Expansion Primer: Winnipeg Jets
Over the next few weeks, we will be breaking down each team’s situation as it pertains to the 2021 NHL Expansion Draft. Which players are eligible, who will likely warrant protection, and which ones may be on the block to avoid the risk of losing them for nothing? Each team is required to submit their protection lists by 4:00 PM CDT on July 17th. The full eligibility rules can be found here while CapFriendly has an expansion tool to make your own lists.
The Jets had a bit of an up-and-down season as they went from battling for the top spot in the North Division to backing into the playoffs. Then they went from sweeping Edmonton in the first round to being swept by Montreal in the second round. GM Kevin Cheveldayoff will have some decisions to make this summer as a result including a couple of calls to make in terms of their expansion planning. In the Vegas draft, they traded down 11 spots in the first round to secure the protections of Marko Dano and Toby Enstrom. Will they need to make another protection trade this time around?
Eligible Players (Non-UFA)
Forwards:
Mason Appleton, Kyle Connor, Andrew Copp, Marko Dano, Pierre-Luc Dubois, Nikolaj Ehlers, Jansen Harkins, Bryan Little, Adam Lowry, Skyler McKenzie, Mark Scheifele, Ivan Telegin, Blake Wheeler (NMC)
Defense:
Nathan Beaulieu, Dylan DeMelo, Luke Green, Josh Morrissey, Sami Niku, Nelson Nogier, Neal Pionk, Logan Stanley
Goalies:
Mikhail Berdin, Connor Hellebuyck, Cole Kehler
Notable Unrestricted Free Agents
D Jordie Benn, G Laurent Brossoit, D Derek Forbort, F Mathieu Perreault, D Tucker Poolman, F Paul Stastny, F Nate Thompson, F Dominic Toninato
Notable Exemptions
F David Gustafsson, D Ville Heinola, F Cole Perfetti, D Dylan Samberg, F Kristian Vesalainen
Key Decisions
There is some intrigue on the back end for Winnipeg. There are certainly more than three players worthy of protection but at the same time, there is no case to make to shift from the typical 7 F/3 D/1 G strategy to eight skaters and a goalie.
In terms of the obvious ones to protect, it’s Pionk and Morrissey. Those two logged heavy minutes all season while contributing a good chunk of their offensive production. Morrissey is already signed long-term through 2028 and it seems likely at this point that Cheveldayoff will try to get Pionk, who is arbitration-eligible for the first time, locked up to a long-term deal as well. That leaves one spot for everyone else.
DeMelo’s absence was certainly felt after exiting the series quickly against the Canadiens. While he doesn’t put up many points or even log a lot of minutes, he is a stabilizing defensive presence and penalty killer on a defense corps that is often shaky in their own zone. That’s why they handed him a four-year, $12MM contract last fall and it’s unlikely their opinion of him has changed much in the last nine months; he’s clearly someone that they want around for a while. But having said that, in this cap environment, would a $3MM AAV for someone who typically plays third-pairing minutes be enough to scare Seattle off to the point where not protecting him could be viable?
That question is what they will be considering when it comes to Stanley. The 23-year-old just made his NHL debut this season but he has been on an NHL contract for three years, making him eligible for selection. The 2016 first-round pick (16th overall) had a limited role but blueliners often develop slower than forwards and given his size, the learning curve was a bit steeper. If they believe he’s capable of playing himself into a more prominent role over the next couple of years, it would be tough to risk losing him for nothing. And from Kraken GM Ron Francis’ perspective, Stanley is exactly the type of young player to either take a flyer on to develop or to flip in another trade.
Beaulieu and Niku are also worth a mention. Beaulieu has been serviceable on the third pairing for the last few years and with a $1.25MM cap hit, he’s someone that could be picked and flipped. Niku dominated in the AHL in 2017-18 with 54 points in 76 games and was productive in shorter stints the last couple of years. However, he hasn’t had much of an NHL opportunity yet and is someone that has been a prime change of scenery candidate for a while. His $725K cap hit will also be below the NHL minimum salary next season ($750K) which could also be appealing.
Up front, Little looked like someone who would likely be protected just a couple of years ago but he hasn’t played since suffering a perforated eardrum back in November of 2019. While his injury hasn’t been confirmed to be career-ending, that could still change which could render him exempt from selection.
