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Winnipeg Jets Acquire Jordie Benn

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The Winnipeg Jets have landed their defensive upgrade right at the deadline, acquiring Jordie Benn from the Vancouver Canucks according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet. Darren Dreger of TSN reports that the Jets will send a 2021 sixth-round pick to Vancouver.

The quality of the player and the timing of the deal point in one direction: GM Kevin Cheveldayoff ran out of time and options. There was perhaps no team in the NHL with a more identifiable need than the Jets and their blue line. The team has needed another defenseman all season and was expected to be in the running for the best available names. The team even signaled that a trade was on the way by moving Nathan Beaulieu to Long-Term Injured Reserve to open up more cap space.

Instead, they leave cap room to spare and leave their fans wanting more with the addition of Benn. In fairness, the respected veteran is having a good offensive season by his standards and brings experience and leadership to the fold. However, he has only been playing bottom-pair minutes in Vancouver this season and has been regularly exposed on defense. Benn is simply a depth addition for Winnipeg, not the game-changing presence that was hoped for.

Nathan Beaulieu Placed On LTIR

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  • The Jets have transferred Nathan Beaulieu to LTIR, CapFriendly reports (Twitter link). The defenseman had been ruled out for the season after undergoing shoulder surgery earlier this month so it was a move that could have been done at any time.  The placement adds another $1.15MM to Winnipeg’s LTIR pool, giving them just under $4.8MM in full-season cap hit that can be brought in.  That said, that number could drop a bit if they recall Kristian Vesalainen back up from the taxi squad later today; that would push Winnipeg’s spending room to a little under $4MM.

Trade Deadline Primer: Winnipeg Jets

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The 2021 NHL Trade Deadline is just hours away so it’s time to wrap up our look around the league with the Winnipeg Jets and where they stand and should be trying to do.

The Jets came into this season as a bit of a wild card team.  Connor Hellebuyck gives them high-level goaltending while they bolstered one of the better top-six forward groups in the league.  There were questions surrounding the rest of the team but they’ve answered them nicely so far and are battling for home ice in the first round with a shot still at tracking down Toronto for first in the North.  With that in mind, Kevin Cheveldayoff should be looking to try to add over the next few hours.

Record

25-13-3, 2nd in West Division

Deadline Status

Buyer

Deadline Cap Space

$0 in regular cap space, $2.43MM in LTIR room, 1/3 retention slots used, 44/50 contracts used per CapFriendly.

Upcoming Draft Picks

2021: WPG 1st, WPG 2nd, WPG 3rd, WPG 5th, WPG 6th
2022: WPG 1st, WPG 2nd, CBJ 3rd, WPG 3rd, WPG 5th, WPG 6th, WPG 7th

Trade Chips

Cheap defensemen are always in high demand at the trade deadline and Winnipeg has one of those in Sami Niku.  For years now, he has been on the cusp of making it as a regular but has yet to do and has dropped a couple of spots on the depth chart with Logan Stanley holding his own and Ville Heinola waiting in the wings.  He’s someone that they can easily hold on to for expansion purposes as he is already signed for next season at just a $725K cap hit but at 24, there are likely rebuilding teams that would like to get a closer look at him.  Instead of flipping a mid-round pick for a rental, Niku could be substituted, a move that would also give Winnipeg a little more cap flexibility.

Kristian Vesalainen is a name that many are familiar with going back to his days in the SHL before he was drafted.  However, the offensive potential that was believed to be there hasn’t really materialized since Winnipeg picked him 24th overall back in 2017.  In his limited NHL action this season, he has been limited to duty on the fourth line and that’s not a great fit for his particular style of play.  The Jets would certainly be selling low but his value is likely only going to continue to dip the further he gets into his entry-level deal which has another year left on it.  If there’s a team that still really believes in Vesalainen’s upside, this may be the right time to move him.

Mathieu Perreault’s name has come up many times over the years as a speculative trade or even buyout candidate but now as an expiring contract, this is his last chance to be moved and this may be his likeliest chance of moving compared to those other times.  If Cheveldayoff wants to go after a higher-priced player, Perreault’s $4.125MM AAV could quite plausibly be thrown into the deal as a salary offset over asking a team to retain, especially with some of the sellers likely to use their three allowable retention slots.  He’s a versatile player that certainly has a role on the roster but if they need to take away a sizable contract to add another one, Perreault is the obvious candidate to be thrown in.

