The offseason is officially underway, with the NHL Draft starting in roughly two weeks. The Winnipeg Jets are at the center of the hockey universe, as the expectation is they are going to make a multitude of trades to shake up their core.
Huge trades will result in a boatload of options for management. If the Jets truly are to shake up their core, they will be able to command a lot for their top two centres and Vezina Trophy candidate goaltender. I asked Jets fans on Twitter for some “mock trades” that the organization should be looking at, and this article is going to analyze those proposed trades.
Pierre-Luc Dubois & Blake Wheeler Head to the Rangers
Rangers receive: Pierre-Luc Dubois (Signed to long-term extension) and Blake Wheeler (50% salary retained)
Jets receive: Alexis Lafreniere, Braden Schneider, a 2024 first-round pick, and Barclay Goodrow
Dubois to the New York Rangers makes a ton of sense for both sides. Firstly, the Rangers have an aging core, and they are in win-now mode. Acquiring a 25-year-old centre, with a long-term extension in place, to create a one-two punch down the middle with Mika Zibanejad and gives them a ton of flexibility offensively. They also add a veteran bottom-six winger in Blake Wheeler to help them balance out their forward lines and offset the loss of Lafreniere.
From the Jets’ perspective, this may be the exact type of deal that they are looking for. Lafreniere, a former first-overall selection of the 2020 NHL Draft, has yet to find his footing in New York and may be looking for a change of scenery. He improved his point totals last season, putting up 16 goals and 23 assists for 39 points in 81 games. If the Jets organization is looking to re-tool on the fly, betting on Lafreniere to break out in the near future may be the route they choose.
Then you have Braden Schneider, a first-round pick of the 2020 NHL Draft, who put up 18 points in 81 games last season. He struggled in a sheltered role last season but is only 21 years old and could realize his potential with a bigger role. Is a more significant role waiting for him in Winnipeg?
There are plenty of question marks surrounding this return for the Jets. But betting on young, former first-round picks to fulfill their potential while adding another first-round selection in 2024 and a bottom-six winger in Goodrow, who is in this trade to make the salary cap match could work out in the long-term.
Connor Hellebuyck Puts the Kings in Win-Now Mode
Kings Receive: Connor Hellebuyck (Signed to extension) and a fifth-round pick
Jets Receive: Alex Iafallo, Rasmus Kupari, Alex Turcotte, a 2023 second-round pick and a 2024 first-round pick
Hellebuyck is the missing piece that the Los Angeles Kings need to compete, as they haven’t had elite goaltending ever since Jonathan Quick started to decline and ultimately was traded from the organization. They have lost to the Edmonton Oilers in the playoffs two seasons in a row now, and they need a swing for the fences. Anze Kopitar is 35 years old and is approaching the end of his contract. If the Kings organization is going to take one last run with him on the roster, acquiring Hellebuyck would be their first option.
Related: Hellebuyck Won’t Stay Through a Jets Rebuild: 4 Big Trade Options
Luckily for the Jets, the Kings have a ton of prospects to choose from when it comes to a massive deal. Turcotte was the fifth-overall selection from the 2019 NHL Draft, but he’s only played 12 NHL games in his career and has yet to record a point. Kupari was the 20th overall selection in 2018 and put up 15 points in 66 games for the Kings last year. Both of those prospects, along with Iafallo, who is a solid middle-six winger, and the added 2024 first-round selection make this trade intriguing, but I’m still not sure if it is enough.
Turcotte has yet to show anything as a prospect despite being taken so high, and Kupari is now five years removed from his draft. Instead of those players, the Jets organization should be looking to acquire Quinton Byfield or Brandt Clarke in a trade of this magnitude.
If you are going to deal a top-three goaltender in the NHL in the middle of his prime, coming off of a Vezina Trophy finalist season, with an extension in place, you have to be able to command at least one of their top two prospects in return.
Mark Scheifele Joins the Carolina Hurricanes
Jets Receive: Martin Necas, Jack Drury and a third-round pick
Hurricanes Receive: Mark Scheifele (Signed to an extension)
Scheifele makes all kinds of sense for the Hurricanes, who acquired Max Pacioretty last offseason for the same exact reasons. They need finishing talent, and that has cost them in the playoffs a few years in a row. Scheifele scored 42 goals last season and would provide a one-two punch down the middle with Sebastian Aho. He’d help the Hurricanes go all-in next season, as they have a ton of unrestricted free agents (UFAs) that they will need to re-sign at that time.
Martin Necas is a 24-year-old forward who put up an impressive 71 points in 82 games in 2022-23. He played on the wing for the Hurricanes this past season and could be a top-six option of the future for the Jets. He has one-year remaining on a $3 million contract before he becomes a restricted free agent (RFA). To avoid a repeat of the Dubois situation, the Jets would want to do their due diligence here and ensure that Necas would re-sign with the organization.
Drury is a former second-round pick who is 23 years old and could develop into a bottom-six option for the Jets in the next year or two, but the big return in this trade remains Necas. This is the ultimate option for a Scheifele trade if the Jets are looking to run a younger team next year and have them develop in larger roles.
Jets Are Not Looking to Rebuild
According to Elliotte Friedman, the Jets have no interest in a rebuild. He stated that “What I think the Jets have made very clear is this is not going to be a rebuild. They are not tearing it down, and they are not starting over again.” These deals have a focus on players that are in their early 20s, which would be more of a re-tool rather than a full-fledged rebuild.
With the draft just two weeks away, things should move quickly, and the Jets may want to find their way into the first round with some of the returns on these trades. These packages are just a select few, but their options when trading these players are wide open.