Their other top-six forwards that are under contract should be locks for protection and after Lowry inked a five-year, $16.25MM extension back in April, it’s a safe assumption that one of the remaining slots will be his. That leaves one spot left and a couple of viable options in Lowry’s linemates on Winnipeg’s third line.
Copp had shown flashes of offensive improvement over the previous few seasons but took that to another level this year, setting career highs in goals (15), assists (24), points (39), and ATOI (18:15). Whenever injuries struck, Copp was often the one to move up in the lineup while playing the wing or down the middle when needed. That type of versatile player is critical for teams to have and while he’s set to earn a raise from his $2.3MM qualifying offer in restricted free agency this summer in his final season of arbitration eligibility, it’s a price that Winnipeg (or Seattle, if he’s ultimately made available) would happily be willing to pay.
The other part of that third trio is Appleton whose track record isn’t quite as long. The 25-year-old was a full-time NHL player for the first time this season and he was fairly productive in a limited role, notching 12 goals and 13 assists in 56 games. Of those 25 points, all but one came at even strength (and the one special teams point was a power play assist). Five-on-five scoring is always highly coveted and the early indication is that Appleton is a capable contributor in that regard. He also only has a $900K cap hit through next season and productive low-cost depth is hard to come by. Being only able to protect one of Copp or Appleton will hurt.
Projected Protection List
F Kyle Connor
F Andrew Copp
F Pierre-Luc Dubois
F Nikolaj Ehlers
F Adam Lowry
F Mark Scheifele
F Blake Wheeler (NMC)
D Dylan DeMelo
D Josh Morrissey
D Neal Pionk
Skater Exposure Requirement Checklist
When Vegas had their expansion draft, a minimum of two forwards and one defenseman had to be exposed that were under contract and played either 40 games in the most recent season or 70 over the past two combined. Due to the pandemic, those thresholds have been changed to 27 games played in 2020-21 or 54 in 2019/20 and 2020-21 combined. In creating our expansion list for each team in this series, we will ensure that these criteria are met.
Forwards (2): Mason Appleton, Jansen Harkins
Defensemen (2): Nathan Beaulieu, Logan Stanley
While some teams will be losing veteran talent, it certainly feels like Winnipeg will be losing one of their younger regulars as their roster currently stands. Appleton looks like a promising late-bloomer and after being viewed as a potential bust, Stanley took an important step forward in his development this season and should be part of their future plans now. Is that enough for Cheveldayoff to make another side deal? He has roughly six weeks to make that decision.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images. Contract information courtesy of CapFriendly.
Injury Notes: Evans, Stastny, Seguin, Rossi
It was a scary moment at the end of Game One between the Montreal Canadiens and Winnipeg Jets, as the Habs’ Jake Evans had to be stretchered off the ice after receiving a massive hit from the Jets’ Mark Scheifele as the result of a charge. Scheifele was suspended for four games and with Montreal up 2-0 and playing at home the next two games, he may not play again this season. Regardless of the series length though, it seemed certain that Evans would not play again this season. Fortunately, Canadiens head coach Dominique Ducharme did have good news this morning, relaying that Evans is doing better since his trip to the hospital on Wednesday. Ducharme added that there is still no timeline for a return, as one might expect, but it is still good to see improvement from Evans following such a frightening check. Hopefully Evans will make an appearance in the arena to root on his teammates in the near future.
- The Jets are hoping to stay alive in the series but face an uphill battle down two games and on the road, missing one of their best players in Scheifele. They are hoping to get one player back sooner rather than later though in Paul Stastny. Stastny has missed each of the first two games of the North Division finals with an undisclosed injury, but TSN’s Sara Orlesky spoke with head coach Paul Maurice and confirmed that Stastny made the trip to Montreal. Maurice stopped short of making any claims about his availability for Games Three and Four, but the 35-year-old would not have traveled if he was not at least in consideration for game action. Needing to replace Scheifele down the middle, Stastny would be a major addition to the lineup for Winnipeg if he is able to go. Update: Stastny is IN for Game Three.
- After returning for the final three games of the regular season, Tyler Seguin is back to work on his rehab this summer. Following hip and knee surgeries last fall, Seguin missed almost all of the season in recovery, but was deemed fit to make a brief return at the end of the year for the Dallas Stars. The goal now is to make sure that his surgically-repaired lower body is completely up to speed for the beginning of next season, writes Matthew DeFranks of the Dallas Morning News. Seguin is now able to train at full strength this summer to get back into game shape, telling DeFranks that his skating was still lacking even when he returned to the lineup at the end of the season. The Stars need Seguin at his best if they want to return to the postseason next year following a disappointing 2020-21 campaign.