Others to Watch For: F David Gustafsson ($817.5K through 2021-22), F Skyler McKenzie ($742K, RFA)

Team Needs

1) Top-Four Defenseman: One team that was almost certainly disappointed by David Savard heading to Tampa Bay was Winnipeg as they’ve had a need for a blueliner that can log 20 minutes or more pretty much all season.  Actually, you could go back to last year for that particular need.  There aren’t many other rentals that could fit that bill – New Jersey’s Ryan Murray may be one of the exceptions – but Cheveldayoff needs to find a way to get one despite the limited LTIR room he has to work with.

2) Upgrade Fourth Line Depth – Winnipeg has not used their fourth line much this season with Perreault being the only one averaging more than ten minutes a night.  There isn’t anything wrong with targeting defensive specialists to help in those situations but adding a piece or two that Paul Maurice would be comfortable using for more than nine minutes a game would help keep their top players a bit more rested down the stretch and give them some extra insurance in case more injuries arise.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Jets Sign Cole Kehler

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The Jets have added some goaltending depth to their system as CapFriendly reports (Twitter link) that they’ve inked Cole Kehler to a deal for the remainder of the season.  The deal is worth $700K in the NHL and $70K in the minors.

The 23-year-old has made just one appearance this season which came yesterday as he played the final two periods with AHL Manitoba, making eight of ten stops while picking up the victory over Belleville.  Kehler had spent the previous two seasons in Los Angeles’ farm system, spending the majority of his time in the ECHL.

With Winnipeg recently losing Anton Forsberg to Ottawa on waivers, they were down to just one recallable goalie in Mikhail Berdin (with Eric Comrie available on the taxi squad if needed).  On top of that, the backup for most of the season in Manitoba was Canucks goalie Arturs Silovs who was recently recalled to Vancouver in the wake of their COVID-19 outbreak.  As a result, there was a need for another netminder in their system and Kehler has earned his first NHL deal to fill that void.

Winnipeg Jets Sign Simon Lundmark

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The Winnipeg Jets have signed one of their 2019 draft picks, inking Simon Lundmark to a three-year entry-level contract. Lundmark has spent the last several seasons with Linkopings HC in the Swedish Hockey League. The contract will carry an average annual value of $925K.

Selected 51st overall by the Jets two years ago, the 20-year-old defenseman has continued his development overseas, scoring 10 points in 47 games with Linkopings this season. Scott Wheeler of The Athletic ranked him 15th in the Jets system as recently as January, saying that though he doesn’t have a “dynamic quality,” is still above average in most areas.

Obviously given his age there is still room for growth, but Lundmark has never really been among the top prospects in Sweden. Still, the Jets obviously see enough to hand him an entry-level deal and bring him into the organization.

Snapshots: Johnson, Winnik, NCAA Transfers

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After Adam Johnson’s sudden and unexpected departure from the SHL’s Malmo Redhawks, the forward has landed back in North America. Johnson has signed a contract with the AHL’s Ontario Reign for the remainder of the year, the team announced. This isn’t quite the NHL contract that was expected when Johnson returned home from Sweden, but is still a good opportunity for the 26-year-old to show off for the L.A. Kings and other NHL teams before the off-season. Johnson played in 13 games with the Pittsburgh Penguins over the past two years, recording four points, and has put up good numbers in the AHL previously. The University of Minnesota-Duluth product is hoping that another strong showing in the minors will prove that he is worthy of another NHL deal.

  • Veteran forward Daniel Winnik will not be returning home, though. Winnik, 36, will continue his playing career for at least another season by signing a one-year extension with Geneve-Servette of the Swiss National League. The contract also includes an additional option year, if the experienced pro actually has two years left in him. Winnik played in nearly 800 career NHL games before departing for Switzerland in 2018, suiting up for eight different teams along the way. He has found more consistency in the second stage of his career, having already played three seasons with Geneve-Servette and now gaining one or two more to come. Winnik has excelled overseas even in his late thirties, playing at a near point-per-game pace.
  • There will be a number of familiar faces in new places across the NCAA next season. It has already been an unprecedented off-season for notable transfers, even with the Frozen Four still yet to be played. More than a dozen players have already switched schools, including some NHL prospects. Two of the more recent names to make a change include Vegas Golden Knights’ forward prospect Brandon Kruse and Winnipeg Jets’ goalie prospect Jared Moe. Kruse, 22, has already played four full seasons at Bowling Green, but will take advantage of his fifth year of eligibility due to COVID to become a graduate transfer to Boston College, the program confirmed. The 2018 fifth-round pick has been one of the Falcons’ best forwards and is a nice pickup for the Eagles, who are still believed to be in the running for several other noteworthy transfers as well. Moe, 21, is moving on from Minnesota after sitting behind Carolina Hurricanes’ prospect Jack LaFontaine this season (and LaFontaine has committed to another year with the Gophers as well). Moe has reported on his own that he will flip to Big Ten rival Wisconsin next season, where the starting job is at least open to competition. Moe may not be the only Winnipeg keeper to transfer this off-season too; UMass Lowell goaltender Logan Neaton is also in the NCAA Transfer Portal after he too was used sparingly this season.

