Dubois/Scheifele/Wheeler/Hellebuyck Update-PreDraft Edition
Jun 23, 2023 16:20:22 GMT -6
Ric O. and lenny like this
Post by bigoljetairliner on Jun 23, 2023 16:20:22 GMT -6
So What's Happening With Dubois, Scheifele, Wheeler, & Hellebuyck??? PRE-ENTRY DRAFT EDITION
As we inch closer to the 2023 NHL Entry Draft, which runs from June 28th to 29th in Nashville, Winnipeg Jets' fans have received some clarity on who's leaving, but the future is still very much cloudy for our favourite hockey team. The Jets only have 5 selections in the upcoming draft, with the 18th overall, a 3rd, two 5ths, and 7th. So hopefully any trades involving the "big 4" bring Winnipeg some more in what is supposed to be a stacked draft class.
This year's draft is likely to see at least one domino fall to start what should be a very interesting off-season for Kevin Cheveldayoff and the Winnipeg Jets. While Chevy & co. could pull off multiple transactions during the draft, the only almost certain transaction will include Pierre Luc Dubois.
The latest news from Elliotte Friedman via his 32 Thoughts podcast:
"First of all for Winnipeg I think with Dubois I think the next few days he’s going to narrow it down to like two or three teams. I mean we’re really going to get into this I think. Winnipeg’s gotta know by the Draft and I think he recognizes that.".
Now there are plenty of rumours involving the Montreal Canadiens and the Los Angeles Kings, but really not sure who team number 3 would be?
We know that Montreal has made the less-than-stellar offer in the past of a 1st round pick (Florida's), 27 yr old C Dvorak, & 29 yr old W Anderson. That's two guys producing at a 3rd line pace (30 to 40 pts) last season, but earning a combined $9.95M/yr, along with a shot in the dark at a possible top 6 forward/bottom 4 defenseman with a very late 1st round pick in what is said to be a deeper than normal draft pool. With players like C Suzuki, W Caufield, W Slafkovsky, and LD Guhle off the table from the start, it also appears that it's unlikely C Dach, recently re-signed C Monahan, & the 5th overall pick in 2023 will be included in any offers. While the Habs do have some other worthwhile targets for Winnipeg like RD Barron (25th in 2020, 6'2"), C Beck (33rd in 2022, 6'), former Manitoba Moose Kovacevic, or even RD Mailloux (31st in 2021, 6'3") if you wanted to take on the baggage that comes along with the young d-man. Chevy definitely will need to take some salary back, so any trade will probably have to include at least one of Dvorak/Anderson.
The other known team in the race for Dubois is the Los Angeles Kings, who have been reported as suggesting a combination of one of C Byfield (20 yrs) & W/C Villardi (23 yrs), along with RD Durzi (24 yrs). While that offer includes much younger players that still have higher potential ceilings and doesn't handicap Winnipeg with any expensive contracts in return, it does feel just a bit light when you compare it to who the Jets gave up to obtain PLD (Laine/Roslovic). Other than the two previously mentioned forwards, other options the Kings could offer would be 30 yr old W Arvidsson (1 yr/$4.25M) and 29 yr old W Iafallo (2yrs/$4M). On defense, while it would nice to get last year's 8th overall pick (6'2" RD Clarke), I don't think GM Blake wants to give him up, so Durzi might be the best Winnipeg could hope for. Also, to make things more difficult, the Kings don't have a 1st rounder this year, but they do have a 2nd, which the Jets currently don't have. You could include unsigned UFA G Korpisalo as a possible target, if he's willing to re-up in Winnipeg to fight for a starting spot.
I'm not sure if the Habs have been relying on PLD signing with them as an unrestricted free agent next off-season, but it certainly doesn't appear that the place a high value on the guy. It is good news that there is at least one other team driving up the asking price, so we should see within a week whether one of the above teams wins the Dubois Sweepstakes or if a dark horse emerges at the last second.
Is there really enough there to make a good trade for Dubois with Montreal? Let's hear your suggestions in the comments section. What would a successful PLD trade with LA look like to you? Do you care about where PLD ends up or only about what Winnipeg gets in return?
