Winnipeg Jets’ forward Alexander Burmistrov has just one point through his first ten games, and has seen less than 15 minutes of ice time in each of them. Now, according to a tweet from Gary Lawless of TSN, the Jets are “gauging trade interest” on the 25-year old.
Obviously, general managers gauge interest on many players at many times, and it doesn’t mean they’re looking to trade them. In Burmistrov’s case though, it does seem like his favor has soured somewhat and he could be on his way out. After scoring just 21 points last season despite his playing time actually increasing down the stretch, he’s now been relegated to the fourth line most nights and almost removed from the powerplay entirely.
While trading him at this point would represent a case of selling-low for the Jets, perhaps his eighth-overall pedigree and relative youth could still command a solid return. Burmistrov clearly has skill, as he showed during his time in the KHL; the forward scored 63 points in 107 games at a very young age. With the Jets struggling out of the gate, perhaps adding a different type of player could give them a boost and vault them back into playoff contention in the Western Conference. If not, fans and coaches alike might just have to hope Burmistrov can find his game and become the player the Jets’ (then Thrashers) envisioned when they selected him in 2010.
As of this writing the jets are in the first wildcard spot in the western conference, not really sure why they need to “vault” back up into playoff contention when they are already there