Considering life without Ladd

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 23/02/2016 (3514 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

It has become a daily, no hourly, watch for the Winnipeg Jets. And in the days ahead of Monday’s National Hockey League trade deadline — where every rumour seemingly has legs and every voice is a “source” — it’s only going to continue to grab headlines, dominate sports-talk radio and own social media.

Andrew Ladd was still a member of the Jets at practice Monday, as the hockey world waits for something — anything — to happen with the team captain.

“We’re going to be asked about it every day,” said Jets coach Paul Maurice about the upcoming trade deadline (Feb. 29 at 2 p.m.). “But all 30 teams are dealing with the exact same thing. It’s the function of the schedule that you deal with.

“Yeah, it’s part of the room. It’s in there, sure.”

That said, not all NHL teams have so many eyeballs on them right now as the Jets do with Ladd. The wheeling and dealing is really just heating up — the Toronto Maple Leafs moved Roman Polak and Nick Spaling to the San Jose Sharks for a pair of second-round draft picks and Raffi Torres (who will remain in the AHL), while the Calgary Flames shipped Markus Granlund to the Vancouver Canucks for Hunter Shinkaruk — but Ladd is atop a lot of team’s wish lists.

A veteran winger with scoring touch, two Stanley Cup rings and some grit to his game would be a welcome piece on any number of contending teams’ rosters. As for where things stand with the captain and the Jets, his camp is waiting like everyone else to see if Jets GM Kevin Cheveldayoff pulls the trigger on a trade or if the two sides can still hammer out an agreement before the deadline.

And while the team has attempted to quell any notion his uncertain status has been a distraction, it most certainly will be over the next six days. Ladd, FYI, did not speak to the media Monday.

“I’m looking forward to the resolution, to be quite honest with you,” said Maurice. “This is going to be a focus on the hockey and get prepared for the week. But I’m looking forward to being able to take that next step forward.

“Any prominent player, any of that core group… a guy who has played 20-plus minutes a night… it will have an impact on your room.”

Ladd has worn the C for this franchise dating back to its final year in Atlanta and has been an influential voice and figure in the dressing room since the Jets 2.0 were born. So while they might not admit it, every day the players report for work there has to be a glance toward his locker stall to see if his nameplate and No. 16 jersey are still there.

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“We’re still going to treat it the same way we always do, treat every day like game day and focus on what we need to do to win games,” said centre Mark Scheifele when asked about the week ahead with rumours swirling.

As to whether he could even imagine the Jets without Ladd, Scheifele added: “I don’t even think about that. I don’t think about the possibility of what-ifs.”

But the coach and management has to, given the possibility this week could see a change at the top of the hierarchy in the dressing room. Asked Monday if he has to think about a succession plan should Ladd be moved, Maurice offered a politically correct answer to the media — delivered behind a smile-and-be patient veneer.

“We think about all things, all the time.”

ed.tait@freepress.mb.ca Twitter: @WFPEdTait