FOUR POSSIBLE FITS FOR WINNIPEG JETS, AND ONE BOLD IDEA
Devils just might be ready to ship out blue-liner Subban
Winnipeg Jets general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff sucked some of the fun out of the trade deadline when he acquired defenceman Dylan Demelo from the Ottawa Senators on Tuesday.
But as he spoke to media following the deal, he brought some of that joy back by suggesting he’s still shopping, perhaps for another defenceman to bolster Winnipeg’s back end and a forward, which would likely help reinforce the team’s secondary scoring.
The acquisition of Demelo announced Cheveldayoff’s intentions as a buyer as we close in on the final weekend before Monday’s trade deadline. And while rentals are all the buzz right now, Cheveldayoff said he’s also scouring the market for players with term.
While one splash has been made, others could be on the horizon. A third-rounder at the 2020 draft later this year in Montreal was quite the steal for the Jets, even if Demelo is just a rental at the end of it. It’s as shrewd as it gets and possibly took the best defenceman off the board before anyone realized it ( just look at the price paid for Brenden Dillon by comparison).
Speaking of boards, let’s now turn to those to see what else the
Jets could be hunting for over the next couple of days, as well as some players that won’t appear as trade bait but could help the team beyond this season.
DEFENCEMEN
Matt Dumba, Minnesota Wild
If the Wild are selling Dumba, the Jets should be tapping Bill Guerin’s phone to get as much intel as they can before shooting their shot on an offer.
Dumba would become the team’s point man on the power play and at 24 with a $6-million cap hit (and three years remaining), he’s quite the value providing he can get back to where he was a couple of years ago.
Give him a better team and Dumba could give you a scoring defenceman with plenty of physicality to boot. A Dustin Byfuglien-lite. He’ll cost a lot, but a first-round pick and a prospect might be worth it.
Josh Manson, Anaheim Ducks
A true, stay-at-home defenceman who can lay the body, Manson doesn’t score much, but he doesn’t allow other teams to do so, either.
The Jets need stalwarts on the blue-line and Manson is certainly that. He’s 28 with two years left on a deal that comes with a $4.1-million cap hit.
He’s entering his prime, and Ducks GM Bob Murray would likely want a small ransom for Manson. He would make the team better for the next two seasons and perhaps beyond. You’re going to have to offer more for that, perhaps a first-rounder, a second and a prospect.
FORWARDS
Vladislav Namestnikov,
Ottawa Senators
Can Cheveldayoff fleece Senators GM Pierre Dorion twice in one week? If he can pull it off, the 27-year-old Namestnikov is his guy.
He wouldn’t come with the price tag of a Jean-gabriel Pageau, but comes with an offensive pedigree and an ability to shut down other teams in the defensive zone. He immediately makes the top nine better and would help the Jets where they hurt the most, analytically.
Conor Sheary, Buffalo Sabres
Speaking of making your top nine better, Sheary would do just that with his ability to drive offence and prevent it in his own zone.
Sheary is 27, a pending unrestricted free agent and will fetch a pick.
THE BOLD MOVE
Brace yourselves ...
P.K. Subban, New Jersey Devils
The New Jersey Devils seem to be willing to trade off assets right now after their quick rebuild failed to materialize this season.
Does a team doing that want a guy making $9 million a season, or would they rather shed that contract (which has two years left on it) and gain a pick and prospect or a roster player?
If they are looking to get rid of Subban, perhaps the Jets could slide into the mix and offer up Jack Roslovic.
But you’re sitting there saying there’s no way the Devils would get such a small return for Subban.
Ah, but part of the “return” is shedding the cap dollars Subban comes with. In fact, it’s not out of the realm of possibility the Devils would take on Mathieu Perreault’s contract as well in the deal.
Perhaps the Jets can sweeten the pot with a pick.
What the Jets get is a proven offensive defenceman that would slide right into the team’s anchor on the power play for the next two seasons.
Subban isn’t far removed from being a defenceman that was elite at shot suppression and a bona fide Norris candidate.