- In a momentous development following a very difficult year, Minnesota Wild prospect Marco Rossi skated for the first time on Saturday after battling Coronavirus complications this season. Rossi was sent home to Austria at the beginning of the season as he endured serious medical side affects related to a COVID diagnosis months earlier and continued that fight throughout the year. Rossi was finally medically cleared last month and NHL.com reports that Wild GM Bill Guerin has been in close contact with his budding young star and is happy with his progress. Guerin states that Rossi is “incredibly healthy” and “looking very good” as he begins his training to get back into game shape. The Wild hope that the 2020 No. 9 overall draft pick and OHL scoring champion will be ready for training camp and can make a difference for the club next season.
Dylan DeMelo To Miss At Least A Week With A Soft Tissue Injury
- Jets defenseman Dylan DeMelo missed Friday’s second game against Montreal and it appears he’ll miss at least a couple more. Head coach Paul Maurice told reporters, including Postmedia’s Ted Wyman, that the blueliner is dealing with a soft tissue injury and will be out for at least a week. Jordie Benn replaced DeMelo in the lineup last night although youngster Ville Heinola could get a look at some point as well.
Still No Decision On Border Exception For NHL Postseason
The Montreal Canadiens head into Game Two of the North Division Finals on Friday with a chance to go up 2-0 in the series on the Winnipeg Jets. In fact, the series could be over as early as early as Monday if the Habs continue to win. There might be just one business day left between now and Montreal advancing to the NHL’s postseason final four. Yet, they still have no idea whether or not they will be playing any home games beyond that point.
Reporting for Sportsnet late last night, David Morassutti relays word from Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly that the league and the Canadian government still do not have any agreement on an exception to current border policies. With Canada behind the United States in Coronavirus vaccinations, the country and each of the provinces still have strict border restrictions and tight health regulations. Those are not going away any time soon, so if the NHL wants Montreal or Winnipeg to be able to host home games in the next round or two, they need to negotiate an exception to the rules. Daly notes that conversations with Canadian officials are ongoing and “increasing in frequency” and there is an understanding that the NHL needs a decision as soon as possible. However, Canada is already late on a ruling; the NHL had previously announced that they hoped to have the border exception hammered out by the end of the first round.
Morassutti reports that what is being discussed is a “national interest exemption” that would allow both NHL and MLB teams – with the Toronto Blue Jays currently calling the U.S. home – to cross the border without facing quarantine time. However, a new set of policies would need to be put in place to safeguard against COVID transmission from these visitors and public health officials would need to approve. Daly feels confident that a solution can be reached soon, but phrases like “rigorous due diligence” from the Canadian side cast some doubt on just how quickly this can be done. With the next round arriving no later than June 13, will “soon” be soon enough for the Stanley Cup Playoffs?
If no deal is reached, meaning American clubs cannot cross the border and the Canadian champ cannot return once they cross into the U.S. either, the alternative would be that the North Division winner would have to adopt a home south of the border for their remaining games. In all likelihood, these plans have already been made in the event that a border exception is not reached in time. However, there has been no indication by the NHL of what this Plan B might be. The closest American cities to Montreal that could host NHL postseason play include Portland, ME, Manchester, NH, and Rochester or Syracuse, NY, all current or former AHL homes. Boston is the closest NHL city, but seems unlikely due to the Bruins’ potential inclusion in the next round. Buffalo would likely be the next-best choice. As for Winnipeg, options are few and far between. The club is located very close to Grand Forks, ND, home of the University of North Dakota and a location that was considered as hub city for the 2020 postseason. However, it likely isn’t an ideal spot for the NHL. Minneapolis is the only NHL city even remotely close for the Jets, though Seattle has also been mentioned as possibility.
There is still a lot of unknowns about this situation and time is running out. Hopefully the Canadian government can work with the NHL to come to a quick solution on an amended border policy. If not, the North Division champ will face the disadvantage of playing in a strange city as their reward for advancing on in the postseason.
Mark Scheifele Suspended Four Games
June 4: Speaking with the media today, Scheifele explained that though he had the option to appeal, he has decided not to.