College Notes: Galajda, Pelton-Byce, Becker

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When the Ivy League announced that they would not allow winter sports competition this year, college hockey lost out on one its best goaltenders and Matthew Galajda lost out on his fourth and final season at Cornell University. As Ivy League schools do not permit graduate student-athletes, the senior netminder knew he would have to depart Cornell to continue his NCAA career. This worked out to the benefit of Notre Dame University though, who announced today that Galajda has decided to join the Fighting Irish next season. While a year away from the game has quieted the buzz around Galajda’s game, there is no arguing that he has been one of the NCAA’s very best goaltenders in recent years. In three seasons at Cornell, Galadja was consistently outstanding. The 23-year-old has a stunning .930 save percentage and 1.60 GAA in his NCAA career to go along with a 60-15-9 record. With those numbers, Galajda will likely take on a workhorse role for Notre Dame and should be an upgrade to the departing Dylan St. Cyr. If the 2019-20 Mike Richter Award finalist can return to that same level of play after a year off and facing a more difficult Big Ten schedule, he will have plenty of NHL suitors this time next year.

  • Ty Pelton-Byce of the University of Wisconsin was expected to be one of the top college free agents available to NHL teams this spring, but the Winnipeg Jets have been able to secure the talented forward on a minor league deal. The Jets’ affiliate, the Manitoba Moose, have announced that Pelton-Byce has signed an AHL contract for the 2021-22 season and will join the club on an amateur tryout agreement for the remainder of the year. The 23-year-old forward, who split his college career between the Badgers and the Harvard Crimson, is coming off a career year in which he recorded 31 points in 24 games. He helped to lead Wisconsin to the Big Ten regular season title and to a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament this year. With good size and a well-developed game, Pelton-Byce should adjust well to the pro game and could be pushing for an NHL deal in no time.
  • It was expected that Boston Bruins prospect Jack Becker would return to school for a somewhat unprecedented fifth season of college hockey and now the move is official. Craig Morgan of AZ Coyotes Insider reports that Becker has committed as a graduate transfer to Arizona State University. The Sun Devils add an experienced two-way forward who captained the University of Michigan this season and has 124 NCAA games under his belt. Whether Becker will try to turn pro – and whether the Bruins will still want him – after a fifth college season remains to be seen. The 2015 draft pick will turn 25 years old before the 2022-23 season begins.

Canadian Government Expected To Approve 7-Day Quarantine

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March 26: Joshua Clipperton of the Canadian Press reports that the 14-day quarantine period has been waived “under national interest grounds” and players coming from U.S. clubs ahead of the deadline will now be required to quarantine for just seven days. The quarantine change also applies to players called up from AHL teams in the U.S.

March 25: One of the biggest hurdles facing the seven Canadian NHL teams in the North Division when it came to the trade deadline next month was the two-week quarantine period any player coming from a U.S.-based team would need to go through. The player would need to complete travel to the new club north of the border, which is a little trickier these days anyway, and then wait 14 days to even join the team in practice. Missing that much time and then jumping back into NHL action could potentially lead to injury, meaning a “ramp-up” phase might also be required after the quarantine but before he actually plays.

With that much waiting around, trading for a player on April 12 didn’t even seem worth it if they were on an expiring contract. Even further, it’s hard to convince a player to waive a no-trade clause just to quarantine in a hotel room for two weeks. It was limiting the rental market teams like the Toronto Maple Leafs and Winnipeg Jets, or at least pushing them to get deals done earlier. Now, perhaps they can take a little more time.

David Cochrane of CBC is reporting that the Canadian government will soon approve a seven-day quarantine period for NHL players traded from American teams to Canadian teams. The change will come with added testing for those athletes, but according to Cochrane, has been approved by every province with NHL teams.

