While the expansion draft is set to headline a busy NHL offseason, there are still several other storylines for each team in the months ahead. Here is a closer look at what lies ahead for the Winnipeg Jets.
Quite a bit went well for the Jets last season. Mark Scheifele finished seventh in league scoring, Jacob Trouba had a career year after a contract squabble, and Patrik Laine had a terrific rookie season. Despite that, the end result was basically the same in Winnipeg with the team being on the outside looking in at the postseason once again. Here is what GM Kevin Cheveldayoff will likely be looking to accomplish this offseason.
Find A Starting Goaltender
Goaltending has been an issue for the Jets for a while now and last season really didn’t change things. They gave Connor Hellebuyck, who is expected to be their goalie of the future, the lion’s share of the workload and while he had some good moments, he also showed that he’s not really to be the number one goalie of the present. Hellebuyck will be a restricted free agent in July and given the current situation, a short-term bridge deal seems likelier than a long-term contract.
Veteran Ondrej Pavelec is slated to become an unrestricted free agent and isn’t likely to return while Michael Hutchinson is best suited for a backup role. He has one year left on his contract with a $1.15MM cap hit and is expected to be left unprotected in the expansion draft.
Fortunately for Winnipeg, the goaltending market will have plenty of options either via trade (in large part buoyed by expansion) or free agency, where players like Ryan Miller and Brian Elliott may garner some consideration as short-term options until Hellebuyck is ready to take over the starting job. Supply should outweigh demand which should bode well for Cheveldayoff as he looks to shore up the play between the pipes.
Decision On Trouba
When he signed his two year deal back in November, the questions surrounding Jacob Trouba’s long-term future with the Jets didn’t exactly go away for long. While he has publicly stated that his trade request has been rescinded, there are many who wonder if that’s only for the short-term. Trouba’s desire to play his natural side long-term is well-known and with Dustin Byfuglien and Tyler Myers both signed for at least the next two years, that’s not likely to happen for a while yet.
Trouba is eligible to sign an extension as of July 1st. Inking a long-term deal with Winnipeg would put any speculation about his future to rest as the questions will inevitably persist until the situation is resolved either by a new contract or a trade. If Winnipeg opts to go the latter route, he will have no shortage of suitors as if he were to be made available, Trouba would become the top defender available on the trade block.
While Trouba could certainly play out the final year of his contract and enter restricted free agency in 2018, the potential distraction could potentially push the timeline up on this decision. That said, Cheveldayoff has shown himself to be extremely patient during his tenure so the public questions about Trouba’s future continuing won’t be a concern to him.
Determine Perreault’s Future
If the Jets are forced to protect four defensemen in expansion (a potential outcome if Toby Enstrom doesn’t waive his no-move clause), Mathieu Perreault’s future with the team comes into question as he would likely be left unprotected. He’s entering the first season of a four year, $16.5MM deal he signed last July which is decent value for someone who has surpassed the 40 point mark for the last four seasons.
However, it’s that value that will make him enticing to the Golden Knights if he’s made available and Perreault is a pretty good player to lose for nothing in return. Accordingly, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Winnipeg test the waters around the league to see what type of interest there is in a possible trade. At least that way, the team would get some value in return for him before the expansion draft while allowing them to potentially protect four blueliners.
The Jets may also want to free up some money in the budget for Bryan Little, who’s slated to become an unrestricted free agent in 2018. One way to do so would be to move Perreault regardless of which route they go in expansion. It’s not often that a player gets moved before his new contract even kicks in but in Perreault’s case, it’s certainly a possibility. Even though the Jets made a decision on Perreault’s future when they gave him that extension last summer, they will likely have to make another call on his status before too long.
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