Recent reports have also strongly indicated that the Winnipeg Jets are about to part ways with the last remaining player linking them to the move from Atlanta. Some pundits have gone as far as to say that there is no way that Blake Wheeler will be on the Jets this year, noting the only unknown is whether that would be via buy-out, trade with 50% salary retention, or trade for the specific purpose of a buy-out by the acquiring team.
I guess it may be possible to do a three-way trade where Winnipeg retains 50% of Wheeler's contract and the second team retains 50% of the remaining contract (i.e. 25%) to allow the 3rd team to get Wheeler at a quarter of his $8.25M contract ($2.07M). Obviously the Jets would have to sweeten the pot for the middle team, but I'm not certain that the NHL allows teams to retain salary on a specific player's contract more than once. Could be illegal.
A buyout will save Winnipeg $5.5M in cap space this season, but cost them $2.75M next year (when the upper cap limit is likely to go up by $4M).
Regardless, despite the scare the "meet Wheeler" promotion caused many of us, it appears that Chevy & the owners are finally willing to move on from the former captain at some point in the off-season. While the buy-out period ends on June 30th, NHL teams do get a second chance if one of their RFAs file for contract arbitration. This off-season, the Jets have Barron, Stenlund, Dubois, Samberg, Stanley, Limoges, Chisholm, Gawanke, & Holm all eligible to file for arbitration so it's highly likely that at least one of them gives Chevy a little bit longer to search for a cheaper solution that a straight out buy-out.
Anyone sad that Wheeler's time with the Winnipeg Jets is almost over? There are some great memories floating in my noggin I'm sure, but the utter mess the dressing room has become under his leadership make them hard to pull up at this time. If any pop into your minds, feel free to share them in the comments.
Next up is Connor Hellebuyck, the Jets' long-time goalie who has advised management that he won't be willing to sign an extension in the Peg. Well, kudos to Helly for giving his decision to Chevy early and stating his position clearly so that management/ownership doesn't need to waste time in their overly optimistic "we can convince PLAYERS NAME to stay" mode and just get onto making the best deal they can make for the Jets' future.
I know that Hellebuyck indicated his desire to win a Cup, but that likely conflicts with recent reports that he is looking in the $9.5M/yr range on any extension. That contract would match Vasilevskiy's current deal, signed when he was 26 yrs old, and the Lightning have only won 1 Stanley Cup on that 8 year deal (entering year 4/TB won the Cup in the first yr of the contract). I guess if a team has drafted the next Stamkos, Hedman, Kucherov, & Point and have plenty of cap space, then Hellebuyck might be perfect for them. Otherwise, you have to hope that Helly will eventually lower his contract ask to increase the number of teams entering Chevy's cell number into their Frequent Contacts folder. Unlike with Dubois, there are no qualifying offer/offer sheet concerns that Winnipeg has to deal with, so there is really no need to make a deal by or at this year's entry draft (other than losing the ability to obtain more picks in the draft). In fact, I can see the Jets' cautious GM even waiting until the trade deadline to move on from Hellebuyck if he doesn't get an offer he can live with. I am opposed to this option personally, as I think it would only hurt Winnipeg in the long run. Since ownership doesn't want to enter a "rebuild", I think the best route forward is to have a rough season next year, netting a top 5 overall pick, and trading assets off at the deadline (DeMelo, Dillon, Niederreiter, etc) to get more assets to aid in being more competitive in 2024-25.
While there are teams that could use Helly's services like Toronto, Pittsburgh, & Edmonton, those squads likely don't have the cap space to make that work (maybe if Chevy is insane enough to take back Murray's $4.688M/Campbell's $5M contract the Leafs/Oilers could make something work, amazingly Murray has 10 trade no-trade list, but their prospect pools are very shallow). While the LA Kings have been often mentioned as a potential destination, I don't see how they could afford both Dubois and Hellebuyck's salaries. We've also looked at what the Kings could offer, so that likely doesn't change much whether it's PLD or Helly they are trying to acquire.
