The Winnipeg Jets have surprised many as they sit atop the Central Division in the Western Conference. What a difference six months make, as there was a lot of talk about a rebuild in Winnipeg, before Mark Scheifele and Connor Hellebuyck decided to re-sign. Now the team is an absolute wagon and continue to be among the league’s best.
General manager Kevin Cheveldayoff will be active ahead of the March 8 trade deadline as his team deserves the best possible chance to take home the Stanley Cup. The Jets are deep, however they will be looking to add at least one centre and another depth defenseman.
With some talent eventually coming in, here’s who could be heading out as the Jets have three prime trade candidates:
The former first-round pick is a towering defenseman who plays the game tough and loves to muck it up in the dirty areas of the ice. Stanley hasn’t received a fair shake of ice-time this season and has only appeared in seven games, despite being on the NHL roster all season long.
Stanley is 6-foot-7 and is an above-average skater for his size, so it’s only a matter of time he’ll be a solid NHLer, he just needs an opportunity to prove himself. So far since being picked in the first-round by the Jets back in 2016, the Kitchener, ON native has only appeared in 121 NHL games.
Winnipeg currently has eight defensemen on their NHL roster and considering last season Stanley quietly requested a trade, perhaps Cheveldayoff gives the young defenseman a chance, somewhere else. Today, it sounds like he wants to stick with the Jets, but the team may be looking at their options.
2024 First-Round Pick
Cheveldayoff is no stranger to bold trades considering he moved Patrik Laine and Pierre-Luc Dubois in the past couple of seasons, so expect to see the Jets first rounder in play ahead of the deadline. With Winnipeg being elite this season, the pick is likely going to land around the 25-32 mark.
It’s been five years since Cheveldayoff has traded a first-round pick, dating back to 2019 when the team acquired Kevin Hayes, so perhaps it’s once again time to make a splash. Elias Lindholm from the Calgary Flames, come on down?
Speaking of first-round picks, it could be time to give Ville Heinola a change of scenery. The 20th overall pick at the 2019 NHL Entry Draft has yet to make a consistent impact on the Jets. He underwent ankle surgery back in October and is started to get back into game shape.
Dating back to last season in the AHL, Heinola recorded 37 points in 48 games. Impressive for a defenseman, however he didn’t make the Jets out of training camp and once again doesn’t appear to be in their long-term plans. He’s never played more than 12 NHL games in a season and in his 35 career games with the Jets, has recorded 11 points.
While the Jets are looking for depth defensemen, they are in the market for proven NHLers with playoff experience and could be open to moving out a couple of their younger blueliners. Stanley deserves better from the franchise and hopefully will get his shot after March with another team.
Next: Sharks: 4 Trade Candidates Ahead of 2024 NHL Deadline
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