Jets Would Like To Keep Nathan Beaulieu For Next Season
- The Jets have interest in keeping defenseman Nathan Beaulieu in the fold, mentions Postmedia’s Ken Wiebe. After struggling with Buffalo, the 26-year-old held his own in a late-season trade to Winnipeg, logging nearly 17 minutes a night during the regular season although he didn’t see action in the postseason. Even though they want to retain him though, his required qualifying offer of $2.5MM is probably too rich to justify, especially with all of the other prominent players to sign. Accordingly, it’s likely that if a deal can’t be reached by the tender deadline in June, he’ll go unqualified with the Jets hoping to bring him back after he has a chance to test the open market.
Snapshots: KHL, Capitals, Lindholm
It appears as though a pair of defenders are set to return to the KHL after uninspiring seasons in the NHL, as multiple reports including Darren Dreger of TSN and Pekka Jalonen of Iltalehti have noted that Igor Ozhiganov and Bogdan Kiselevich are likely headed back to Russia. Both players will see their one-year contracts expire on July 1st and were sitting in the press box by the end of the season.
Of note, Ozhiganov is actually scheduled to become a restricted free agent meaning the Toronto Maple Leafs could retain his rights if they issue a qualifying offer. The team though didn’t play him much down the stretch or at all in the playoffs, as Jake Muzzin‘s arrival pushed him out of the lineup. Even with Toronto’s lack of right-handed options, there didn’t seem to be a fit between head coach Mike Babcock and Ozhiganov, who averaged just 14 minutes a night through his 53 games. Kiselevich was acquired by the Winnipeg Jets at the deadline to give them a bit of depth for a long playoff run, but never actually suited up with his new team. In 32 games for the Florida Panthers, he recorded eight points.
- The Washington Capitals were pushed right up against the cap all season, and it’ll cost them next year. Isabelle Khurshudyan of the Washington Post points out that the Capitals will face a $1.15MM overage penalty against next year’s cap because of the performance bonuses paid out to Brooks Orpik, Jakub Vrana and Jonas Siegenthaler. While paying out performance bonuses is normally a good thing that means players exceeded expectations, it will make it tough on the Capitals who are going to be cap-strapped next season. The team needs to sign Andre Burakovsky and Vrana to new deals as restricted free agents and may have to let Brett Connolly walk into unrestricted free agency as he deserves a big raise after his first 20-goal season. There are obviously a lot of moving parts to keep an eye on in Washington.
- Team Sweden looked like it might need a bit more firepower up front for the 2019 IIHF World Championship when announcing their preliminary roster, and they’re getting a bit of help from the Calgary Flames. Elias Lindholm will be joining the team according to Jonatan Lindquist of Viasat, giving them another top scoring option for the tournament. Lindholm reached new heights this season while playing with Calgary, scoring 27 goals and 78 points in a breakout performance. The 24-year old was the fifth-overall pick from 2013 but had previously failed to record more than 16 goals or 45 points in a single season.
Tyler Myers And Jacob Trouba Comment On Upcoming Contract Talks
Speaking with reporters as they cleaned out their lockers today, a pair of Jets defensemen commented on their future with the team. Pending UFA Tyler Myers indicated (via Murat Ates of The Athletic) that he’s open to starting discussions with GM Kevin Cheveldayoff as soon as the team is ready to do so. Myers took a small step back statistically this season but remains one of the top blueliners that will potentially be available on the open market.
Meanwhile, pending RFA Jacob Trouba was largely non-committal about his future, relays Sportsnet’s Rory Boylen. He’d only acknowledge that they’d talk in the summer which suggests there are no imminent discussions on the horizon. Trouba’s willingness to sign long-term with the Jets has long been in question but he has certainly bolstered his negotiating leverage as he had a career year in 2018-19 with 50 points in 82 games. If he so desires, he can sign a one-year deal this summer and become eligible for unrestricted free agency in 2020.
Patrik Laine, Nikolaj Ehlers Reveal Playoff Injuries
The Winnipeg Jets looked like a team battered and bruised in their final game against the St. Louis Blues, and it turns out that it isn’t just their egos that will need a few days to heal. Nikolaj Ehlers told reporters today including Ken Wiebe of the Winnipeg Sun that he suffered a fractured foot but played game six anyway, while Patrik Laine had groin and back injuries that he was dealing with throughout the playoffs. Neither player will suit up for the IIHF World Championship next month.