The New Jersey Devils are often mentioned, but with only 7 forwards/5 defensemen/2 goalies signed and $23.25M in space to play with, the GM still has plenty of work to do. When you consider RFA Meier's next deal could be in the $8-9M range and they still need 5 more forwards and 2 defensemen, that money could disappear fairly quickly. The Devils do have 3 potential NHL goalies in 27 yr old Vanacek ($3.4M), 26 yr old Blackwood (RFA), and 23 yr old Schmid ($850k), so I am guessing that the first two would initially be offered in any trade with the Jets. Vanacek had a career NHL regular season, putting up a 2.45 GAA & a .911 save % in his first season with NJ. However, he struggled mightly in the playoffs (4.63/.825) and lost the starter's role. With 2 years remaining on his contract, he would give Winnipeg a potential starter/experienced backup. Blackwood's career started out promising with a .918 save % in his rookie season, but those numbers have dropped for 4 straight seasons to .893 in 2022-23. It seems like it would be a huge gamble to think MacKenzie can refind his game at the NHL level. As for Schmid, he is probably the one New Jersey most likely wants to keep. He's signed to an inexpensive contract this season, is the youngest of the three, and is coming off a pretty solid season. The goalie started his year in the AHL with Utica, where he put up a 2.62 GAA & .905 save % in 23 games with the Comets. It got even better when he got into NHL action, with a 2.13 GAA/.922 save % in 18 regular season games, and then kept it going with 2.35 GAA/.921 save % in the playoffs. Definitely unproven, but his play last year makes him someone any Jets fan would covet in a Hellebuyck trade with the Devils. I can't see NJ's most attractive pieces being available (F: Hughes, Hischier, Bratt, Mercer, Meier and D: Hughes, Marino, Nemec), so that only leaves bottom 6 forwards like McLeod or Boqvist, young non-NHL prospects, or draft picks (Devils don't have their 1st this year).
There are a few teams that could be Cup contenders in the near future and have a need in between the pipes, like the Buffalo Sabres, Detroit Red Wings, Ottawa Senators, and maybe even the Columbus Blue Jackets. Those squads have plenty of talent to offer, but realistically I don't think the Jets will be able to get any of the best young prospects they have. No, we aren't getting Buffalo's RD Owen Power or C Dylan Cozen. Unfortunately the Wings' RD Moritz Seider, C Dylan Larkin, or LD Simon Edvinsson won't be wearing Jets' jerseys any time soon. Don't even dream about the Sens' LW Brady Tkachuk, C Tim Stutzle, RD Jakob Chychrun, or LD Jake Sanderson moving to Winnipeg. The Jackets have too many to list, so they might give up one or two of their youngsters, but Chevy isn't getting the cream like Kent Johnson, David Jiricek, or Denton Mateychuk. Cap-wise, the teams have varying levels of work to do, but could probably make the numbers work for a Hellebuyck trade. The Sabres basically only need 1 more forward to round out their squad and with $14.5M in space to play with. The Red Wings have $30.6M in space left at this point with 8 rosters spots to fill, so definitely can pay the Helle-Buck. Ottawa still needs to fill 5 forward, 3 defense, & 1 goalie spot, with a smidge over $17M to spend. The Sens have their own RFA problem, but I don't foresee a DeBrincat for Hellebuyck swap in the future. It would be tight for the Senators to pull off a Helly trade and fill out their roster, but it could be done and hopefully 6'3" C Shane Pinto would be heading to Winnipeg as part of the return. Hurting things for an Ottawa trade is the fact that they don't have a pick until the 4th round in the upcoming draft. While the Blue Jackets seem far from a contender, they have made some big moves over the past few years to try and turn things around and have a bunch of prospect rising in their system. Columbus is sitting at $4.754M under the cap's upper limit, but does have an extra forward and defenseman on the roster, so could easily shed over $1.5M by sending players to the minors. That would allow them to take on Hellebuyck's current $6.167M contract, but they could make it even easier by including Merzlikins ($5.4M/yr for 4 yrs) in the return to the Jets, along with some prospects/picks.
