Trade Deadline Primer: Winnipeg Jets
With the trade deadline now just hours away, we wrap up our look at the teams in the Central Division. Where do they stand, what do they need to do, and what assets do they have to fill those needs? We finish with a look at the Winnipeg Jets.
It has been an interesting year in Winnipeg. They lost several key defenders over the offseason and then lost Dustin Byfuglien to one of the more bizarre situations we’ve seen in recent years as he reported, then left the team to ponder his playing future, and then underwent surgery. Despite that and several injuries up front, the Jets are right in the thick of the playoff race and have already added to their roster recently. They may not be done just yet.
Record
32-27-5, fourth in the Central Division
Deadline Status
Buyer
Deadline Cap Space
$17.395MM in a full-season cap hit, 0/3 used salary cap retention slots, 47/50 contracts per CapFriendly
Upcoming Draft Picks
2020: WPG 1st, WPG 2nd, WPG 5th, WPG 6th
2021: WPG 1st, WPG 2nd, WPG 3rd*, WPG 5th, WPG 6th
* – If Winnipeg makes the playoffs this season or re-signs Cody Eakin before July 5, 2020, this pick will transfer to Vegas and the Jets will have their 2021 fourth-round pick returned.
Trade Chips
As strange as it seems, the Jets are hoping to find a taker for Byfuglien and have been shopping him in recent weeks over proceeding with the expected contract termination. A team that wants to have a shot at using him in the playoffs would need to acquire him as if he’s not on their roster by the deadline, he would be ineligible to play in the postseason. But with a $7.6MM AAV for next season, the odds of that happening have to be low.
Winnipeg’s top picks and prospects are likely off the table but someone that they might be open to moving is Jansen Harkins. The winger has played in 23 games this season with the Jets but has had a limited role. He will be a restricted free agent this summer and waiver-eligible next season. There may be rebuilding teams out there that view him as worthy of a bigger role and this would be the time to try to get him while Winnipeg would bring in someone that can help them more in the short term. Winger Kristian Vesalainen isn’t lighting it up with AHL Manitoba either and while the asking price would be higher on him, it’s not impossible that he moves either but it’s likely they’d want someone with term coming back.
Injured forward Mathieu Perreault has been in trade speculation for the last couple of years in large part due to his contract which runs through next season with a $4.125MM AAV. While they don’t have to free up any cap room now, moving his deal off the books would really help free things up for next summer.
On the farm, Seth Griffith could be one to watch for. He has a track record of offensive success in the minors and with their farm team in Manitoba out of playoff contention, he’s someone that could move to a team that’s looking to load up for a Calder Cup run. Defenseman Cameron Schilling could be in a similar situation depending on whether or not they add any defensive depth. Goalie Eric Comrie has bounced around this year but with teams looking for goalie depth, he could be a cheap pickup for someone as well.
Five Players To Watch For: D Dustin Byfuglien, F Seth Griffith, F Jansen Harkins, F Mathieu Perreault, F Kristian Vesalainen
Team Needs
1) Impact Defender: GM Kevin Cheveldayoff has done a good job patching up the back end with Dylan DeMelo joining in-season acquisitions Luca Sbisa and Carl Dahlstrom. However, none of them are more than depth options and a top-four defender would go a long way towards bolstering Winnipeg’s defense core.
2) Secondary Scoring: The Jets already have five players with 21 or more goals this season but it falls off quickly after that. Bryan Little, one of their top-six forwards, is already out for the rest of the year so there is a vacancy to be filled. They’re in the middle of the pack in both goals against and allowed so if they can’t improve their back end, adding some more firepower to round out their attack would be a good way to go.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
West Notes: McDavid, Kuemper, Holland, Lehner, Samberg, Simmonds
The Edmonton Oilers are getting back a familiar face in Connor McDavid as the team announced the star forward returns tonight against the Los Angeles Kings. That might be perfect timing with Edmonton barely holding onto third place by just one point, although they are also just one point away from second place. McDavid has missed six games with a quadriceps injury.
In fact, it looks like McDavid will be teamed with Sam Gagner and Alex Chiasson for Sunday’s game and is expected to join the power play. McDavid has 31 goals and 81 points through 55 games this year and should be able to add some extra offense for the Oilers for the team’s stretch run. The Oilers have gone 3-2-1 without their star player.
- It looks like the Arizona Coyotes will get a significant boost to their team as well. The Coyotes announced they have recalled goaltender Darcy Kuemper from the Tucson Roadrunners of the AHL from his conditioning stint. The netminder has been out with a lower-body injury since Dec. 19. He was close to a comeback several weeks ago, but suffered a setback. Kuemper played Saturday for Tucson, stopping 26 of 28 shots, and looks ready to join the Coyotes’ lineup. Kuemper was one of the top goaltenders in the league before his injury, posting a 15-8-2 record with a 2.17 GAA and a .929 save percentage.
