You can talk all you want about the problems of the Winnipeg Jets depth, there's no shortage of topics, but right now a third line centre has to be the most paramount. The Jets had depth. had. Wellwood, Burmistrov, Antropov, Jokinen, Santorelli, and of course Bryan Little were all team mates at one time. Only one of those players remains with the Jets as a starting player for next season. 1.
You can worry about blame all you want but instead recognize that the same guy you blame is the same one who is charged with fixing the problem. For some that is a sobering reality. However, the reality is the Jets need a centre and that might not mean from within the organization.
Perhaps KEvin Cheveldayoff and his team should consider Derek Roy? At age 31 he is not so far over the hill that he cannot be serviceable but it all depends on what the Jets want out of a third line. Figure that question out and you may have an understanding on which direction the Jets look to fill the hole.
In this case Roy should be considered.
Here's a link for Scoring Rates
Here's one for Quality of team mates
Derek Roy also had a 9% dip in his shooting percentage last between 2012-13 to 2013-14 and his goals agains per 60 mins played are vastly superior. In all fairness though look who was behind Jokinen. That being said the difference in on ice save percentage was only 1.6%.
Roy also faced tougher competition and had less starts in the offensive zone that Jokinen. What we're seeing is that should a player such as O'Dell not be deemed an option what can you get for the same kind of money (hopefully less) than you spent on Jokinen?
The real consideration in this scenario is this- can the Jets find some one better and cheaper on a short term deal or do they need to buck up and pay for service that they used to have?
Forget how they arrived at this situation, it's a mute point now as they are in it and have to solve it. What they need to do is figure out how to solve it and if getting Derek Roy for two year at less than what they paid Olli Jokinen is a possibility they should at least kick the tires.
It's easier said than done but if you need a player to distribute the puck and play at the pace the rest of the team is aiming for Roy is a better option than Jokinen. There's the rub though, is this last season of Jokinen your benchmark for a 3rd line and more centre or do you improve upon it?
Roy may not improve upon what Jokinen did but he may be a good insurance policy to not let it drop off too far or at all. That's something the Jets have to consider if they have moved away from Jokinen and aren't certain about O'Dell yet.
Stay tuned the fun is just beginning.