June 3: The Department of Player Safety has reached a verdict in the case of Mark Scheifele, handing out a four-game suspension to the Winnipeg Jets forward. Scheifele will miss games two through five of the Jets’ second-round series against the Montreal Canadiens with his team already down 1-0.
As the accompanying video explains:
Scheifele, moving with excessive momentum gained from travelling a considerable distance, finishes his check violently and with excessive force into Evans, making significant head contact in the process and causing an injury.
The league also acknowledged Scheifele’s argument that the distance was travelled with the idea of trying to break up Jake Evans‘ empty-net goal attempt but felt that him not attempting to make a play on the puck meant that he was conceding the goal, leading to the following:
Instead, it is apparent to our department that his intention on this play is to deliver a hard, violent check to an opponent with the outcome of both the play and the game already having been decided. In short, this is a player who has travelled a considerable distance, is moving with exceptional speed, and is fully aware of his momentum who chooses to charge into a vulnerable opponent with a high, predatory hit that causes an injury.
The incident occurred at the very end of the game as Evans scored a game-clinching empty-net goal, and resulted in the Canadiens’ forward lying on the ice unconscious. Evans was eventually stretchered off the ice but did not require hospitalization. According to Montreal head coach Dominique Ducharme, the young forward (who turned 25 last night) suffered a concussion but is recovering.
For Scheifele, it means that he will miss a good chunk of this series should the Jets fail to come out victorious without their star center. Now 28, he recorded his fifth consecutive point-per-game campaign in 2020-21, scoring 63 in 56 during the regular season. In the first-round sweep against the Edmonton Oilers, Scheifele recorded five points but was kept completely off the board by Phillip Danault and company last night.
He received a five-minute major and game misconduct for the hit on Evans and also did not have a history of supplementary discipline. Still, he’ll now miss four games in the North Division deciding series.
TSN’s Darren Dreger was the first to report the suspension.
Mark Scheifele To Have Hearing With Department Of Player Safety
The Winnipeg Jets lost game one of their second round series against the Montreal Canadiens and now will be losing one of their most important players. Mark Scheifele will have a hearing with the Department of Player Safety to determine the supplementary discipline for his hit on Canadiens forward Jake Evans at the end of last night’s game. It is important to note that it is not an in-person hearing, meaning the suspension will not be greater than five games.
With Montreal defending a lead, Evans raced to collect a loose puck in the Winnipeg zone and deposit it for the game-clinching empty-net goal. As he did, Scheifele skated nearly the entire length of the rink, first appearing to be backchecking to prevent the score. Instead of trying to poke the puck off Evans stick as he wrapped it into the net, Scheifele instead stopped his stride and prepared for a hit. The resulting contact was forceful and left Evans down and unconscious on the ice. He would need to be stretchered off, and Scheifele would receive a five-minute major and game misconduct.
There are very few in the league who consider Scheifele a dirty player, but almost everyone can agree that this hit did not need to happen. The DoPS obviously believes it as well, as the Winnipeg center will be sitting down for a while.
Winnipeg Jets Sign Jeff Malott
It was an impressive rookie campaign with the Manitoba Moose for undrafted forward Jeff Malott, and he’s going to get rewarded for it. The Winnipeg Jets have agreed to terms with Malott on a one-year entry-level contract for the 2021-22 season. The two-way deal will carry an NHL salary of $780K.
Malott, 24, played four seasons at Cornell University period to this year but never experienced anything quite like the offensive success he had for the Moose. In 34 games playing on an AHL contract, he recorded 14 goals and 20 points while also bringing a level of physicality every night. The 6’3″ forward had one fighting major and 35 penalty minutes in his debut season.
A teammate of Cale Makar with the Brooks Bandits of the AJHL, Malott went undrafted despite dominating the league in 2015-16. He scored 25 goals in 46 games that season but failed to record more than six goals in any of his four years at Cornell. It seems that scoring touch has returned to Malott and it brings the promise of an NHL deal.
NHL Making Progress On Olympic Participation
The 2022 Olympic Winter Games are coming quickly and there is no definitive answer yet on whether the NHL will participate. That could be changing soon, as hockey insider Frank Seravalli reports that the league has received a verbal commitment from the IOC to fund travel and insurance, one of the biggest sticking points in previous negotiations. Seravalli notes there is still a lot of work to be done, including negotiating whether the NHL will be allowed to use game footage and other promotional material, something the Olympic committee has long been against.
