Who will stay and who will go? Plenty of unknowns as Jets enter longer-than-anticipated off-season By: Ken Wiebe and Mike McIntyre Posted: 6:36 PM CDT Friday, May. 3, 2024

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This article was published 03/05/2024 (515 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The final buzzer has sounded, exit meetings have occurred and “garbage bag day” — when the players clean out their lockers and say their goodbyes before heading to their offseason homes — is now in the rear-view mirror.

It’s time to focus on the future. And we at Dump & Chase see four burning questions when it comes to the Winnipeg Jets.

1) Who is the head coach?

Rick Bowness was announced as a finalist for the Jack Adams Award on Friday, along with Rick Tocchet of the Vancouver Canucks and Andrew Brunette of the Nashville Predators, but there’s no guarantee he will return for a third season behind the Winnipeg bench.

The Jets have a team option and it’s unclear whether they will exercise it.

Speaking on Thursday. GM Kevin Cheveldayoff gave no timetable for a decision. While he went out of his way to praise the entire coaching staff for the job they did this season, a final decision has not been made.

The Jets have a coach-in-waiting on the staff in associate coach Scott Arniel. He stepped in and did a great job when Bowness was absent for a one-month stretch to be with his wife Judy after she suffered a seizure in October, and again in March when Bowness dealt with health issues of his own.

The 69-year-old helped the Jets take massive strides implementing a sound defensive structure and improved the culture since his arrival, but playoff success hasn’t followed.

It will be interesting to see if the Jets give him one more shot next season or if Bowness decides to retire on his own terms.

Arniel, who spent two seasons as the bench boss of the Columbus Blue Jackets from 2010-12, has shown he’s ready for a second NHL opportunity.

Whether that will come next season or in 2025 remains to be seen.

2) Shake it up?

We had a buyout (Blake Wheeler) and a blockbuster deal (Pierre-Luc Dubois) last summer. Will history repeat itself?

Nate Schmidt would be the only real candidate for a buyout given that he was, at times, a very expensive healthy scratch this season and has another year at US$5.95 million on his deal, which isn’t really tradeable as a result.

Forwards Nikolaj Ehlers and Alex Iafallo and defenceman Neal Pionk have one more year on their deals and could be trade candidates if signing them to extensions isn’t in the cards. (Mason Appleton and Vlad Namestnikov are in the same situation, but carry much lower price tags).

“I hope we find ways to do the things that we need to do. A lot of you have been around the organization for a long period of time here (know) that nothing’s off the table,” said Cheveldayoff. “Whether it’s trading picks or trading different things or making hard buyouts. Nothing’s been off the table. That’s not saying anything is imminent. I’m just saying as an organization we don’t say, ‘You cant do that.’”

3) Which unrestricted free agents will return?

When you consider the Jets inked Mark Scheifele, Connor Hellebuyck and Nino Niederreiter to extensions before they became UFAs, it’s wild to think the Jets still have six guys who could head to market on July 1.

Let’s start with the easy ones.

As much as the Jets would love to have goalie Laurent Brossoit back to round out the tandem with Hellebuyck, he’s always wanted to be a No. 1 guy and needs to be in a situation where he gets more than 22 starts. That means Brossoit will be moving on.

With goaltending upgrades required for several playoff teams, Brossoit should have no shortage of choices. Might the Jets be able to move the exclusive negotiating rights of Brossoit to help recoup some of the draft capital they lost prior to the NHL trade deadline? Stay tuned.

Forward Tyler Toffoli also figures to be moving on, as he didn’t end up having the impact that was expected when the Jets acquired him.

“It’s one of those things that I feel I’ve worked my way to an opportunity to see what’s next,” said Toffoli, who had nine goals and 13 points in 22 games with the Jets, including the regular season and the playoffs.

Defenceman Colin Miller is also likely going to find a new team this summer since his opportunities were limited after he was acquired.

The other two D-men on this list are valued for their on- and off-ice contributions.

Dylan DeMelo has been a great partner for Josh Morrissey and he’s interested in sticking around, he’s looking for a raise from his current salary of US$3 million and wants a long-term deal. DeMelo and his wife are expecting a second child, so putting down roots is essential in his next deal.

Brenden Dillon says used humour to help cope with his frustration of not receiving an extension offer during the season and appreciated having DeMelo as a sounding board. Dillon brings a physical presence to the defence and he’s probably looking for north of US$4 million (he made US$3.9 million last season) and at least three years. Dillon changed agents during the season and knows he will be in demand this summer if the Jets don’t meet the asking price.