One last possibility are the Carolina Hurricanes, who have over $24M to play with, but are far from having a full roster at this point. With RD Brett Pesce on the final year of his $4.025M/yr contract, the reports are saying he will likely be on the move but I can't see him agreeing to re-sign long-term in Winnipeg and would essentially be a 1 yr rental if he was included in a Helly trade. My ideal target would be Martin Necas (coming off a break-out 71 pts in 82 games), the 6'2" center would give Winnipeg a replacement for Dubois up the middle in the top 6. Necas is on a $3M/yr contract for 2023-24, but will still be an RFA next season. Other targets the Jets could try/hope for are forwards Seth Jarvis, Ryan Suzuki, or Jack Drury.
Who do you think is the most likely team to acquire Hellebuyck? What's your most ideal & realistic return for the former Vezina winner?
Finally we get to Mark Scheifele, the final of the "big 4" players with question marks around their names going into the off-season. While there have been articles about potential landing spots for #55, I haven't seen anything that provided me with the feeling that a deal is close to being done. In fact, I think IllegalCurve's David Minuk might be bringing me around to his view that Scheifele may just remain a Winnipeg Jet next season (and possibly beyond). Helping me start to believe that is the fact that I can't recall seeing any reports stating the Scheifele will not even consider re-signing with the Jets. Also knowing how conservative the Jets' management tends to be, I can't see them relishing trying to fill both top 6 center spots. The desire to be loyal could make the team believe without big bad Wheeler leading him astray, Scheif could return to the enthusiastic hockey rat that he started out as. I can see Chevy thinking that if things go poorly, there always is the trade deadline to make a move and recoup some assets. At the deadline, a team would only need about $1.5M in space to take on Mark's contract and could bring a bounty from a team with dreams of Lord Stanley floating in their heads.
Some of the teams linked to the Winnipeg Jets' first ever draft pick (this version's, at least) are the Carolina Hurricanes, division rivals Minnesota Wild/Nashville Predators, and the Detroit Red Wings. I can't remember any leaked potential trade offer for Scheifele that seemed reliable, so any potential return is just speculation at this point. I'll skip the Hurricanes since I outlined their potential trade bait in the Hellebuyck section and move onto the Red Wings, where I would target last year's 8th overall selection, 6'1" center Marco Kasper as part of the package for #55. The Predators have the cap space to afford Scheifele and some players the Jets would want (W Tomasino, C Parssinen, & G Saros), if Winnipeg wants to make an inter-division trade. The Wild may need a center, but cap space and roster needs might make it difficult unless they would part with C Ericksson Ek before his no movement clause kick in. There have been mentions of Marco Rossi, but while the 5'9" center has scored at a point per game in the AHL, the 21 yr old drafted in Perfetti's class has failed to crack the NHL (21 gms/1 pt). 6' right-hand defenseman Brock Faber would be off interest as well, if available.
Will Scheifele be on the Jets roster to start next year? What do you think Winnipeg could get in return for him? Would you trade a star player within your own division?
As we inch closer to the 2023 NHL Entry Draft, which runs from June 28th to 29th in Nashville, Winnipeg Jets' fans have received some clarity on who's leaving, but the future is still very much cloudy for our favourite hockey team. The Jets only have 5 selections in the upcoming draft, with the 18th overall, a 3rd, two 5ths, and 7th. So hopefully any trades involving the "big 4" bring Winnipeg some more in what is supposed to be a stacked draft class.
This year's draft is likely to see at least one domino fall to start what should be a very interesting off-season for Kevin Cheveldayoff and the Winnipeg Jets. While Chevy & co. could pull off multiple transactions during the draft, the only almost certain transaction will include Pierre Luc Dubois.
The latest news from Elliotte Friedman via his 32 Thoughts podcast:
"First of all for Winnipeg I think with Dubois I think the next few days he’s going to narrow it down to like two or three teams. I mean we’re really going to get into this I think. Winnipeg’s gotta know by the Draft and I think he recognizes that.".
Now there are plenty of rumours involving the Montreal Canadiens and the Los Angeles Kings, but really not sure who team number 3 would be?