Progress is progress though and it will be welcome news to hockey fans all over the world. Best-on-best hockey always creates a memorable event, whether at the Olympics or World Cup, and the lack of NHL participation in the 2018 Games robbed some of a chance to compete for their country. Players like Auston Matthews and Connor McDavid who are now five and six years into their NHL careers still haven’t had a chance to represent their nations on the Olympic stage.
The 2022 Games are scheduled to begin on February 4, 2022, meaning there would need to be a stoppage to the NHL schedule while the league’s best go to Beijing. In 2014, the last time the NHL participated, Canada took home the gold in a 3-0 win over Sweden. The U.S. finished off the podium entirely, downed in the bronze medal game by tournament MVP Teemu Selanne of Finland.
In 2018, without the NHL involved, the Olympic Athletes from Russia took home gold, defeating Germany in the gold medal match. That Russian team included several former NHL talents like Ilya Kovalchuk and Pavel Datsyuk along with several names who would make their debuts in the coming years, like Ilya Sorokin, Igor Shesterkin, and Kirill Kaprizov.
North Notes: Weber, Oilers, Tkachuk, Hamonic
The Department of Player Safety announced that they have fined Montreal Canadiens defenseman Shea Weber $5,000, the maximum fine allowable in the CBA, for cross-checking Toronto’s Wayne Simmonds Saturday during Game 2 of the playoffs.
The veteran forward was not assessed a penalty against Simmonds on the play, but did receive a two-minute minor for cross-checking on Toronto’s Pierre Engvall during the third period and later received a 10-minute misconduct. Montreal received seven minor penalties during their 5-1 loss to Toronto.
- The Edmonton Oilers look to be making several lineup changes after falling 2-0 to the Winnipeg Jets in their first-round matchup, according to Oilers insider Bob Stauffer. With the hope of being faster on the ice, the team is scratching James Neal, Dominik Kahun and Alex Chiasson, while bringing Tyler Ennis, Gaetan Haas and Devin Shore. The team has also split up defensemen Tyson Barrie and Darnell Nurse, while demoting forward Kailer Yamamoto to the third line.
- Calgary Flames forward Matthew Tkachuk, who is eligible to sign an extension with the team, tells Sportsnet’s Pat Steinberg that he hasn’t spoken to Flames’ management about a new contract. The 23-year-old has one more year remaining at a $7MM AAV, but also will have a qualifying offer of $9MM when he becomes a restricted free agent. That’s a lot of money for a player that hasn’t taken that next step the team was hoping for. Tkachuk scored 34 goals and 77 points during the 2018-19 season and looked to be developing into a star player. However, those numbers have dropped to 23 goals and 61 points in 69 2019-20 and then 16 goals and 43 points in 56 games this season. There’s even been talk of Calgary making major changes this year, which could, in theory, include Tkachuk as well.
- The Vancouver Canucks have high hopes they can re-sign defenseman Travis Hamonic to a new contract for the upcoming season. Hamonic, who will be an unrestricted free agent this offseason, played 38 games for Vancouver, mostly pairing with Quinn Hughes and fared well, despite dealing with injuries and rust. However, The Province’s Ben Kuzma reports that general manager Jim Benning said that there is interest in bringing back Hamonic, assuming the two sides can reach a reasonable deal. The 30-year-old signed a one-year deal worth $1.25MM in hopes of staying in Western Canada, suggesting a deal is legitimately possible.
Nikolaj Ehlers Ready To Return To Winnipeg’s Lineup For Game 3
Already up two games in their first-round playoff game with the Edmonton Oilers, the Winnipeg Jets got some more good news Sunday when it was learned that winger Nikolaj Ehlers would return to the lineup for Game 3, according to Sportsnet’s Ken Wiebe.
Ehlers, who has been out since April 24 with an upper-body injury and has missed a total of 11 games during that time, will move onto the right side of the team’s second line. Pierre-Luc Dubois is expected to move to the other side of that line, while Andrew Copp will drop to the third line. Dominic Toninato will come out of the lineup.
The return of the 25-year-old Ehlers will be welcome news to the Jets and its fans. Ehlers has been a consistent goal scorer throughout his career, tallying 20 goals or more for the last five years. He looks to have turned a corner this year, scoring at almost a point-per-game pace. Ehlers tallied 21 goals and 46 points in 47 games this year.