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Jets Interested In Evgeny Svechnikov

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The Jets will need to add some low-cost depth to their system in the hopes of giving themselves a little bit of salary cap flexibility by carrying some minimum-salary players and it appears that one of the players they’re eyeing is winger Evgeny Svechnikov.  Sportsnet’s Ken Wiebe is among those to report (Twitter link) that there is mutual interest between Winnipeg and the 24-year-old though no agreement is in place yet.

Svechnikov was the 19th-overall pick by Detroit back in 2015 but has seen his stock drop steadily since his rookie professional season where he had 51 points in 74 games.  He missed all of 2018-19 due to a knee injury and has had trouble staying in the lineup since then as well.

Last season, Svechnikov cleared waivers in training camp but wound up only playing in four games with AHL Grand Rapids where he had a goal and an assist.  Instead, he split the season between the Red Wings and their taxi squad, getting into 21 NHL contests where he had a respectable five goals and three assists despite averaging less than 12 minutes a game in ice time.  However, Detroit declined to tender him a qualifying offer last month, making him an unrestricted free agent.

With Winnipeg currently being very tight to the salary cap (even with Bryan Little’s LTIR room), the Jets will need to have some cheaper players to call upon in case of injury.  Svechnikov would certainly fit the bill and with the flashes of upside he has periodically shown with Detroit, he’s someone that likely would get a long look in training camp if they can get an agreement in place.

Winnipeg Jets Re-Sign Johnny Kovacevic

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Wednesday: The Jets have confirmed the new contract for Kovacevic, as well as the reported terms. Now the big defender just has to make sure that this isn’t the last time this season that he makes Winnipeg headlines as he looks to earn his NHL debut.

Tuesday: Just like that, the Winnipeg Jets have wrapped up their restricted free agent class. After re-signing Andrew Copp earlier today, the Jets have reportedly taken care of business with their final remaining unsigned RFA. CapFriendly reports that Winnipeg and defenseman Johnny Kovacevic have come to terms on a one-year, two-way contract. Kovacevic is expected to make the minimum $750K at the NHL level and $90K at the AHL level.

Kovacevic, 24, is a 2017 third-round pick of the Jets who was an overage selection following a fantastic freshman season at Merrimack College. Kovacevic would eventually leave Merrimack early to turn pro following 54 points in 101 NCAA games over three years. The 6’5″, 220-lb. defenseman outgrew the college level quickly and was ready to match up with pro competition.

In two season in the AHL, Kovacevic still has produced relatively well for a defender of his stature. In 75 games, Kovacevic has logged seven goals and 28 points. This offensive touch to go with his size and strength makes Kovacevic an intriguing package on the back end. Though Winnipeg addressed their lacking blue depth in a major way this season by adding Nate Schmidt and Brenden Dillon while retaining their existing group through the Expansion Draft, it should only be a matter of time before Kovacevic finally gets his first NHL look. Alongside Logan Stanley, Dylan Samberg, and Ville Heinola, Kovacevic is part of an impressive next wave of defenders coming up for Winnipeg.

Winnipeg Jets, Andrew Copp Avoid Arbitration

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The Winnipeg Jets have avoided arbitration with another restricted free agent, signing Andrew Copp to a one-year, $3.64MM contract according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet. Copp had a hearing scheduled for August 26, which will no longer be necessary.

Copp, 27, will be an unrestricted free agent when the deal expires, but there wasn’t much flexibility for the Jets to sign him to a longer deal. The team is pushed right up against the salary cap even with Bryan Little’s $5.3MM deal moving to long-term injured reserve, meaning a multi-year deal with Copp (which would have carried a higher cap hit) would have required a subsequent move.

Instead, the team will move forward with the group they have now and revisit extension talks down the line. Copp will be eligible to sign a new contract with the team when the calendar turns to 2022. If he continues the play he showed this year, that next deal will certainly be coming with a substantial raise on $3.64MM.

Copp broke out offensively this season, scoring 15 goals and 39 points in just 55 games while playing a much bigger role for the Jets. Not only did he receive more regular powerplay time, but he also averaged 2:29 of short-handed ice time to lead all Winnipeg forwards. Overall he came in behind only Mark Scheifele, Kyle Connor, and Blake Wheeler in terms of average ice time, ahead of several more highly-paid teammates. It’s hard to overstate just how important he was to the Jets forward group, serving as a sort of fix-it player for any situation.