- NHL.com’s Tim Campbell writes that Edmonton Oilers general manager Ken Holland isn’t interested in moving the team’s 2020 first-round pick just to add a piece to the team at the trade deadline. Edmonton is currently one point out of second place in the Pacific Division, but the GM is resistant to moving such a pick, considering the team is still building. “I’m hoping that we can compete for a playoff spot and more on an every-year basis,” said Holland. “You can’t be in the trading game every deadline, well maybe with secondary pieces, but you can’t trade first-round picks [every year].”
- The Athletic’s Mark Lazerus reports that while the Chicago Blackhawks have discussed trading goaltender Robin Lehner to the Carolina Hurricanes after the team lost both their goaltenders Saturday night. However, the scribe adds that at this moment, Carolina considers Chicago’s asking price for the goaltender far too high. However, both teams will continue to talk up to the trade deadline on Monday.
- In an interview with the Winnipeg Sun’s Scott Billeck, University of Minnesota-Duluth defenseman and Winnipeg Jets’ 2017 second-rounder Dylan Samberg, said that he is focused on winning a third-straight NCAA championship. However, he also said, after that, he has every intention of joining the Winnipeg Jets after his season is complete. The Jets were hoping the 6-foot-4, 215-pound blueliner would sign with the team last summer where he would have likely played a significant role with Winnipeg this year. However, Sampson would like to help his school be the first to win three straight national titles. “They took a chance on me, they wanted me for a reason and I respect that,” said Samberg. “I respect the organization, they have a lot of great people, and it’s not that far from home, which is nice. I want to eventually get to the Jets.”
- TSN’s Rick Dhaliwal reports that Vancouver Canucks are no longer in the running for New Jersey Devils forward Wayne Simmonds. There was a time that Vancouver was quite interesting in adding the veteran leader to their roster, but the team is evidently looking in a different direction.
Winnipeg Jets Acquire Cody Eakin
The Winnipeg Jets are bringing one of their hometown kids back to Manitoba. Cody Eakin has been acquired from the Vegas Golden Knights in exchange for a conditional 2021 fourth-round pick. Eakin is on the final season of a four-year $15.4MM contract and set to become an unrestricted free agent in July. The pick can become a 2021 third-round selection if the Jets make the playoffs or Eakin re-signs. Vegas will not retain any salary in the transaction.
Apparently, the Jets have decided not to follow in their yearly tradition of spending a first-round pick on a rental second-line center at the deadline. After acquiring Paul Stastny in 2018 and Kevin Hayes in 2019, Eakin comes this season to try and give them a little more depth at the position for a playoff push, even if he won’t be expected to serve in the same top-six role.
The 28-year old has shown he can perform offensively in the past, even as recently as the 2018-19 season when he scored 22 goals and 41 points for the Golden Knights. But that Eakin has been nowhere to be seen this year as his four goals and ten points match Adam Lowry‘s disappointing totals for the season. Interestingly, Eakin and Lowry were teammates for a while with the Swift Current Broncos of the WHL and will get a chance to reunite in the Jets’ bottom-six down the stretch.
For the Golden Knights getting rid of Eakin’s contract was likely reward enough, making the conditional pick icing on the cake. The team wasn’t getting any production from the former Dallas Stars forward and needed room if they are going to activate Alex Tuch before the end of the year or make another acquisition. Nicolas Roy can slide into the lineup on a regular basis for the time being, while they grab another piece of draft capital to use in other discussions.
The Jets have assigned Andrei Chibisov to the minor leagues to make room on the roster.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Jets Trying To Trade Dustin Byfuglien
Early this month, it appeared as if the Jets and defenseman Dustin Byfuglien were on their way to a mutual contract termination as a resolution to his current grievance for the team suspending him without pay for leaving training camp early on and ultimately undergoing ankle surgery back in late October. However, that has yet to materialize and now we know why as TSN’s Frank Seravalli reports that Winnipeg is currently attempting to trade him.
It’s yet another odd development in what has been a very strange situation. At one point, it was believed that Byfuglien was contemplating retirement and at the beginning of February, it was reported that it’s unlikely that he will play this season. He has yet to resume skating which means the last time he skated was at or slightly before the beginning of training camp. On the surface, it is difficult to see why a team would want to take a chance on him.
