Jets sit tight as trade deadline looms

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This article was published 25/02/2018 (2755 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The trade winds are blowing mighty strong, but will the Winnipeg Jets get left in the dust?

All is quiet, so far, on the home front. But a flurry of activity leading up to Monday’s 2 p.m. CST deadline has already resulted in a number of players switching teams by Sunday, including a handful the Jets were said to be interested in adding to the fold.

Derick Brassard was welcomed by the mighty Penguins. Michael Grabner took his speed to New Jersey. Rick Nash landed in Boston. Tomas Plekanec is now a Maple Leaf. Mark Letestu is off to Columbus.

Rumours had the Jets making a strong bid for Brassard, only to have the Vegas Golden Knights swoop in late as a third party to acquire him, then flip him to Pittsburgh to keep him away from a Western Conference rival. The Golden Knights ended up eating 40 per cent of his salary and getting Winnipegger Ryan Reaves and a fourth-round pick for their part of the three-team deal.

Winnipeg also reportedly made a big push for Plekanec, but were beaten to the punch by Toronto who offered up a pair of prospects and a second-round draft pick for the 35-year-old pending UFA who has six goals in 60 games. It’s also been suggested Plekanec’s preference was to remain in the Eastern Conference with the aim of possibly returning to Montreal in the summer.

So what does this tell us about the Jets?

Well, for one thing general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff is clearly willing to swing for the fences and put his first-round pick in play, which most certainly would have been required to land Brassard. Not to mention a top prospect or two.

However, in a conversation with the Free Press last week, Cheveldayoff made it clear there are certain untouchables when it comes to assets. And while he didn’t name names, you’d have to think Kyle Connor, Jack Roslovic, Kristian Vesalainen and Sami Niku are among those.

It also suggests Winnipeg is in the market for a centre if they can find a fit. Adam Lowry is expected to return to the lineup in the next couple of weeks, but his battle with ongoing injuries this season has to be an ongoing concern as to whether he can hold up over the rigours of what is hoped to be a long Stanley Cup playoff run. Andrew Copp has been doing a terrific job anchoring the third line lately between top goal-scorers Patrik Laine and Nikolaj Ehlers, while Matt Hendricks is currently holding down the fourth on the fourth line. Another option into the bottom-six mix could be valuable.

The market for available centres is running pretty dry, but you wonder if the Jets would try to pry Max Domi out of Arizona. It’s no secret the organization loved him at the 2013 draft (when he was drafted 12th overall) and tried to get him. Domi is having a terrible season in the desert, with just five goals and 22 assists, He’s a pending RFA currently making $1.36 million and clearly due for a change of scenery.

There are still some winger options out there to keep an eye on. Names still being tossed around as possibly of interest to the Jets include Patrick Maroon of Edmonton and Ryan Hartman of Chicago. It’s worth noting the Jets have been scouting the Blackhawks heavily lately. Hartman, 23, is a pending RFA due for a significant raise. He is currently making $832,500 with eight goals and 17 assists in 57 games this season. He scored 19 goals in his rookie season last year.

Maroon, 29, is a pending UFA with 14 goals and 16 assists in 57 games with the Oilers. He’s a big body who could help with the playoff grind.

The could certainly bolster their blue line by Monday. Not necessarily by adding a top six piece, but a complementary defenceman to step in should injuries arise. Some available options include Ian Cole (who Ottawa just obtained from Pittsburgh and are looking to flip), Jack Johnson of Columbus and Victor Antipin of Buffalo (who played for Jets coach Paul Maurice in the KHL).

There’s also the scrap heap: Defencemen Johnny Oduya (Ottawa) and Paul Postma (Boston) both hit the waiver wire Sunday, but those would likely be last resort type moves. Both have previous ties to this organization.

Finally, we come back to the question that many have been asking for weeks, including several players in the Jets room. Is a move even necessary for a high-flying team which just won back-to-back road games this weekend in their division and will already be adding four players to the mix with the expected injury returns of Lowry, along with defenceman Jacob Trouba and forwards Brandon Tanev and Shawn Matthias.

Winnipeg looks like one of the best teams in the league without those pieces in the lineup, and there’s no doubt this group has some strong chemistry going on. Is there any reason to mess with success on a team that’s sitting pretty at 37-16-9?

We’ll get a much better idea of how this puzzle looks by Monday afternoon. And the answers to some of the above questions should provide plenty of fodder for debate.

mike.mcintyre@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @mikemcintyrewpg