I don't think it was a shock to anyone when they read Elliotte Friedman's 31 thoughts yesterday and saw something about Shawn Matthias being available. It's probably a bit more surprising to think that Jets GM Kevin Cheveldayoff actually 'put a note out' to other teams.
Matthias has not played since December 3 vs Ottawa and before that was November 14th. He's been phased out of the roster and to move him down to the Moose would likely mean losing him on waivers. He's there to be traded now and at this point with the team healthy, aside from two defensemen, it makes sense to set the player free so he can pursue his career in a place where he can play for a new contract after this year.
There's another reason to move Matthias and if you look a bit further down the road the Jets schedule makes an interesting change. The Jets only play four games at home in the month of January but come February it gets very interesting. The team has perhaps the best break of all with 9 consecutive games at home starting February 1st and ending on the 20th with a game every Tuesday night in the month. After a quick 2-game road trip the Jets come back for one final game at home on the 27th.
Why the schedule matters in relation to Matthias is that it would be the perfect time to introduce developing talent into the roster. Talent that can be moved up and down between the farm team, the Manitoba Moose, and the Jets with ease and waiver exempt. The two names that come to mind are Jack Roslovic and Mason Appleton, but there could be more.
The favourable home schedule allows for extra time with players to practice learn and also the added bonus of last line change so they can be deployed favourably and protected if needed. It's long been discussed that Roslovic has nothing left to prove in the AHL and those preaching that point may be correct. He currently sits fourth in scoring in the league with 30 points in 29 games. Appleton is not far behind him at 27 points and 11th in the scoring race.
Last year Roslovic had 48 points in 65 games and is currently on pace to crush that total. Look no further than Mark Jankowski of the Calgary Flames who has 11 points in 27 games for the Flames this season. He was a top scorer last year in the AHL and taken in the 2012 draft. Roslovic might be on a steeper trajectory than Jankwoski and the only way to know is to get him playing time. With few forward injuries the Jets simply cannot make moves without sacrificing waivers so if the plan is to get some of the developing talent playing in the NHL a move has to be made.
Moving Matthias would allow Chevy some room via roster size to bring up who he and Maurice want to see and it could pay dividends. With all due respect to Matt Hendricks, imagine Roslovic and his speed beside Perreault and Armia. The simple strategic move could be to switch lines and have this:
Perreault Roslovic Armia Lowry Copp Tanev
One can dream.
Tonight the Jets face the Bruins who are 6 points behind the Jets but have also played 3 fewer games. The Bruins have been coming on as of late and have a 7-2-1 record in their last 10 games most recently a 3-0 blanking of the Sabres.
The Jets did not skate yesterday after their thrilling win over Nashville but apparently has a dry land workout. It makes sense due to the rigors of the schedule where they had gone from a team with games in a hand at the start of November to a team at the top of the NHL with only Toronto and St. Louis playing more. That's a quick change and it's clear Paul Maurice knows he has to pick and choose his rest carefully.
There are no expected line up changes although I would expect Mason to start in one of the next two games before the Christmas break.
It would be good for Mason to see more action as it's been noted that while Connor Hellebuyck is playing well, better than any other Jets goalie in the past he seems to be slipping into a funny trend- one great game one then one mediocre or worse. Hellebuyck's last five starts have had save percentages that go like this:
.882 .1000 .833 .962 .857 ++++++++++ .842 .1000 .871 .885 .895 .950 .968
Is this a sign of the developing workload having an effect? Perhaps but with Mason playing solid against St. Louis last Saturday night there's no reason not get him playing semi-regularly.
With two games left before the break the Jets are looking to finish strong with points in the bag as a way to get on Santa's good list. They might have to be a bit naughty before they can get something nice but that's just hockey and Santa don't care about that.