Only certain thing for Ladd is uncertainty

WINNIPEG — Andrew Ladd isn’t just the captain of the Winnipeg Jets, he’s also a friend to his teammates.

And it’s those friends who understand the personal toll trade rumours can have on a player and his family.

With the NHL’s Feb. 29 trade deadline looming and defenceman Dustin Byfuglien having signed a five-year contract extension with the Jets last week, the spotlight on Ladd’s future has become more intense.

The Internet is full of fans’ comments that this should be done or that should be done, almost treating the pending unrestricted free agent as though he’s a game piece in Monopoly.

“I understand that perspective,” Jets centre Bryan Little said before the team headed out for a four-game road trip. “They’re fans, they watch the games. I think sometimes it’s easy to overlook that we are friends, we are a pretty close-knit group. I mean, we’re with each other every day for nine months of the year. You get pretty close to these guys.”

Ladd’s wife, Brandy, is pregnant with their third child. It’s something Ladd mentioned on a TSN 1290 radio show Friday when asked if his contract status makes it hard for him to concentrate on the ice.

“I think it’s kind of being in limbo and not knowing what’s going on, that’s the toughest part on you and knowing it affects obviously more than just me in terms of my wife and my kids and all that good stuff,” Ladd said.

“My wife’s pregnant so there’s lots of things that go into it. So, yeah, it weighs on you a little bit, but at the end of the day it’s your job to be a professional and make sure that you get the job done on the ice.”

With Byfuglien inking a new deal averaging $7.6 million per year, the question remains whether the Jets can afford to keep their 30-year-old leader or trade him so they don’t risk him signing elsewhere in the summer as a free agent and getting nothing in return.

“We’re kind of ready and waiting to re-engage with them whenever they’re ready,” Ladd told the show. “So, hopefully, that happens soon or we get some sort of message in terms of which way they want to go.”

The Jets began their road trip with a 2-1 shootout victory over the Edmonton Oilers on Saturday. Ladd and Blake Wheeler scored in the shootout.