Jets’ Schmidt placed on unconditional waivers

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This article was published 30/06/2024 (509 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

LAS VEGAS – It turns out there was a reason Kevin Cheveldayoff said that all options were on the table when the question of a buyout was once again posed to him this weekend.

On Sunday morning, the Winnipeg Jets placed veteran defenceman Nate Schmidt on unconditional waivers, with the purpose of using the third buyout in franchise history.

“Again, I think I said it back at my last press conference, everything is on the table when it comes to having to deal with the cap,” Cheveldayoff said on Friday. “You have to understand what levers you do have in front of you, yet still try to put the most competitive team on the ice in front of us.”

The move will allow the Jets to gain roughly $3.2 million in valuable cap space in the interim, with free agency set to open on Monday morning.

Schmidt will count $2.7 million in dead cap money next season and a $1.6 million charge in 2025-26, according to CapFriendly.

The Jets are already being charged $2.75 million for last summer’s buyout of former captain Blake Wheeler.

The only other player in 2.0 Jets franchise history to be bought out is Mark Stuart.

Schmidt, who turns 33 on July 16, is coming off a steady season on the third pairing, but his $5.95 million AAV for the final year of his contract made it difficult for the Jets to upgrade a defence corps that could also be in danger of losing Brenden Dillon when unrestricted free agency.

Schmidt spent three seasons with the Jets, recording 13 goals and 65 points in 211 regular season games, suiting up in another eight games during the Stanley Cup playoffs.

Schmidt and Dillon were acquired within a 24 hour span back in 2021 as the Jets made significant renovations to a defence corps that had lost a number of key cogs, including Dustin Byfuglien, Jacob Trouba, Tyler Myers, Ben Chiarot and Toby Enstrom.

Schmidt started out on the top pairing with Josh Morrissey, but eventually moved down to the second and third pairing.

His pairing with Dylan Samberg was highly effective and featured strong underlying numbers, but Schmidt was a healthy scratch on multiple occasions during the stretch run.

Although the Jets allowed the fewest goals in the NHL last season, one of the off-season priorities was to upgrade the defence corps.

As of this moment, the Jets have just under $12 million in cap space available to them, with 17 players under contract.

Schmidt is a popular player who brings an upbeat and engaging personality to the rink on a daily basis, so he should be able to find a new contract on the open market, albeit at a much lower dollar value.

Although the Jets have made several offers to Dillon, the expectation is that he is going to generate a lot of interest during the coming days.

As it stands right now, he’s probably also played his last game as a member of the Jets.

Should he depart, Dillon’s physical play and leadership will be missed. He also delivered a career-high eight goals and chipped in 20 points in 77 games last season.

The Jets have a surplus of left-handed shooting defenceman, so it wouldn’t be a surprise if they prioritized the right side on Monday.

Among the players who are likely on the Jets’ wish list are Matt Roy of the Los Angeles Kings and Sean Walker of the Colorado Avalanche.

The Jets also have a hole at second-line centre and the buyout could open up the space to take a final run at extending Sean Monahan, who was a great fit after his arrival in the trade with the Montreal Canadiens.

Monahan is coming off an excellent season and will be in demand for teams looking to bolster their depth down the middle if he gets to market.

With Laurent Brossoit expected to move to a situation where he can enjoy some additional playing time, the Jets will also be looking for a new backup goalie.

The Edmonton Oilers placed goalie Jack Campbell on unconditional waivers on Sunday as well and he might be a candidate to fill a backup role as he looks to get his career back on track.

What qualities will the Jets be looking for in the next backup to play behind two-time Vezina Trophy winner Connor Hellebuyck?

“Well, you look at the situation we’re in, we have the best goaltender in the NHL as our goaltender, so he’s going to play a lot. He thrives on playing a lot,” said Cheveldayoff. “You need somebody that can understand that, can accept that, but can work with that and can be ready. Someone that has a good outlook of where they’re at in their career and can understand the situation in front of them.

“We are open and honest when we will get into discussions with players about that role. We were open and honest with LB last year, too. It’s all about opportunity. The goalie carousel is a very, very different one. It seems like there are lots of spots and then all of a sudden, the music stops and everyone tries to grab a chair. That’s always an interesting dynamic.”

Tyler Toffoli, Colin Miller and Kyle Capobianco are also expected to depart in free agency.

The Jets also have several restricted free agents that need new deals, including forwards Cole Perfetti and David Gustafsson and defenceman Logan Stanley.

The Jets could also continue to explore the trade market for top forward prospect Rutger McGroarty, who was not moved in a deal on the weekend but is not going to be attending development camp this week.

On Sunday afternoon, the Jets announced they had extended qualifying offers to Perfetti, Gustafsson, Stanley, Ville Heinola and Simon Lundmark.

Goalie Oskari Salminen and defenceman Artemi Kniazev were not given qualifying offers, which means they will become unrestricted free agents.

Former Jets defence prospect Jonathan Kovacevic also found a new home on Sunday as he was traded by the Montreal Canadiens to the New Jersey Devils.

ken.wiebe@freepress.mb.ca

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