If approved, this would be a huge development not only for the Canadian teams but also those looking to sell at the trade deadline. Suddenly the Buffalo Sabres, for instance, have a few more teams that could push hard for rentals like Taylor Hall, Eric Staal, or Brandon Montour, knowing they could have them on the ice in just over a week.

Obviously, as with any other governmental decisions these days, until it is officially instituted this news should not be considered a lock. Things can change at any moment and public pushback could divert the plan. But for weeks now, if not months, Canadian teams have been pushing to try and get the quarantine period reduced to seven days. It seems that pressure has paid off.

Anton Forsberg Claimed By Ottawa Senators

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For the third time this season, Anton Forsberg has been claimed off waivers according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet. This time he is headed to the Ottawa Senators where the team is dealing with injuries to both Matt Murray and Marcus Hogberg. Forsberg is coming from the Winnipeg Jets, meaning that while he will have to face some COVID protocols, he won’t have to deal with the full two-week quarantine reserved for players coming to Canada from the U.S.

The 28-year-old Forsberg hasn’t actually played a single minute of action this season, despite now being on his fourth team. Originally signing a one-year, $700K contract with the Edmonton Oilers in October, he was claimed off waivers by the Carolina Hurricanes at the start of the season. Two days later, after Alex Nedeljkovic cleared waivers, Forsberg was back on the wire. His NHL experience once again landed him a claim, this tie from the Jets, who then needed to wait for him to quarantine (though, he never actually did leave Canada during his short stop with the Hurricanes). He’s been with the Jets since the middle of January but failed to play in a single game for the team.

That opportunity may come with the Senators, who have been forced to go with Joey Daccord for the last several games. The 24-year-old rookie won his first NHL game against the Toronto Maple Leafs after Murray suffered an injury in warmup, but has otherwise struggled to keep the puck out of the net. In seven appearances, Daccord is 1-3-1 with an .896 save percentage.

There’s no guarantee that Forsberg would fair better than that in Ottawa, but at least he comes with some experience at the NHL level. In 48 career games he has posted a .901 save percentage and actually appeared in 35 games during the 2017-18 season.

Several Players Placed On Waivers

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March 17: Vesey and Forsberg were claimed by the Vancouver Canucks and Ottawa Senators respectively, but both Byron and Grigorenko have cleared. The latter two can now be placed on the taxi squad or sent to the minor leagues.

March 16: Several players have been placed on waivers today, including Paul Byron of the Montreal Canadiens. Byron is joined by Jimmy Vesey of the Toronto Maple Leafs, Anton Forsberg of the Winnipeg Jets, and Mikhail Grigorenko of the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Byron has already experienced this once this season, clearing waivers a month ago. Since then he had played more than ten games, meaning if the Canadiens want to place him on the taxi squad he’ll have to clear again. It’s been a disastrous two seasons for the 31-year-old forward, with just 17 points since the start of the 2019-20 campaign. That includes just two goals in 27 games this season, a far cry from the player who was one of the most effective even-strength scorers in the league just a few years ago. With the development of other younger players on the Montreal roster, Byron finds himself either buried in the lineup or on the sidelines watching. His $3.4MM cap hit (through 2022-23) certainly makes him a tough target to claim.

Vesey hasn’t seen waivers before, but it doesn’t come as much of a surprise at this point. The 27-year-old forward has seven points in 30 games for the Maple Leafs and has been relegated to the fourth line in recent weeks. He has only cracked the 10-minute mark three times in his last ten games and played just 4:41 a few nights ago. With the Maple Leafs expecting Wayne Simmonds back soon and facing a delicate cap situation, Vesey’s time has come to be moved to the taxi squad.

Forsberg was already claimed off waivers twice this season, first by the Carolina Hurricanes and then by the Jets just a few days later. Now he faces another round that could change his destination as teams are still struggling to find NHL experience in net. Injuries all across the league make goaltenders like Forsberg valuable, if only because he could enter an NHL game in a pinch. It’s not like that’s actually happened this season though, through the first two months Forsberg hasn’t played a single game.

Grigorenko is an interesting name, after signing a one-year $1.2MM deal with the Blue Jackets as a return to the NHL. The 12th overall pick in 2012, Grigorenko left the NHL in 2017 to return to Russia and play in the KHL. After developing his game further there, his return was supposed to be a strong addition for Columbus. Unfortunately, with just seven points in 18 games and limited minutes, it hasn’t really worked out. Perhaps another team believes they can get the best out of him down the stretch, but a return to the KHL seems possible after this season concludes.

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