It’s worth noting that a team that’s interested in him for this season can’t wait until he’s bought out after the trade deadline to bring him in for the stretch run and postseason. For a player to be eligible to play in the playoffs, he has to be on the Reserve List by the time the deadline passes so if someone wants to take a shot at him this season, they will have to trade for him by Monday.
There would certainly be some risk associated with making such a trade. While it’s true that if Byfuglien didn’t report, he’d remain suspended without pay and the acquiring team could pursue a contract termination this summer. However, as the 34-year-old has another year left on his deal at $7.6MM, any team interested in him would need to have the pro-rated cap space to take him on this year (if he eventually reported) as well as be able to afford him next season. Considering how long it has been since he last played, that would be a bit of a gamble.
Having said that, it’s one that could certainly pan out as Byfuglien was a high-impact player as recently as last year. His physicality could come in handy in the postseason and he has been a strong offensive performer in the past as well. There would certainly be some upside to the move if a team is willing to take the chance by adding him which Winnipeg GM Kevin Cheveldayoff is now assessing. If nothing happens by Monday, then the Jets will likely proceed with the contract termination soon after.
Winnipeg Jets Acquire Dylan DeMelo
The Ottawa Senators have traded Dylan DeMelo to the Winnipeg Jets in exchange for a 2020 third-round draft pick. This begins the selling season for the Senators, who are expected to move several players before the upcoming deadline. Winnipeg immediately moved Luca Sbisa to injured reserve, while Ottawa recalled Andreas Englund.
After the New York Islanders spent a second-round selection to acquire Andy Greene recently, the market for rental defensemen seemed to be set fairly high. That bar won’t be hit by the Senators who have settled for a lower pick, though they’ll happily add it to a huge number of selections they have over the next two years.
In this year’s draft the Senators now own two first-round selections (their own and San Jose’s, both headed for the lottery), three second-round selections and two third-round selections. That’s seven picks in the top hundred, and when you consider that they have three seconds again next year there will be plenty of talent infused into the Senators’ prospect system over the next while.
DeMelo is likely also just the first name that Ottawa will move this month. Mikkel Boedker, Vladislav Namestnikov, Jean-Gabriel Pageau, Tyler Ennis, Ron Hainsey, Mark Borowiecki and Craig Anderson are all set to become unrestricted free agents at the end of the year, while younger players like Chris Tierney, Connor Brown and Anthony Duclair are all pending restricted free agents that could bring back value as well. That’s a ton of options for GM Pierre Dorion to move, though the team does need someone to keep playing for them down the stretch.
The 26-year old DeMelo is actually quite a shrewd pickup for the Jets, who have had trouble finding much stability on the blueline all season. The former San Jose Sharks defenseman carries just a $900K cap hit on his expiring deal and has actually been excellent for the Senators. With ten points in 49 games he isn’t going to light up the scoresheet on a regular basis, but DeMelo consistently recovers pucks in his own end and sends play the other way. His versatility will come in handy for a Jets team trying to scrape their way into the playoffs, and a third-round pick is a more than reasonable return for GM Kevin Cheveldayoff to give up.
If the Jets decide to try and re-sign DeMelo, it would be the first time this season that he receives a contract offer. Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic reports that though the defenseman’s representatives did discuss an extension with the Senators, they never received an official offer.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Five Key Stories: 02/10/20 – 02/16/20
Can you really pick just five? In a news cycle in which superstar Erik Karlsson being ruled out for the season doesn’t even crack the top ten headlines, here are the five most important stories (admittedly with some other notes sprinkled in) of the week that was:
Bouwmeester Suffers Cardiac Incident: The hockey world stood still on Tuesday night, after the game between the St. Louis Blues and Anaheim Ducks was suspended under very scary circumstances. Veteran defenseman Jay Bouwmeester suffered a “cardiac event” while on the bench during the first period of the contest, collapsing onto the ground. Bouwmeester required resuscitation by the teams’ training staffs to re-start his heart before he was rushed to the hospital. While awaiting word on his condition, there was an outpouring of support from teams and players in all corners of the hockey world for the well-respected veteran. Fortunately, the team issued a statement that Bouwmeester was in stable condition, followed by a report on Friday that he had undergone successful heart surgery. While questions remain about Bouwmeester’s availability to the reigning Stanley Cup champs this season, as well as the future of the impending free agent’s career, the focus will be on rest and rehabilitation for a while still to come.
Minnesota Fires Boudreau: In 13 seasons as an NHL head coach, Bruce Boudreau has only missed the playoffs twice and those seasons occurred seven years apart. However, one of those seasons was 2018-19 and things were not looking good for a return to the postseason in Minnesota this year. New GM Bill Guerin opted to cut ties with his veteran coach on Friday before he could miss consecutive postseasons for the first time in his career. Assistant Dean Evason was named the interim replacement, while Boudreau will begin looking for a new home – a process that historically has not taken him very long.