Brandon Tanev, who played in the final five games of the series, had surgery on a broken finger just a few days before the playoffs began.
The Jets will have plenty of questions to answer this summer after failing to get past the first round of the playoffs, and the postseason performance of Ehlers is certainly one of them. The 23-year old failed to record a single point in the series against the Blues and now has gone 21 games in his career without scoring a playoff goal. Ehlers struggled with injury for much of this season and finished with just 37 points in 62 games, a far stretch from the 60-point seasons he put up in the previous two.
The speedy forward just completed the first season of a seven-year, $42MM extension signed with the Jets in the fall of 2017. His performance is paramount to the team taking the next step and competing for the Stanley Cup.
Arizona Coyotes To Target Scoring This Off-Season
The Arizona Coyotes missed out on the postseason this year by a mere four points. While a success overall for the rebuilding club, the Coyotes struggled greatly on offense. The team’s 209 goals for were tied for third-worst in the NHL and their 16.3% power play success rate was sixth-worst. Behind stellar goaltending from Darcy Kuemper and strong team defense, the team largely got the job done, but they need to improve their scoring if they want to take the next step.
It’s thus no surprise that both Richard Morin of Arizona Republic and Craig Morgan of The Athletic write that Arizona will be looking to add a prominent scoring forward this summer. GM John Chayka would seem to agree:
I think to understand what we need to do to improve is pretty simple: We need to score more goals. I think anytime someone’s going through and trying to diagnose what you need to do to take that next step, that’s not the complicated part or complex part. I think what we need to understand and work through is, how do we score more goals? How do we create more offense, while maintaining that fundamental foundation of being a good stingy, defensive team.
Among the top options – albeit unlikely – for the Coyotes on the free agent market would be Columbus Blue Jackets stars Artemi Panarin and Matt Duchene, Buffalo Sabres’ standout Jeff Skinner, or any of the New York Islanders’ trio of Anders Lee, Jordan Eberle, and Brock Nelson. All of these forwards are prime talents, but may not be available to Arizona. Both Skinner and Lee are expected to re-sign with their current teams, as could Eberle or Nelson, while Panarin and Duchene are likely outside the Coyotes’ price range. More accessible free agent scorers could include Ryan Dzingel, Gustav Nyquist, Wayne Simmonds, or Brett Connolly, one or two of which would be a major boost to Arizona’s offense.
Morgan also adds that several cap-strapped teams could be forced to move talented forwards, leaving the Coyotes in places to scoop up valuable players at a discount. The Toronto Maple Leafs, Winnipeg Jets, and Tampa Bay Lightning are all in a tough spot, leaving the likes of Kasperi Kapanen, Andreas Johnsson, William Nylander, Nikolaj Ehlers, Mathieu Perreault, Ondrej Palat, J.T. Miller, or Alex Killorn possibly up for grabs.
Either by signing or trade, the Coyotes are likely to add a prominent forward or two and are expected to target wingers rather than centers. Arizona will be a team to watch this off-season as they target several of the aforementioned top names.
Winnipeg Jets Face Big Questions After Early Exit
The Winnipeg Jets were knocked out of the playoffs last night by an impressive St. Louis Blues group, and now must face the harsh reality of another season wasted. The Jets will not be happy with just making the playoffs in a season where many had them as a Stanley Cup contender, and will have plenty of questions surrounding the organization as the offseason begins.
Is Paul Maurice the right man for the job?
There’s no doubt that Paul Maurice is a good coach. The Jets’ head man has been behind NHL benches for most of his professional life, first taking the reins of the Hartford Whalers in 1995 when he was just 29 years old. His 695 wins put him seventh all-time among NHL coaches, behind only Joel Quenneville and Barry Trotz among those active. He’s ahead of names like Mike Babcock, John Tortorella and Claude Julien.