While he may not get much fanfare for his performance, other teams surely will have noticed the player that Copp has developed into. His free agent market will be significant if he makes it there, meaning this one-year deal is certainly a risk for the Jets in terms of retaining his services past 2021-22. The team is in a win-now mode though after a disappointing second-round exit, and clearly has decided that the expensive defensive additions were worth the cap squeeze they’re now experiencing.

With Copp signed, the Jets have essentially completed their offseason work, with only Johnny Kovacevic still to sign as a restricted free agent.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Winnipeg Jets, Neal Pionk Avoid Arbitration

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The Winnipeg Jets and Neal Pionk won’t need their upcoming arbitration hearing after all, as they’ve agreed on a long-term contract instead. The RFA defenseman has signed a four-year deal that will carry an average annual value of $5.875MM. Pionk’s hearing had been scheduled for Friday. PuckPedia reports the full breakdown:

  • 2021-22: $3.5MM
  • 2022-23: $6.5MM
  • 2023-24: $7.5MM + 6-team no-trade
  • 2024-25: $6.0MM + 6-team no-trade

It’s easy to underestimate just how strong a player Pionk has become because of the market he plays in and the high-profile player he was traded for. Acquired as part of the package for Jacob Trouba, the 26-year-old defenseman has become one of the most reliable offensive defensemen in the league. In fact, since joining the Jets in 2019, Pionk ranks 13th among all NHL defensemen in scoring with 77 points in 125 games. That’s more than twice as many as Trouba, who signed a seven-year, $56MM deal with the Rangers upon arrival.

That’s not to say the two are directly comparable, but is just evidence to show how valuable Pionk has become in Winnipeg. He has averaged nearly 23 minutes a night since arriving, contributing to both the powerplay and penalty kill. When the Jets’ need for a defenseman was discussed at length this season it was to find Pionk some help, but his place on this team will continue to be a leading one.

By buying out two years of unrestricted free agency, the Jets have locked up Pionk through his prime, but it didn’t come at much of a bargain. After acquiring Nate Schmidt and Brenden Dillon this offseason, the team now has five defensemen making at least $3MM for the next three seasons. Winnipeg now sits just barely under the salary cap ceiling but still has a lot of work to do, with an arbitration case for Andrew Copp on the horizon. The team does have some wiggle room as Bryan Little will be placed on long-term injured reserve again, but it isn’t a lot considering they have just nine forwards signed to one-way deals at the moment.

Committing so much to the defense is not usually a bad plan, but it’s unclear exactly how the Jets expect to give their young options playing time now. Logan Stanley, Ville Heinola, Sami Niku, and Dylan Samberg are all ready to contribute, but the route to the roster is pretty much blocked through 2023-24. There will be one regular spot to fight over when the season begins (injuries notwithstanding), with Stanley obviously having the inside track after his performance this year.

For Pionk, this contract is basically perfect, giving him a huge raise through the next several years while still letting him test free agency at a young enough age to land another multi-year deal.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Cap Situation Could Pressure Jets To Trade Andrew Copp

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The Jets are a team that projects to be quite tight to the Upper Limit of the salary cap.  Per CapFriendly, they have just over $6MM in cap room which amounts to roughly $11.35MM once Bryan Little’s LTIR is factored in but they still have to re-sign defenseman Neal Pionk and center Andrew Copp as well, both of whom have arbitration hearings later this month.  Accordingly, Scott Billeck of the Winnipeg Sun suggests that with the strong platform season Copp had – one that saw him notch career highs in goals (15), assists (24), and points (39) – could wind up pushing him out of town.  GM Kevin Cheveldayoff spent nearly $10MM last month to shore up their back end with the acquisitions of Nate Schmidt and Brenden Dillon but if Pionk and Copp wind up getting more than they anticipated, it certainly could force their hand into trading someone and selling high on Copp would certainly make some sense for Winnipeg.