We know that Montreal has made the less-than-stellar offer in the past of a 1st round pick (Florida's), 27 yr old C Dvorak, & 29 yr old W Anderson. That's two guys producing at a 3rd line pace (30 to 40 pts) last season, but earning a combined $9.95M/yr, along with a shot in the dark at a possible top 6 forward/bottom 4 defenseman with a very late 1st round pick in what is said to be a deeper than normal draft pool. With players like C Suzuki, W Caufield, W Slafkovsky, and LD Guhle off the table from the start, it also appears that it's unlikely C Dach, recently re-signed C Monahan, & the 5th overall pick in 2023 will be included in any offers. While the Habs do have some other worthwhile targets for Winnipeg like RD Barron (25th in 2020, 6'2"), C Beck (33rd in 2022, 6'), former Manitoba Moose Kovacevic, or even RD Mailloux (31st in 2021, 6'3") if you wanted to take on the baggage that comes along with the young d-man. Chevy definitely will need to take some salary back, so any trade will probably have to include at least one of Dvorak/Anderson.
The other known team in the race for Dubois is the Los Angeles Kings, who have been reported as suggesting a combination of one of C Byfield (20 yrs) & W/C Villardi (23 yrs), along with RD Durzi (24 yrs). While that offer includes much younger players that still have higher potential ceilings and doesn't handicap Winnipeg with any expensive contracts in return, it does feel just a bit light when you compare it to who the Jets gave up to obtain PLD (Laine/Roslovic). Other than the two previously mentioned forwards, other options the Kings could offer would be 30 yr old W Arvidsson (1 yr/$4.25M) and 29 yr old W Iafallo (2yrs/$4M). On defense, while it would nice to get last year's 8th overall pick (6'2" RD Clarke), I don't think GM Blake wants to give him up, so Durzi might be the best Winnipeg could hope for. Also, to make things more difficult, the Kings don't have a 1st rounder this year, but they do have a 2nd, which the Jets currently don't have. You could include unsigned UFA G Korpisalo as a possible target, if he's willing to re-up in Winnipeg to fight for a starting spot.
I'm not sure if the Habs have been relying on PLD signing with them as an unrestricted free agent next off-season, but it certainly doesn't appear that the place a high value on the guy. It is good news that there is at least one other team driving up the asking price, so we should see within a week whether one of the above teams wins the Dubois Sweepstakes or if a dark horse emerges at the last second.
Is there really enough there to make a good trade for Dubois with Montreal? Let's hear your suggestions in the comments section. What would a successful PLD trade with LA look like to you? Do you care about where PLD ends up or only about what Winnipeg gets in return?
Recent reports have also strongly indicated that the Winnipeg Jets are about to part ways with the last remaining player linking them to the move from Atlanta. Some pundits have gone as far as to say that there is no way that Blake Wheeler will be on the Jets this year, noting the only unknown is whether that would be via buy-out, trade with 50% salary retention, or trade for the specific purpose of a buy-out by the acquiring team.
I guess it may be possible to do a three-way trade where Winnipeg retains 50% of Wheeler's contract and the second team retains 50% of the remaining contract (i.e. 25%) to allow the 3rd team to get Wheeler at a quarter of his $8.25M contract ($2.07M). Obviously the Jets would have to sweeten the pot for the middle team, but I'm not certain that the NHL allows teams to retain salary on a specific player's contract more than once. Could be illegal.
A buyout will save Winnipeg $5.5M in cap space this season, but cost them $2.75M next year (when the upper cap limit is likely to go up by $4M).
Regardless, despite the scare the "meet Wheeler" promotion caused many of us, it appears that Chevy & the owners are finally willing to move on from the former captain at some point in the off-season. While the buy-out period ends on June 30th, NHL teams do get a second chance if one of their RFAs file for contract arbitration. This off-season, the Jets have Barron, Stenlund, Dubois, Samberg, Stanley, Limoges, Chisholm, Gawanke, & Holm all eligible to file for arbitration so it's highly likely that at least one of them gives Chevy a little bit longer to search for a cheaper solution that a straight out buy-out.
Anyone sad that Wheeler's time with the Winnipeg Jets is almost over? There are some great memories floating in my noggin I'm sure, but the utter mess the dressing room has become under his leadership make them hard to pull up at this time. If any pop into your minds, feel free to share them in the comments.