For all his regular season success though, Maurice has plenty of failure on his resume too. His teams have finished below .500 in a full season six times, and his overall record in the playoffs is 36-44. The team found some success last season as they made it all the way to the Western Conference Final, but that was just the third time in his entire NHL career that Maurice had made it past the second round of the playoffs. Now with another disappointing exit, the coaching seat in Winnipeg is sure to feel warm over the next few weeks and months.
How much are they willing to commit to Laine, Connor and Trouba?
Patrik Laine, Kyle Connor and Jacob Trouba are all set to become restricted free agents this summer, and should all command huge dollar figures and term. Each one of them is a potential star at his position, but each also comes with some real red flags. Trouba’s are perhaps the easiest to see after his previous tough negotiations and hesitancy to commit long-term to the Jets. The 25-year old defenseman has wanted to be “the guy” on the right side, a position that the Jets are deep at with Dustin Byfuglien and Tyler Myers among others.
Laine has had his ups and downs all season, going through drastic slumps while also still showing why he is a potential superstar. While he hit the 30-goal threshold for the third time in his three-year career, he also had his lowest point total (50) and was a -24 on the year. His negotiation will be particularly interesting to see if the two sides even want to ink a long-term deal after such a disappointing year.
Connor meanwhile led all Jets forwards in scoring during the playoffs and has developed into a key cog on offense. The biggest question surrounding his negotiation will be as a direct comparison to Laine. Doesn’t the 22-year old former Michigan star deserve more money after the year he just completed? How will the Jets afford to pay both of them, while also watching an extension kick in for Blake Wheeler raising his cap hit to $8.25MM. Is that too much money to spend on the wings?
What about the unrestricted free agents?
If those three RFAs weren’t enough, the Jets also have some important unrestricted free agents to worry about, starting with Myers. The hulking defenseman is set to hit the open market in July and could arguably be the best blue line option available, depending on how things go with Erik Karlsson. While he had another strong season for the team, if they are looking to shake things up perhaps they decide not to bring him back and instead install one of their younger defensemen like Sami Niku on a full-time basis.
There is also Kevin Hayes, whose upcoming free agency leads to another question about the Jets. How are they going to fill that second line center role, after using rentals in each of the last two years? Hayes was acquired for a first-round pick this season after the team spent the same on Paul Stastny the year before, only to see both fail to bring them a Stanley Cup. Bryan Little is still under contract for five more years at a $5.29MM cap hit, but GM Kevin Cheveldayoff has obviously not been content with him in the middle of the second unit.
Nikolaj Ehlers Questionable For Game Six
- Jets winger Nikolaj Ehlers left Thursday’s Game Five late in the third period after blocking a point shot and he did not take part in today’s gameday skate, notes Ken Wiebe of the Winnipeg Sun (Twitter link). While head coach Paul Maurice expressed some optimism that Ehlers would be available to play, Par Lindholm is expected to take the warmup in case Ehlers can’t suit up. While Ehlers has yet to score in 20 career postseason contests, he still deepens Winnipeg’s attack and gives them another scoring threat after putting up his third straight 20-goal season.
Winnipeg Jets, Dallas Stars Recall “Black Aces”
In sports, there is a nickname for everything. Today one of those names is being used in both Dallas and Winnipeg, as the Stars and Jets have recalled their “Black Aces.” This is a group of players from the minor and junior leagues that will come up to practice during and experience the NHL playoffs, without much of a chance to actually get into game action. It gives them a perspective on life at the highest level, while also allowing for time with NHL skills coaches. This time is often be called invaluable for young players, who get a taste of what it will take to get to and succeed at the NHL level.
Since the Texas Stars and Manitoba Moose both failed to qualify for the AHL playoffs, Dallas and Winnipeg have called up a large group of players. For Dallas, that group is as follows:
F Denis Gurianov
F Joel L’Esperance
F Nick Caamano
F Adam Mascherin
D Gavin Bayreuther
D Dillon Heatherington
D Joel Hanley
Among the group are several familiar names that have spent time at the NHL level, but Mascherin may be the most interesting member. Originally selected by the Florida Panthers in the second round (38th overall) of the 2016 draft, the scoring winger decided not to sign. He was subsequently drafted by the Stars in the fourth round (100th) last June, and started his professional career this season. It went pretty well, as Mascherin recorded 18 goals and 44 points in 75 games for Texas and actually tied for the team lead in +/- with a +10 rating.