Logan Stanley Signs With Winnipeg Jets

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The Winnipeg Jets have signed Logan Stanley to a two-year contract, which will carry an average annual value of $900K. Stanley was a restricted free agent after performing admirably in his rookie season. PuckPedia reports that Stanley will earn $800K in 2021-22 and $1.0MM in 2022-23.

A contract that inexpensive could be a huge win for the Jets, as they look to rebuild their defense for next season. The team already brought in Nate Schmidt and Brenden Dillon, while retaining Dylan DeMelo in the expansion draft. With Stanley in the fold for such a low price and Neal Pionk still to sign, the Jets suddenly have a pretty impressive depth chart on the back end.

The 23-year-old is one of the most imposing figures in the league at 6’7″ and can skate well enough to effectively shut down rushes. Even though there was some concern over his upside in the minor leagues, he stepped into the Winnipeg lineup this season and found almost immediate success. Though his role was limited, the hulking defenseman managed to record four points in 37 games, putting up good possession stats and traditional +/-. Though not always chasing the hit, Stanley’s size obviously gives him a physical advantage over most players, one which he’s still just learning how to effectively use.

While he should figure into the lineup next season, the veterans added certainly does complicate things. The team still has Nathan Beaulieu and prospect Ville Heinola as well, meaning their number of NHL-level defensemen has suddenly reached at least eight. That’s not even considering Dylan Samberg, who looks ready to contribute soon.

That’s a big change from last season when the Jets were searching high and low for defensive help all year. The question now becomes what does Pionk sign for, given the team only has about $6MM in cap space left to sign him and Andrew Copp. Even less if you consider the fact that they only have nine forwards currently on one-way deals, and don’t have an obvious backup goaltender except for the inexperienced Eric Comrie. It will be a tight squeeze in Winnipeg this summer, but Stanley taking such a low-cost contract certainly helps matters.

Winnipeg Jets Sign Austin Poganski

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The Winnipeg Jets have added some more forward depth, signing Austin Poganski to a one-year, two-way contract. The deal will carry a salary of $750K at the NHL level. Poganski qualified for Group VI unrestricted free agency this season after spending the early part of his professional career with the St. Louis Blues.

The 25-year-old Poganski played five games for the Blues this season, spending nearly the entire year on the taxi squad. In 2019-20, he had 30 points in 56 games for the San Antonio Rampage of the AHL, but isn’t expected to be much of an offensive presence at the NHL level. Instead, if he wants to play at the highest level,  the powerful skater is going to have to carve out a role as a bottom-six energy player.

There is room for that in Winnipeg, where they have just nine forwards signed to one-way contracts after today’s moves. The team currently has a few spots at the bottom of the roster open for competition, and though some younger, higher-profile prospects may be destined to fill them, a player like Poganski could potentially slot in as a 13th or 14th forward to open the year. If not, and he’s ticketed for the minor leagues, he’ll have to clear waivers to get there.

Jets Sign Riley Nash

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The Jets have added some veteran depth down the middle as they announced that they’ve signed Riley Nash to a one-year contract.  The one-way deal is worth the league minimum salary of $750K.

Nash split last season between the Blue Jackets and Maple Leafs.  He suited up in 37 regular season games – all with Columbus – picking up just two goals and five assists while winning 49.7% of his faceoffs and averaging 12:46 per game.  It looked like his season had come to an end in early April after suffering a knee injury.  However, Toronto flipped a 2022 seventh-rounder to acquire him, transferring him to LTIR in the process to expand their LTIR pool.  He was able to return for the playoffs although he only suited up in two of their seven games in their first-round loss to Montreal.

The Jets saw several veteran role players head elsewhere in free agency with Trevor Lewis going to Calgary, Nate Thompson signing in Philadelphia, and Mathieu Perreault inking a deal in Montreal and Nash will serve as a replacement for Thompson and should anchor their fourth line.  With 578 career NHL games under his belt, he’ll serve as a veteran penalty killer and will allow David Gustafsson to have a bit more time with AHL Manitoba before making the jump to the NHL on a full-time basis.

Sportsnet’s Ken Wiebe was the first to report that Nash was signing with the Jets.

Jets Re-Sign Eric Comrie

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The Jets have agreed to terms with one of their pending unrestricted free agents as they announced that they’ve re-signed goaltender Eric Comrie to a one-year contract.  The one-way deal will pay him the league minimum of $750K.

