No off-season for Jets management Plenty of decisions to be made regarding players and staff By: Ken Wiebe and Mike McIntyre Posted: 5:57 PM CDT Friday, May. 31, 2024

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This article was published 31/05/2024 (817 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The head coach has been hired. The amateur scouting meetings have wrapped up, the professional scouting meetings are underway and the NHL Draft combine is right around the corner. The 2024 NHL Draft in Las Vegas is just a few weeks away and free agency starts in a month.

That is to say there are critical decisions looming for the Winnipeg Jets that will have a far-reaching impact on the team’s quest to move forward.

“The summer certainly marches on very, very quickly,” general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff said earlier this week.

It most certainly does.

With that in mind, let’s take a look at some of the pressing questions, with Free Press hockey writers Ken Wiebe and Mike McIntyre doing their best to provide some answers to this six-pack:

1. Who will round out the coaching staff?

Scott Arniel said shortly after the announcement his phone was already blowing up, with congratulatory messages from colleagues and expressions of interest in joining the coaching staff.

With two vacancies, the best bet is that one of those jobs will go to a veteran associate coach. There’s been a lot of movement on the coaching front at the NHL and AHL levels, so there’s no shortage of quality candidates available. Having done the job himself at multiple stops, Arniel recognizes the value of having other coaches on staff to lean on.

NHL head coaching experience isn’t a necessity, but it wouldn’t be a surprise if someone like Dave Hakstol was in the mix. James Patrick and Arniel have close ties, though Patrick is currently the head coach of the Victoria Royals of the Western Hockey League. Moose assistant coach Nolan Baumgartner worked with Arniel previously on the Chicago Wolves staff, but he also worked multiple years with Travis Green and is expected to be hired by the Ottawa Senators.

Expect some news in the coming days.

 

2. Will they stay or will they go?

The clock is ticking if the Jets wish to re-sign any or all of pending unrestricted free agents Sean Monahan, Tyler Toffoli, Dylan DeMelo, Brenden Dillon, Colin Miller or Laurent Brossoit, who hit the open market July 1.

It says here Toffoli, Miller and Brossoit will have new hockey homes next season, but the forecast is foggy on Monahan, DeMelo and Dillon.

“So, we’ve had some good conversations with some of the agents of the potential UFAs. A lot of them wanted to wait and see where we went with that decision, with the coaching hire,” Cheveldayoff said, following the Arniel announcement.

“That’s an important step for players, certainly, wanting to make a commitment to an organization. They want to know who they’re going to be playing for, what type of player that person likes and how they’re going to be utilized. So, it’s an ongoing process.”

There appears to be a full-court press on to retain Monahan, who takes care of that important second-line centre position. If he’s not filling it, then whom?

Are the Jets really going to let top-four blue-liners DeMelo and Dillon walk following a season in which the team gave up the fewest goals in the regular season? Can they afford to sign everyone and remain cap compliant?

 

3. Ehlers extension or trade?

With just one year left (at US$6 million), the Jets are approaching a crossroads with winger Nikolaj Ehlers. Either they lock him up with a new deal, or they have to move him to risk losing a valuable asset for nothing a year from now.

A change of scenery sure seems to be the most likely option. Of course, many of us were thinking that last year about centre Mark Scheifele and goalie Connor Hellebuyck.

Ehlers can be a dynamic, play-making winger, but inconsistent play and injury issues also make him a polarizing player.

It’s possible we get clarity on this on the draft floor, or maybe it drags well into the summer. Either way, a pivotal decision is looming, and this could end up being the storyline of the summer.

 

4. Who will be the Jets backup goalie?

Brossoit provided elite netminding for the Jets last season. Not only were his numbers exceptional, but he pushed Hellebuyck while also providing a support network for him during what looks to be another Vezina Trophy-winning season.

One wonders if the Jets can identify a team in need of a netminder that might be willing to move an asset — even if it’s a mid-to-late-round pick — to gain exclusive negotiating rights with Brossoit before he hits the open market.

