Jets need more net presence
Hurricanes and Stars have made net gains. Now it’s Winnipeg’s turn, Ken Wiebe writes.
The chairs are filling up, but the music hasn’t even started playing.
Or has it? The high stakes game of musical chairs for netminders is already underway, even with the Stanley Cup playoffs ongoing.
During the past several weeks, both the Carolina Hurricanes and the Dallas Stars took a big step toward solving their goaltending issues.
The Hurricanes made the first pre-emptive strike, sending a third-round pick to the Chicago Blackhawks for Scott Darling, who later signed a four-year deal worth an average annual value of US$4.15 million.
Meanwhile, the Stars moved a fourth-rounder to the Los Angeles Kings for Ben Bishop and signed him to a six-year deal with an average annual value just under US$5 million.
Sure, there’s an element of risk involved with both moves.
Darling has done a great job backing up Corey Crawford, but has limited experience carrying the load. Bishop was a Vezina Trophy finalist the previous season, but he’s coming off a bit of a down year and he’ll be 36 when the deal expires.
The Stars have more money invested in goalies than any other team in the NHL and they’ll be looking to buy out one of Kari Lehtonen or Antti Niemi this summer, if they can’t move either one of their contracts.
The bigger risk for both the Hurricanes and the Stars would have been not addressing the problem. That still applies to the Winnipeg Jets, who were always expected to make their move between the pipes after the expansion draft and likely still will.
While the results of the Connor Hellebuyck experiment were mixed, the Jets aren’t about to risk losing him for nothing in expansion and they still believe in him long term, so trading him doesn’t make much sense.
While the trade route is still possible, it’s unlikely — at least until the expansion draft is completed on June 21.
It will also probably rule out some other top candidates, like Marc-Andre Fleury of the Pittsburgh Penguins, whose outstanding work in the playoffs is driving up the price for goalie-needy teams looking to him as their solution.
Fleury makes sense for the Jets on many levels, especially since he’s under contract for two more seasons at an average annual value of US$5.75 million. But he’s more likely to go to another team in need of a starter before the expansion draft since the Penguins want to acquire an asset rather than lose him for nothing.
The Calgary Flames seem like a natural fit to me. Speaking of the Flames, Brian Elliott is a name that’s being tossed around as a candidate for the Jets. He’s 32, has plenty of experience in the Central Division as both a starter and a backup and while his past season started slowly, he provided strong enough goaltending to get the Flames into the playoffs.
There’s no doubt Elliott struggled in the playoffs against the Anaheim Ducks, but he also helped the St. Louis Blues reach the Western Conference final the previous season. He would also be a good mentor for Hellebuyck.
Elliott made US$2.5 million last season and will be looking for a raise, but he’d make sense on a two-year deal.
Ducks backup Jonathan Bernier also makes a lot of sense in the still-something-to-prove category. Bernier was excellent for the Ducks down the stretch when John Gibson was injured. As a former Toronto Maple Leaf, he knows what it’s like to play in a Canadian market and believes he can still be a starter.
Ottawa Senators backup Mike Condon could also fit the bill after going 19-14-6 with a 2.48 goals-against average and .914 save percentage this season, all for the small salary of US$575,000.
If the Jets are looking for the next Cam Talbot — a capable backup who is ready for the top job — Antti Raanta of the New York Rangers should be on the radar, since he’s played well behind both Crawford and Henrik Lundqvist.
Washington Capitals backup Philipp Grubauer makes sense here as well, though he’s also likely to be on the move before the expansion draft or could factor into the Vegas Golden Knights’ plans.
It’s important to remember that both Hellebuyck and Eric Comrie, the Jets’ top goalie prospect, are going to require waivers in the 2018-19 season, so inking a netminder to a long-term deal doesn’t seem likely.
But failing to upgrade the position simply isn’t an option for the Jets, and action must be taken before the puck drops in October.