Elsewhere in the division, Winnipeg Jets head coach Paul Maurice received the opposite treatment, despite similar struggles this season. Already one of the longest-tenured coaches in the NHL, Maurice received a three-year contract extension from the Jets.
Penguins Acquire Zucker: Firing Boudreau was not the only major shake-up in Minnesota this week. Long-time Wild star Jason Zucker was finally traded on Monday after more than a year of speculation, even through front office changes. In the end, he winds up with the Pittsburgh Penguins, the same team that nearly acquired him this summer for Phil Kessel. Former Pittsburgh executive Bill Guerin made good on his major trade as Minnesota GM, landing a 2020 first-round pick, top prospect defenseman Calen Addison, and a capable forward and potential extension candidate in Alex Galchenyuk. Meanwhile, the Penguins add the forward they have been seeking – especially in light of Jake Guentzel’s season-ending injury – in Zucker, a veteran with the speed and skill to keep up with Sidney Crosby and three more years remaining on his contract at a reasonable rate. Zucker scored two goals in just his second game with the Penguins on Friday.
Devils Deal Two Key Players: The trades kept rolling on Sunday with the New Jersey Devils as the center of attention. Another new GM, Tom Fitzgerald, is making good on his promise to maximize the return on tradable assets from the rebuilding club. In two separate deals, the Devils added a first-round pick and second-round pick in 2020, promising forward prospect Nolan Foote, and minor leaguer David Quenneville. Of course, it came at a cost, as long-time captain Andy Greene was dealt to the rival New York Islanders and fan-favorite forward Blake Coleman was moved to the Tampa Bay Lightning. Still, with such strong returns and pieces like Sami Vatanen, Wayne Simmonds, and more expected to go as well, this is the beginning of potentially franchise-altering deadline for New Jersey.
Oilers Extend Nurse: The Edmonton Oilers needed some good news this week, with superstar Connor McDavid out two-to-three weeks with an injury and fellow forward Zack Kassian suspended for seven games. They got it with news of a contract extension for young defenseman Darnell Nurse. Nurse, 25, signed a two-year, $11.2MM deal prior to restricted free agency and a potential arbitration battle this summer. The new AAV for Nurse represents a sizeable salary bump, but for good reason, as he has established himself as a dependable top-pair defender and a point-producer. While the relationship between Nurse and the Oilers was once a concern, it now seems to be in good order, with expectations already that the two sides will negotiate a more long-term extension after next season.
Minor Transactions: 02/16/20
The Colorado Avalanche’s opportunity to take over first place in the Central Division came up short Saturday night at the Air Force Academy in Colorado at the Coors Light Stadium Series outdoor matchup. The Los Angeles Kings got a hat trick from Tyler Toffoli, who likely raised his trade stock, and helped the Kings knock off the Avalanche, 3-1. Instead of moving into first, Colorado fell behind the Dallas Stars Saturday, who came back from a 3-0 deficit to the Montreal Canadiens to win in overtime, to move into second place. To make matters worse, both St. Louis and Dallas play Sunday, while Colorado has the day off, giving both teams a chance to extend their lead on the Avalanche. As the playoff race intensifies, teams will continue to make roster moves to strengthen their teams. Check back to see the roster moves throughout the day.
- The Columbus Blue Jackets announced Wednesday that forward Cam Atkinson would miss the next two to three weeks with a high ankle sprain. Now the team has placed Atkinson on injured reserve, retroactive to Feb. 8. The team will replace him on the roster with forward Kole Sherwood. The 23-year-old has appeared in three games with Columbus so far this season with no points, but has only averaged 6:38 of ATOI, as he tries to earn the trust of head coach John Tortorella.
- The Vegas Golden Knights announced they have assigned forward Nicolas Roy to the Chicago Wolves of the AHL after being recalled on Saturday with Jonathan Marchessault questionable. However, Roy was not needed as Machessault did play, so the team returned him. Roy has six points in 19 games with Vegas this season.
- Speaking of players who got assigned Saturday, the Winnipeg Jets announced they have recalled forward Andrei Chibisov from the Manitoba Moose of the AHL after sending him down the previous day. Chibisov is still looking to make his NHL debut. The 26-year-old, signed out of the KHL last June, has seven goals and 24 points in 48 games with the Moose. It’s expected that Chibisov will make his debut Sunday.
