The Winnipeg Jets made a mistake waiving Declan Chisholm over Logan Stanley and once again demonstrated a strange level of loyalty to a player with no long-term future with the club.
Promising Chisholm Claimed By Central Division Rival Wild
The Jets waived Chisholm — their fifth-round 2018 pick — on Sunday, Jan. 28 as they needed to free up a spot on the 22-man roster to activate either David Gustafsson or Mark Scheifele from injured reserve before their next game, which takes place Feb. 6 after their player break and the All-Star Break.
Chisholm, who had played just two games for the Jets this season due to their defensive logjam, was not expected to clear waivers. He didn’t, being claimed by the Minnesota Wild on Monday, Jan. 29.
The 24-year-old Chisholm, despite playing just four NHL games in his career, was a compelling prospect. In 146 games for the Manitoba Moose over four AHL seasons, he exhibited a skillset befitting of a future top-four NHL defenseman, tallying 91 points (16 goals, 75 assists) and playing big minutes in all situations. He was named the Moose MVP for the 2022-23 season.
The claim is great news for Chisholm, who will — or at least should — get a fresh start with the Wild and a chance to be more than a press-box dweller. It’s not great news for the Jets organization, though, because they once again lost a player for nothing.
Jets Loyalty To Stanley Confusing, Detrimental
By waiving Chisholm, the Jets elected to keep Logan Stanley in the fray despite his limited role with the club.
This is not the first time Jets’ brass has exhibited the 25-year-old a loyalty that belies explanation. Prior to last season, they waived Jonathan Kovacevic instead of him; Kovacevic was claimed by the Montreal Canadiens and is now an NHL regular.
In 2021, they even chose to protect Stanley over Dylan DeMelo from the Seattle Kraken ahead of the 2021 Expansion Draft, a move this author said was a mistake at the time (and whose opinion DeMelo was the player more worthy of protecting caught him a stream of vitriol from Stanley fans.) Thankfully, the Kraken didn’t select DeMelo — who plays on the Jets’ top pairing alongside Josh Morrissey and is analytically one of the NHL’s better defensemen — and chose Mason Appleton instead.
Stanley, unlike Chisholm and Kovacevic, has little potential to be an NHL regular despite being a first-round pick. He played a career-high 58 games in the shortened 2020-21 season, but has since been the seventh or eighth defenseman on the depth chart. He has played just seven games this season, logging zero points, and has not played since Dec. 12, 2023, more than six weeks ago. Last season, he only played 19 games, logging three points (one goal, two assists.)
For whatever reason, the Jets will simply not risk losing Stanley, even though he requested a trade at the 2023 Trade Deadline. Stanley would have had a much better chance of clearing waivers than Chisholm, even though some general managers still overvalue height and “heaviness” in defensemen (in reality, speed and puck-moving ability are the biggest assets for d-men in the modern NHL.) Stanley is, at best, a third-pairing guy, struggles with his foot speed, and isn’t overly physical considering his six-foot-seven, 230-pound frame.
Sliver Lining May Be Clearer Path for Heinola
The Jets’ blue line has been solid this season, with Morrissey and DeMelo, Neal Pionk and Brenden Dillon, and Dylan Samberg and Nate Schmidt the regular pairings. The club has been historically stingy — going 34-straight games without allowing more than three goals until recently — so there has not been much reason for head coach Rick Bowness to change his defensive deployment.
Related: Banged-Up Jets Badly Need NHL All-Star Break
However, Chisholm being claimed will at least help Ville Heinola rise on the depth chart and potentially be the seventh-defenseman down the stretch. The 2019 first rounder had an exceptional training camp — and Bowness said he would have been in the lineup on opening night — but fractured his ankle in the team’s final preseason tuneup and missed four months.
The 22-year old Finn has played 35 NHL games in four seasons, recording 11 points (one goal, 10 assists) but has spent the majority of his professional career in the AHL. He is currently with the Moose as he gets back up to speed and has two goals and two assists for four points in seven games.
Overall, while losing Chisholm over Stanley is not the end-all-be-all, it’s still an asset management mistake and yet another example of the Jets’ baffling overvaluation of a long-term project who hasn’t worked out.
