full control over hiring his staff, has yet to make any additions. However, a familiar name could be on the way. The Ottawa Sun’s Bruce Garrioch reports that former New York Islanders head coach Jack Capuano is in talks to join the team. Capuano spent seven years as the Isles’ head coach and was an assistant for the Florida Panthers over the past two years. However, he became a free agent when new Panthers’ hire Joel Quenneville decided not to retain his services. A former AHL head coach as well, Capuano brings experience, but also a familiarity with working with young players, of which the Senators have plenty. Garrioch adds that GM Pierre Dorion stated today that the team hopes to have some assistants in place before the upcoming NHL Draft, meaning Capuano’s official addition could be imminent.

  • The Athletic’s Aaron Portzline reports that Winnipeg Jets forward Jack Roslovic has fired long-time agent Ken Robinson. Roslovic was a first-round pick of the Jets in 2015, but has been buried on the team’s organization depth chart and unable to break out. Roslovic has reportedly requested a trade out of Winnipeg several times and he remains unhappy with his current role, despite finally playing a full NHL season last year. With a number of difficult decisions to make this off-season up against the salary cap, the Jets may not be eager to move an affordable piece like Roslovic. Unfortunately, the young forward’s move to a new agent likely implies he wants someone to put more pressure on them to make a move than his last agent did. If Roslovic hits the trade market, expect his hometown Columbus Blue Jackets to be interested.
  • The Vancouver Canucks may have lost prospect defenseman Nikita Tryamkin to the KHL two years ago, but they remain interested in bringing him back. The Province’s Patrick Johnston reports that GM Jim Benning is keeping tabs on the big blue liner and looks forward to hopefully having him back with the team down the road. Tryamkin has one year remaining on his contract with Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg, so the reunion won’t be coming this off-season. However, talks have already begun with agent Todd Diamond about a future deal. Tryamkin initially left the team over frustration with role in the season-and-a-half he spent in North America. However, the 2014 third-round pick has improved his play in Russia and has also developed into a locker room leader for Avtomobilist. He would likely play a much larger role for the Canucks in his second time around.

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