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Jets at the Trade Deadline Part 1 |
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Right now the NHL is just over 45 days away from the trade deadline of February 26th, 2018, 3pm EST. While there is plenty of time for teams to move in and out of playoff position and weigh their options for the deadline, it’s also not too early to do some speculation. At this point though speculation is more about what a team will need or look for as opposed to who that player(s) may be.
In this case the Winnipeg Jets are one of the more curious teams to consider because they are in the driver’s seat atop the Central Division. They will have tons of cap space come the deadline, just over 30 million according to capfriendly.com, and they have draft picks and prospects to trade. The question then becomes what and then who could they go after.
Breaking down the Jets options requires looking at health, depth, strengths, and weaknesses, a sort of modified SWOT approach.
Health
The Jets are managing to weather the Scheifele injury reasonably well but should his injury keep him out of the line up longer than expected, is Wheeler at centre the best solution? In some ways it has upset the apple cart in that Ehlers and Laine may not be ready to shoulder as much responsibility as required for top line players. The three play rather different games and while all incredibly skilled their chemistry and approach to the game is not always cohesive. Scheifele is much more than a skilled centre for the Jets he’s a bit of glue too that helps keep the lines bonded and functioning the way they should. His return, hopefully long before the deadline, will certainly influence decisions that GM Kevin Cheveldayoff makes.
The one thing that has been a surprising killer for the Jets is the reduction by two-thirds of the third line with Lowry and Tanev out. While neither is expected to be out much longer the force that this line was from a ‘checking, shutdown or possession’ with Andrew Copp has been unexpected and surprising. They simply work well despite being an odd group on paper. Their influence in games for the Jets cannot be overstated and should Lowry be the kind of player that could put up points with consistency he’d probably be getting more looks for the Selke award.
With both Enstrom and Bufyglien returning from injury the defence corps is as healthy as it’s been all year. What is interesting is that even with injuries the skill and depth between Morrissey, Trouba, Myers, and Kulikov(perhaps the unsung hero on defence) has been more than enough to allow Chiarot and Poolman to manage well. That being said the Jets have not been this healthy on defence for some time but what they lack is experience there.
Depth
Since the franchise moved to Winnipeg from Atlanta the team has never been as deep as it is now. With prospects such as Petan, Roslovic, Appleton, Lemieux, and Niku taking over on the farm team the Manitoba Moose, it’s only an added boost for the coach who in the past has relied on Nogier and Melchiori to slot in.
Should any one of the forwards go down there is a level of skill that can be moved up and with existing players, particularly Mathieu Perreault, lines are easily adjust and holes filled. To compound this depth is that the Jets have almost all their picks for the next several years too which means should a trade happen the Jets can use a multitude of options to complete a deal. As has been quoted in this space before from Rick Ralph of TSN “you need prospects and picks to make deals’ and now the Jets have both.
Strengths
The biggest strength for the Jets has been their depth and their scoring this season. They have goals from everyone and are able to roll the forwards lines when healthy with a level of confidence and success that has worn down the opposition. Their skilled players match up well across the league and so far the tactics employed by Paul Maurice and his assistants has been successful once the team developed their execution.
Add in the goaltending tandem of Hellebuyck and Mason and the Jets are able to compete with the top of the NHL in any kind of game-again though, when healthy.
Weaknesses
When the Jets face key injuries what has come to be noticed is that their level of dynamic play has been countered. Obviously this is not unique to them, losing key players hurts teams. The difference this year is that any injuries have not led to catastrophic results. That speaks to depth and tactics. What should be noted though is the Jets depth is more effective in certain ways. It has benefitted from a solid top six, a unique third line, and a beefed up 4th line with Perreault. The role of Perreault, his openness to play on the 4th line, has been the biggest boon to the Jets but it also exposes one of their biggest weaknesses. When he’s not there the fourth line is not nearly as effective nor is it dangerous. While it’s presented as a strength it’s also a weakness for the Jets as with injuries and the reassignment of Perreault, the Jets depth is more than challenged because of the significant role Perreault plays on the fourth line and how teams must counter.
Given the above information what does that hint to as possible moves by Cheveldayoff to have a roster that can weather injuries, tactics, and more in a post season run?
The first thing that comes to mind, and one that has been in the rumour mill for some time, is that the Jets will try to find a centre to shore up their depth down the middle. While it seems odd based on the depth in the organization there could be a few reasons. First they have cap space. Second, with the Moose doing so well the Jets might be reluctant to bring up players to sit once the roster limits are done for the season. Third, adding experience never hurts and with only Buff having any meaningful post first round experience there is a void.
The other area that could see an acquisition is defence. The Jets are still a bit weak on depth down the left side and the call up options are not grand when thinking about the stakes in the post season. Adding a LHD, and some one with some playoff experience could be a smart and beneficial move. It would add depth in an area of some concern and bring in some experience for a team who could use it given its youth and history.
The rules of the NHL allow the Jets bring up as many players to its roster after the trade deadline has passed. The players must conform the to the 50 contract limit for all teams but they can be there, skating at practice and watching the games from the press box. The Jets currently have 43 players under contract through the end of this season so they have more than enough room to add two or more.
The question becomes who they could add and at what cost. That will be in part two later this week.
Winnipeg Jets Blogger •Winnipeg Jets Writer • 
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