Next up is Connor Hellebuyck, the Jets' long-time goalie who has advised management that he won't be willing to sign an extension in the Peg. Well, kudos to Helly for giving his decision to Chevy early and stating his position clearly so that management/ownership doesn't need to waste time in their overly optimistic "we can convince PLAYERS NAME to stay" mode and just get onto making the best deal they can make for the Jets' future.
I know that Hellebuyck indicated his desire to win a Cup, but that likely conflicts with recent reports that he is looking in the $9.5M/yr range on any extension. That contract would match Vasilevskiy's current deal, signed when he was 26 yrs old, and the Lightning have only won 1 Stanley Cup on that 8 year deal (entering year 4/TB won the Cup in the first yr of the contract). I guess if a team has drafted the next Stamkos, Hedman, Kucherov, & Point and have plenty of cap space, then Hellebuyck might be perfect for them. Otherwise, you have to hope that Helly will eventually lower his contract ask to increase the number of teams entering Chevy's cell number into their Frequent Contacts folder. Unlike with Dubois, there are no qualifying offer/offer sheet concerns that Winnipeg has to deal with, so there is really no need to make a deal by or at this year's entry draft (other than losing the ability to obtain more picks in the draft). In fact, I can see the Jets' cautious GM even waiting until the trade deadline to move on from Hellebuyck if he doesn't get an offer he can live with. I am opposed to this option personally, as I think it would only hurt Winnipeg in the long run. Since ownership doesn't want to enter a "rebuild", I think the best route forward is to have a rough season next year, netting a top 5 overall pick, and trading assets off at the deadline (DeMelo, Dillon, Niederreiter, etc) to get more assets to aid in being more competitive in 2024-25.
While there are teams that could use Helly's services like Toronto, Pittsburgh, & Edmonton, those squads likely don't have the cap space to make that work (maybe if Chevy is insane enough to take back Murray's $4.688M/Campbell's $5M contract the Leafs/Oilers could make something work, amazingly Murray has 10 trade no-trade list, but their prospect pools are very shallow). While the LA Kings have been often mentioned as a potential destination, I don't see how they could afford both Dubois and Hellebuyck's salaries. We've also looked at what the Kings could offer, so that likely doesn't change much whether it's PLD or Helly they are trying to acquire.
The New Jersey Devils are often mentioned, but with only 7 forwards/5 defensemen/2 goalies signed and $23.25M in space to play with, the GM still has plenty of work to do. When you consider RFA Meier's next deal could be in the $8-9M range and they still need 5 more forwards and 2 defensemen, that money could disappear fairly quickly. The Devils do have 3 potential NHL goalies in 27 yr old Vanacek ($3.4M), 26 yr old Blackwood (RFA), and 23 yr old Schmid ($850k), so I am guessing that the first two would initially be offered in any trade with the Jets. Vanacek had a career NHL regular season, putting up a 2.45 GAA & a .911 save % in his first season with NJ. However, he struggled mightly in the playoffs (4.63/.825) and lost the starter's role. With 2 years remaining on his contract, he would give Winnipeg a potential starter/experienced backup. Blackwood's career started out promising with a .918 save % in his rookie season, but those numbers have dropped for 4 straight seasons to .893 in 2022-23. It seems like it would be a huge gamble to think MacKenzie can refind his game at the NHL level. As for Schmid, he is probably the one New Jersey most likely wants to keep. He's signed to an inexpensive contract this season, is the youngest of the three, and is coming off a pretty solid season. The goalie started his year in the AHL with Utica, where he put up a 2.62 GAA & .905 save % in 23 games with the Comets. It got even better when he got into NHL action, with a 2.13 GAA/.922 save % in 18 regular season games, and then kept it going with 2.35 GAA/.921 save % in the playoffs. Definitely unproven, but his play last year makes him someone any Jets fan would covet in a Hellebuyck trade with the Devils. I can't see NJ's most attractive pieces being available (F: Hughes, Hischier, Bratt, Mercer, Meier and D: Hughes, Marino, Nemec), so that only leaves bottom 6 forwards like McLeod or Boqvist, young non-NHL prospects, or draft picks (Devils don't have their 1st this year).
