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Happy Wednesday, folks.
It’s my opinion the Winnipeg Jets have mis-managed their defence corps, and I see only one solution to remedy the problem.
For various reasons — some of them perhaps preventable — the Jets have lost four key players from the stellar blue line that helped them make it to the 2018 conference final. To recap: gone are Jacob Trouba, Tyler Myers, Dustin Byfuglien and Ben Chiarot. All four possessed size, speed, skill and grit. The Jets have not been the same since the loss of these players and never will be unless they can somehow replace them.
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And I don’t mean with the likes of Neal Pionk, Tucker Poolman, Nathan Beaulieu — or even Dylan DeMelo. Decent players, but not in the same vein as the aforementioned four.
Personally, I would have given Trouba the big-money contract he wanted early in his career. If you’re drafting a guy that high in the hopes that he will be your top defenceman for years to come, pay him. If not, trade him before every other team knows you have to deal him.
(AP Photo/Hannah Foslien)Winnipeg Jets defenceman Jacob Trouba carries the puck while shorthanded against Minnesota Wild centre Luke Kunin during the second period Tuesday. Trouba would score on the play.
Both Chiarot and Myers were left to walk as free agents. If you weren’t going to pay them — and I would have overpaid for at least one of them (Chiarot) — then dealing them at the trade deadline last season was the play.
Perhaps there wasn’t anything to prevent Buff from bailing on the team at the start of the season, but good management should be aware of how its staff is feeling about their employment ahead. Because it’s the enigmatic Buff, I would give the brass a pass on this one.
Now what?
In 2016, the Columbus Blue Jackets dealt their top centre — Ryan Johansen — to the Nashville Predators for top young defencemen Seth Jones. Both players were fourth-overall choices in the draft — Johansen in 2010 and Jones in 2013. It’s one of the best recent examples of a win-win trade in the NHL.
And it’s exactly what the Jets need.
(AP Photo/David Zalubowski)Winnipeg Jets left wing Kyle Connor is the team’s leading goal scorer and was on the cusp of hitting 40 goals for the first time in his career.
Last winter, our sports columnist Mike McIntyre got wind of a trade rumour that had Kyle Connor heading to the Colorado Avalanche in a deal that would have netted the Jets a young defencemen by the name of Bowan Byram — drafted fourth overall by the Avs in 2019.
Personally, I’d rather see the Jets ship out Laine — he seems more interested in video games and his golf handicap than he does in getting in shape for hockey — but if Connor is the price to pay for a young stud defenceman, then so be it.
McIntyre thinks the team should deal one of its talented wingers for a top centreman. The team does need help there as well. Lots of holes to fill, folks. If you would like to hear Mike and me discuss this topic and several others, tune in to our weekly Jetcetera podcast that we recorded on Tuesday by clicking here.
And as always, you can hit reply on this mailing or reach me by email here.
Stay warm.
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