Winnipeg Jets GM Kevin Cheveldayoff has, in all likelihood, done his heavy lifting for trade deadline season.
Cheveldayoff jumped in early when dominoes started to fall, acquiring centre Sean Monahan from the Montreal Canadiens on Feb. 2 on the immediate heels of the Vancouver Canucks dealing for the top pivot on the market, former Calgary Flame Elias Lindholm.
Based on how that trade has worked out — Monahan has eight freakin’ goals in 12 games with the Jets — maybe Winnipeg backers should hope Cheveldayoff makes a flurry of moves before Friday afternoon.
Of course, that’s not likely to happen given the Jets surrendered their 2024 first-round pick to snag Monahan.
Still, if you rewind to the summer, most people expected Winnipeg was — at best — a team that would be scrapping it out for the wild card. The fact the Jets have every shot at not only winning the Central Division but a top spot in the Western Conference means Cheveldayoff — as he’s already demonstrated — is all in.
Projected deadline day cap space: $1,278,329
Contracts: 45/50
Cap space committed to 2024-25: $73,572,024 (committed to 16 players)
Draft Picks
Needs
The Jets are a middle-of-the-pack team offensively, ranking 17th in goals per game, at 3.12. Even since Monahan joined the squad, Winnipeg ranks 15th at 3.0. To be fair, sniper Kyle Connor missed a chunk of time with a knee injury and first-year Jet Gabe Vilardi has been productive when he’s not injured — which has been for only 38 of the team’s 60 games.
Bottom line, Winnipeg could use a middle-sixer with some touch.
The Jets play a very sturdy structure under coach Rick Bowness and the defence corps, led by the fantastic Josh Morrissey, is obviously a big part of that. Still, you could see a world where Cheveldayoff sniffed for a defenceman who could, at worst, be a solid sixth or seventh guy.
Potential Targets
It’s understood that, when it comes to unrestricted free agents, Winnipeg has trouble attracting the cream of the crop. By that logic, it’s fair to wonder how many guys with trade protection would waive for the Jets.
That said, this is not a long-term commitment in most cases. You’re going to an awesome hockey town to play for a very good team that has lofty aspirations. Also, the Jets are unlikely to pursue the most sought-after wingers on the market. The bin they’re shopping in is stocked with players who don’t necessarily have the same leverage of a Jake Guentzel or Pavel Buchnevich and, in truth, might not have a wide array of options in front of them.
With a style that seems suited to playoff success, Winnipeg might seem like as good a landing spot as any to a middle-six winger who has something to prove about his own abilities.
That brings us to names such as Vladimir Tarasenko, Max Pacioretty and Jason Zucker. Tarasenko plays in Canada and has Cup pedigree from the Blues’ 2019 title; Pacioretty was captain of the Montreal Canadiens, so nothing is going to faze him pressure-wise, and Zucker had 27 goals last year before joining a Coyotes team that’s dreadfully undermanned at centre.
The Jets aren’t going to be trading for a surefire sniper; they’re kicking tires on guys who have it in them, but need to find the best version of themselves down the stretch and in the playoffs.
Here’s a thought: what about a reunion with Joel Armia? The former Jet has had a scoring resurgence with Montreal lately and the ask would not be high. He showed what a boon his long frame and sharp hockey brain can be in the playoffs during the Canadiens’ run to the 2021 final. When Armia is also kicking in goals, he can be a very useful player and he’s got one more year left on his deal, which Winnipeg might like if it believes in the player.
Assets to Trade
This is where it gets tricky. Winnipeg spent its 2024 first-round pick to get Monahan. The Jets don’t possess their own second-rounder, but a series of deals resulted in them grabbing Montreal’s 2024 second-round pick from L.A. in the Pierre-Luc Dubois deal. That pick could well be in and around 37th overall, so it could carry more value than the standard second-rounder if the team is willing to part with it.
Again, because it doesn’t seem like the team is big-game hunting, it’s hard to imagine Winnipeg’s 2025 first is on the table. Maybe the move is to dangle its ’25 second — while hanging on to the high second it has from Montreal this summer — and see what that gets you.
Don’t bother asking about top prospect Rutger McGroarty, and it’s very, very difficult to see a world where anybody from the pipeline in Colby Barlow, Brad Lambert or even Chaz Lucius is on the table.
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