For the Jets, the group will be made up of:
F Kristian Vesalainen
F Logan Shaw
F Marko Dano
F Mason Appleton
D Cameron Schilling
D Logan Stanley
Again there are several names that have already made their NHL debuts, including Vesalainen who notably forced a short recall before exercising his European Assignment Clause to play in the KHL this season. The 19-year old is a big part of the future for the Jets but will need to find some stability in his development moving forward.
There is always a chance that a few of these players could be forced into action due to injury or poor play from someone on the NHL roster, but more likely they’ll spend the next few weeks soaking in a playoff run from the outside.
Central Notes: Blues’ Defense, Perreault, Girard, Makar
The St. Louis Blues have had quite a bit going right for them and while much of the team’s success could easily be handed to goaltender Jordan Binnington, one key reason the team won both games in Winnipeg is the play of their top defensive pair, Colton Parayko and Jay Bouwmeester, according to The Athletic’s Jeremy Rutherford (subscription required).
The pair are being used to stop the Jets’ top line of Mark Scheifele, Kyle Connor and Blake Wheeler and have played more than 25 minutes matched up against that line in 5-on-5 play. Wheeler does have one goal on four shots in that span, but both Scheifele and Connor have each tallied just two shots combined in those situations.
“Fairly well,” Bouwmeester said when asked how the Blues have defended the group. “We had some breakdowns, and they had some chances. There were some odd-man rushes and things like that. They’ve got skilled guys and guys who don’t need a lot of room to get good chances. Bottom line is I think whoever’s going to control the puck and control the play is going to control what they give up.”
- Ken Wiebe of the Winnipeg Sun reports that there will be just one change in the Winnipeg Jets’ lineup for Sunday’s Game 3 in St. Louis against the Blues. The Jets will bring Mathieu Perreault back into the lineup after the veteran missed Game 2 with an undisclosed injury and Par Lindholm will become a healthy scratch. Perreault hadn’t missed a game this season until Friday. “We’re going to need more of that (secondary scoring) if we want to have any kind of chance of coming back in this series,” said Perreault. “Whoever I’m playing with today, our line, the third and fourth line, we’ve got to find a way to make sure we don’t get scored on, and then chip in a goal here and there to try and help the team win.”
- A.J. Haefele of BSN Denver reports that Colorado Avalanche defenseman Samuel Girard is still being evaluated after leaving Saturday night’s game against Calgary in overtime after taking a hit from Sam Bennett. However, the scribe reports that he is a possibility to play. Girard played 22:05 of ice time in Game 2 and would be a huge loss if he wasn’t able to go.
- Mike Chambers of the Denver Post reports that recently signed defenseman Cale Makar is expected to be at the team’s morning practice Saturday and could get into the lineup immediately. Dater adds that he gets the impression that Makar will be in the lineup even though head coach Jared Bednar has not made any announcements. The team’s first-rounder in 2017 will have to be protected for the Seattle expansion draft if he even plays one playoff game this season. However, it looks as if the Avalanche are willing to do that.
Minor Transactions: 04/12/19
The first game of each playoff series is in the books, and boy was it a wild ride. Upsets, shutouts and physical play have given us a great start to the postseason and it only continues tonight. The Columbus Blue Jackets will try to shock the world once again with a win in Tampa Bay, while the Winnipeg Jets will try to find a way to solve Jordan Binnington. As teams prepare for that action, we’ll be here keeping track of the minor moves.
- The Winnipeg Jets returned Eric Comrie to the minor leagues yesterday, allowing him to return to the Manitoba Moose for their own playoff run. The young goaltender will likely bounce back and forth to give them an extra body at practice, but isn’t expected to suit up for any of the Jets’ games.
- The same scenario is in place right now for the Boston Bruins and Daniel Vladar, who was up on Thursday night to serve as the emergency backup but has been reassigned to AHL Providence today.
- Adam Clendening has been recalled by the Columbus Blue Jackets after playing last night for the Cleveland Monsters. Clendening is one of the best defensemen in the AHL and will bounce back and forth like Comrie until one of his two teams is eliminated.