The 26-year-old has certainly bounced around over the past two seasons.  Between October of 2019 and mid-February of this year, he was claimed off waivers four times and traded once.  Despite that, he played all of four NHL games in that stretch.  While several teams wanted him, they preferred him solely as an insurance policy over someone that could be a regular backup goaltender.

Two of those waiver claims came this year and between that and the taxi squad, Comrie was limited to just five total appearances – one with New Jersey and four with AHL Manitoba where he posted a 1.23 GAA and a .947 SV%, numbers that were much better than his AHL career averages of 2.82 and .911, respectively.

Comrie has just five career NHL games under his belt but could very well be slotted in as Winnipeg’s backup goaltender behind Connor Hellebuyck next season.  Laurent Brossoit is set to test the open market tomorrow while the recent acquisitions of Nate Schmidt and Brenden Dillon have cut into their cap space while they still have several restricted free agents to re-sign headed up by Neal Pionk.  One way to save money is to have a cheap backup goalie which could work in Comrie’s favor.  Otherwise, Comrie will at least have a one-way deal under his belt before seeing if he’ll bounce around the league again or make it back to the minors with the Moose.

TSN’s Darren Dreger was the first to report that Comrie had re-signed.

Jets Acquire Nate Schmidt

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While it was believed that Nate Schmidt wasn’t keen on being traded to the Jets, he had a change of heart as on Tuesday, he waived his no-trade clause to be traded to Winnipeg with the Canucks receiving the Jets’ third-round pick in 2022 in return.  Both teams have announced the trade.

Schmidt was acquired from Vegas last fall early in free agency with the Golden Knights needing to free up cap space to facilitate the signing of Alex Pietrangelo.  The return in that deal was a 2022 third-round selection which means Vancouver was basically able to get a free year out of Schmidt when the two moves are combined.

Unfortunately, that free season wasn’t a great one for the 30-year-old.  While he fit in quite well in Vegas, that wasn’t the case in Vancouver as Schmidt struggled for most of the year.  His offensive production was cut in half from the previous year from 31 to 15 points despite playing in nearly the same number of games and that was hardly the return they were expecting from someone that carries a $5.95MM cap hit.  Those struggles likely played a role in Vancouver swinging a deal for Oliver Ekman-Larsson over the weekend, a move that sealed Schmidt’s fate as being someone that was about to be on the move again.

Meanwhile, Winnipeg makes their second notable defensive addition in as many days after acquiring Brenden Dillon from Washington on Monday.  The Jets were hit hard two years ago with several blueliners leaving for no return in Ben Chiarot and Tyler Myers (free agency), the injury and subsequent retirement of Dustin Byfuglien, while Jacob Trouba was traded to the Rangers in a deal that netted Neal Pionk, a move that has worked out well for them thus far.  Even so, the only defensive addition of note prior to these two moves was Dylan DeMelo so there was work that needed to be done.

This addition, coupled with Dillon’s pickup, gives Winnipeg much more depth on the back end as the two could possibly form their second pairing behind Pionk and Josh Morrissey for next season while pushing DeMelo down to the third pairing.  All of a sudden, a position that was their biggest weakness looks a lot stronger.

With these moves – Winnipeg is picking up the full contract for Schmidt per Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic (Twitter link) – that should be it for additions on their back end.  GM Kevin Cheveldayoff will have a little over $7MM in cap room remaining (excluding Bryan Little’s LTIR-bound contract which carries a $5.291MM AAV) with Pionk, Logan Stanley, and Andrew Copp needing new contracts.  They’ll need to dip into that LTIR pool to get those deals done.

Meanwhile, Vancouver has freed up $9.75MM in cap room today with this swap and the Braden Holtby buyout.  The Canucks still have Elias Pettersson and Quinn Hughes among those in need of new contracts but they’ll have roughly $25MM in cap room, giving them enough flexibility to try to make another big splash over the coming days.

TSN’s Darren Dreger was the first to report that Schmidt had agreed to the trade. PuckPedia was the first to report that Winnipeg’s pick, not their other selection from Columbus (previously acquired) was going to Vancouver.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.  Cap and contract information courtesy of CapFriendly.

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