It says here one of Dillon and DeMelo will return, though it’s hard to pinpoint which direction this will go if the Jets can’t sign both.

Having an experienced second-line centre remains a priority for the Jets and that bodes well for an extension with Sean Monahan, who expressed a desire to stick around.

“I really enjoyed my time here,” said Monahan. “It felt like I was here for a long time. I think the biggest thing for me is I want to give myself a chance to win. This is a spot that definitely wants to win and has the makings of doing that.”

Monahan, who fit in seamlessly, will be looking for a multi-year deal with an AAV between US$4-5 million. The best chance for the Jets to keep him would be to sign him before July 1.

4) Make way for some kids?

Forward Brad Lambert was chosen to the AHL All-Rookie team after an excellent season with the Manitoba Moose and notched an assist in his NHL debut, showcasing his explosive speed. He’s the best bet up front to challenge for a roster spot next season, especially if the Jets choose to move Ehlers.

A fractured ankle knocked Ville Heinola out of the Jets’ opening-night lineup and he didn’t appear in a NHL game this season. No longer exempt from waivers next season, the 2020 first-rounder will either be with the Jets or another NHL team next fall. His puck-moving skill and ability to quarterback the second power play are two of his best assets.

Nikita Chibrikov is feisty forward with finishing ability and was also rewarded with a late-season call-up. He scored the game-winning goal in his NHL debut and will be in the mix to compete for a spot, but likely needs a bit more seasoning.

Elias Salomonsson is a mobile blue-liner who plays with an edge and helped his Swedish league team capture a league championship while playing important minutes as a 19-year-old. Will he be on the top-pairing with the Moose or the third pairing with the Jets this fall? That will be up to his play.

These four, along with plenty of other promising kids in the pipeline (Chaz Lucius, Colby Barlow, Rutger McGroarty, Thomas Milic, Domenic DiVincentiis among them) show the future is quite bright around here, even if the present has been dimmed a bit by the poor playoff performance.

AROUND THE GLASS:

A pair of Jets’ first-rounders are set to take on the Carolina Hurricanes as the second round opens on Sunday at Madison Square Garden.

New York Rangers captain Jacob Trouba and forward Jack Roslovic are into Round 2 for the first time since advancing to the Western Conference final with the Jets in 2018.

Trouba had two assists in the opening round, while Roslovic (who was acquired from the Columbus Blue Jackets at the NHL trade deadline) chipped in two goals and four points during the four-game sweep of the Washington Capitals.

Roslovic’s ability to produce in the playoffs and play a top-six role (at times) with the Presidents’ Trophy winners should help him as he prepares to be an unrestricted free agent for the first time in his career.

Blake Wheeler, who suffered a devastating leg injury earlier this season, has also resumed skating recently, although a return to the New York lineup is not imminent. They would likely need to get to the Cup Final for him to have a chance

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The Edmonton Oilers dispatched the Los Angeles Kings for a third consecutive season, this time in just five games.

The high-powered Oilers used a dynamic power play to pull away, but also showed an ability to defend well. Given how Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl are playing, the Oilers look like Canada’s best shot to capture the Stanley Cup since the Montreal Canadiens did it in 1993.

Former Jets winger Evander Kane had two goals and three points in five games and had some fun with members of the media, noting he “loves the drama” when asked how he’s been able to elevate his game when the playoffs arrive.

It was a tough series for former Jets centre Pierre-Luc Dubois, who was limited to one goal that he banked in off an Oilers defenceman in five games while racking up 20 penalty minutes.

Dubois was hoping to put an underachieving season behind him with a solid post-season, but he never really got going against the Oilers and now faces another long off-season. He is set to enter the second year of the eight-year contract he signed with the Jets before he was traded to the Kings.

Speaking of former Jets, goalie David Rittich got the call between the pipes for the Kings for the final two games of the playoffs and played well.

After appearing in 24 games with the Kings during the regular season and posting a 2.15 goals-against average and .921 save percentage, Rittich has positioned himself well to earn a backup job as he’s set to become an unrestricted free agent again after making US$875,000 on a one-year, one-way deal this season.

ken.wiebe@freepress.mb.ca

X: @WiebesWorld

mike.mcintyre@freepress.mb.ca

X: @mikemcintyrewpg