- The Toronto Maple Leafs announced they have brought up two young prospects in forward Egor Korshkov and Mason Marchment from the Toronto Marlies of the AHL. The 6-foot-4 Korshkov, the team’s 31st pick in 2016, finally came over from Russia this summer and has fared well in the AHL, scoring 14 goals in 35 games, could make his NHL debut if he gets into a game. Marchment has appeared in three games for the Maple Leafs, but has been on a tear since the team returned him to the AHL on Jan. 14. He has eight goals in the past five games with the Marlies. With the recall of two players, CapFriendly reports that Toronto placed Andreas Johnsson on long-term injured reserve. Johnsson was deemed to be out for the next eight weeks on Friday with a knee injury.
- The Ottawa Senators announced they have recalled defenseman Andreas Englund from the Belleville Senators of the AHL. Englund has been up and down all season. The 24-year-old has two assists in 12 games for Ottawa, but is actually scoreless in 22 games with Belleville.
- After acquiring Andy Greene in a trade from the New Jersey Devils, the New York Islanders have sent Sebastian Aho back to the minor leagues. Greene will join the Islanders on the road in Arizona where they face the Coyotes tomorrow.
- The Colorado Avalanche have recalled Hunter Miska, just a few days after signing him to an NHL contract. Miska will likely serve as backup for Pavel Francouz after Philipp Grubauer was injured last night.
Sharks’ Evander Kane Suspended Three Games For Elbowing
Earlier this morning, the Department of Player Safety announced that San Jose Sharks forward Evander Kane would receive a hearing that for elbowing Winnipeg Jets’ defenseman Neal Pionk Friday. However, it didn’t take long for the DoPS to come to a decision, as they suspended Kane for three games for the incident.
The incident happened during the third period of Friday’s game between San Jose and Winnipeg. Pionk was in the corner and had just released the puck when Kane came up from behind him and slammed his elbow into Pionk’s head, knocking him to the ground (video here).
The suspension will put Kane into double digits for his career, which likely was a significant factor in why the league hit him with three games. The 28-year-old was actually dealing with the Department of Player Safety several times earlier this year. He was involved in another elbowing incident as he received a $5,000 fine after elbowing Washington’s Radko Gudas on Dec. 4. He was also suspended three games on Oct. 1 during a preseason game for making physical contact with an official. In previous years, he also received two games for boarding in 2014, one game for personal conduct in 2016, and one game for cross-checking in 2018.
The suspension doesn’t help a team that is trying to get past its problems. The team has already lost forward Tomas Hertl to a season-ending injury and the team then announced this morning that Erik Karlsson would miss the rest of the season due to a broken thumb. Three games without Kane won’t make things any easier. The forward has 21 goals and could reach 30 goals for a second straight season, one of the few bright spots this year in San Jose.
Bryan Little Out For The Season
Jets center Bryan Little has been out of the lineup since taking a puck to the head in early November and he’s going to be out for a while yet. Head coach Paul Maurice told reporters, including Ken Wiebe of The Athletic (Twitter links) that while the veteran has gone through a variety of tests that have yielded some positive results, they are shutting him down for the rest of the season and he will undergo surgery to help repair his perforated eardrum. The procedure carries a three-month recovery period.
The 32-year-old only played in seven games with Winnipeg this season but was relatively productive in that span, picking up two goals and three assists. While his days of playing on the top line have come and gone, he has still been a reliable secondary scorer and the Jets were certainly hoping he’d be able to come back down the stretch and give their offense a boost.
Now, it appears that GM Kevin Cheveldayoff will need to turn to the trade market to get that improvement. While they’re believed to be wary of going after a prominent rental again, they will have plenty of LTIR space to work with as Little and his $5.291MM AAV can be moved onto there while they have enough confirmation regarding suspended defenseman Dustin Byfuglien‘s status to spend on a short-term replacement for him. All of a sudden, Winnipeg could be a team to watch for between now and the trade deadline.
Meanwhile, Maurice provided an update to reporters, including Mitchell Clinton of the Jets’ team website (Twitter link) regarding two of their other injured forwards. Adam Lowry (upper body) and Mathieu Perreault (upper body) are both listed as week-to-week with the latter likely to return first. That will likely only increase the need for them to try to add a forward over the next week or so.
Jets Assign Andrei Chibisov To Manitoba
- Andrei Chibisov has twice been recalled by the Jets this month but he’ll be waiting a little while longer to make his NHL debut as the team announced (via Twitter) that he has been sent back to AHL Manitoba. The 26-year-old is in his first season in North America after previously playing in Russia and has 24 points (7-17-24) in 47 games with the Moose this season.