Even if that doesn’t happen, the Jets don’t have an internal candidate in the organization that’s ready to be the No. 2 guy. Thomas Milic did a great job after his promotion to the Moose, but he’s going to need at least another AHL season or two before he forces his way into the discussion.

With Brossoit ready to move to a place where he can compete for no less than a 1A-1B situation, it’s not as simple as going out and signing the best backup on the market. Given the raises coming for Hellebuyck and Mark Scheifele and the needs the Jets will prioritize through trades or free agency, there will be a budget-conscious element to it.

The last time the Jets needed a backup, they chose a familiar face in Brossoit to partner with Hellebuyck — and things worked out wonderfully. If they go down that path again, pending UFA Eric Comrie could be under consideration after he spent the past two seasons with the Buffalo Sabres.

A goalie who figures to be in high demand this summer is likely to be Anthony Stolarz of the Florida Panthers. Winnipegger Calvin Pickard resurrected his NHL career with the Edmonton Oilers this season and is a pending UFA and could be on the list of targets.

Casey DeSmith had a strong start to the season with the Vancouver Canucks, but was overtaken on the depth chart by Arturs Silovs and will be looking for a new destination. Scott Wedgewood (Dallas Stars) and Kevin Lankinen (Nashville Predators) should also be under consideration, while there will be curiosity surrounding Kaapo Kahkonen (New Jersey Devils) and Alex Nedeljkovic (Pittsburgh Penguins).

 

5. Blue-line bye-bye or buyout?

The Jets may have no choice but to try and clear some cap space, especially if they wish to keep the likes of Monahan, Dillon and/or DeMelo around. Even if Ehlers is moved, the Jets would likely prefer a valuable player in return, rather than a picks/prospect package.

Where could that money come from? The buyout period will begin shortly after the Stanley Cup is awarded later this month, and it’s possible defenceman Nate Schmidt (one more year at US$5.95 million) will become a prime candidate. Neal Pionk is also entering the final year of his deal, earning US$5.875 million, and if the Jets aren’t going to extend him, then a trade would be the likely route.

All of this uncertainly makes the blue line the major area of focus in the coming weeks, especially as Logan Stanley is also a restricted free agent and young prospects such as Ville Heinola and Elias Salomonsson (with their cap-friendly, entry-level contracts) pushing for work.

 

6. What will the next contract for Cole look like?

It was a tale of two seasons for Cole Perfetti, the 10th overall pick in the 2020 NHL Draft. This will go down as an incredibly important development year for the versatile forward with outstanding vision.

Perfetti got off to a great start and was providing plenty of secondary scoring as a fixture in the top-6 forward group. Production was consistent as he delivered 14 goals and 29 points through 40 games, while often averaging less than 15 minutes of ice time per game.

The offensive well ran dry during a 23-game goal drought, and he went over a quarter of the season producing only two assists. Perfetti showed plenty of tenacity as he responded to a series of healthy scratches, but he essentially lost his job on the second line to trade-deadline addition Toffoli and was limited to one playoff game.

However, his ability to regroup and chip in five goals and seven points during his final eight games of the regular season was a testament to the work he put in and the mental toughness he showed.

One of the most important developments was Perfetti showing his durability after having two seasons cut short by injury. With Toffoli likely gone, and maybe Ehlers as well, Perfetti should be counted on to be a primary scorer within the top-6 this season.

However, as a pending RFA, it’s likely Perfetti will be betting on himself with a two-year bridge deal this summer. Since he doesn’t have arbitration rights, it’s possible a one-year pact is on the table, but that doesn’t change the fact the Jets view Perfetti as someone they’d like to commit to long-term as they’ve done with so many of their other core pieces.

Establishing that long-term value is probably going to be easier once he’s played another full season or two. That also means the cost of that long-term deal will be on the rise, so there’s a bit of a balancing act required for both the player and the team.

As for the deal itself, two years with an annual cap hit in the US$ 3 million range could make sense for both sides.

ken.wiebe@freepress.mb.ca

X: @WiebesWorld

mike.mcintyre@freepress.mb.ca

X: @mikemcintyrewpg