There are a few teams that could be Cup contenders in the near future and have a need in between the pipes, like the Buffalo Sabres, Detroit Red Wings, Ottawa Senators, and maybe even the Columbus Blue Jackets. Those squads have plenty of talent to offer, but realistically I don't think the Jets will be able to get any of the best young prospects they have. No, we aren't getting Buffalo's RD Owen Power or C Dylan Cozen. Unfortunately the Wings' RD Moritz Seider, C Dylan Larkin, or LD Simon Edvinsson won't be wearing Jets' jerseys any time soon. Don't even dream about the Sens' LW Brady Tkachuk, C Tim Stutzle, RD Jakob Chychrun, or LD Jake Sanderson moving to Winnipeg. The Jackets have too many to list, so they might give up one or two of their youngsters, but Chevy isn't getting the cream like Kent Johnson, David Jiricek, or Denton Mateychuk. Cap-wise, the teams have varying levels of work to do, but could probably make the numbers work for a Hellebuyck trade. The Sabres basically only need 1 more forward to round out their squad and with $14.5M in space to play with. The Red Wings have $30.6M in space left at this point with 8 rosters spots to fill, so definitely can pay the Helle-Buck. Ottawa still needs to fill 5 forward, 3 defense, & 1 goalie spot, with a smidge over $17M to spend. The Sens have their own RFA problem, but I don't foresee a DeBrincat for Hellebuyck swap in the future. It would be tight for the Senators to pull off a Helly trade and fill out their roster, but it could be done and hopefully 6'3" C Shane Pinto would be heading to Winnipeg as part of the return. Hurting things for an Ottawa trade is the fact that they don't have a pick until the 4th round in the upcoming draft. While the Blue Jackets seem far from a contender, they have made some big moves over the past few years to try and turn things around and have a bunch of prospect rising in their system. Columbus is sitting at $4.754M under the cap's upper limit, but does have an extra forward and defenseman on the roster, so could easily shed over $1.5M by sending players to the minors. That would allow them to take on Hellebuyck's current $6.167M contract, but they could make it even easier by including Merzlikins ($5.4M/yr for 4 yrs) in the return to the Jets, along with some prospects/picks.
One last possibility are the Carolina Hurricanes, who have over $24M to play with, but are far from having a full roster at this point. With RD Brett Pesce on the final year of his $4.025M/yr contract, the reports are saying he will likely be on the move but I can't see him agreeing to re-sign long-term in Winnipeg and would essentially be a 1 yr rental if he was included in a Helly trade. My ideal target would be Martin Necas (coming off a break-out 71 pts in 82 games), the 6'2" center would give Winnipeg a replacement for Dubois up the middle in the top 6. Necas is on a $3M/yr contract for 2023-24, but will still be an RFA next season. Other targets the Jets could try/hope for are forwards Seth Jarvis, Ryan Suzuki, or Jack Drury.
Who do you think is the most likely team to acquire Hellebuyck? What's your most ideal & realistic return for the former Vezina winner?
Finally we get to Mark Scheifele, the final of the "big 4" players with question marks around their names going into the off-season. While there have been articles about potential landing spots for #55, I haven't seen anything that provided me with the feeling that a deal is close to being done. In fact, I think IllegalCurve's David Minuk might be bringing me around to his view that Scheifele may just remain a Winnipeg Jet next season (and possibly beyond). Helping me start to believe that is the fact that I can't recall seeing any reports stating the Scheifele will not even consider re-signing with the Jets. Also knowing how conservative the Jets' management tends to be, I can't see them relishing trying to fill both top 6 center spots. The desire to be loyal could make the team believe without big bad Wheeler leading him astray, Scheif could return to the enthusiastic hockey rat that he started out as. I can see Chevy thinking that if things go poorly, there always is the trade deadline to make a move and recoup some assets. At the deadline, a team would only need about $1.5M in space to take on Mark's contract and could bring a bounty from a team with dreams of Lord Stanley floating in their heads.
Some of the teams linked to the Winnipeg Jets' first ever draft pick (this version's, at least) are the Carolina Hurricanes, division rivals Minnesota Wild/Nashville Predators, and the Detroit Red Wings. I can't remember any leaked potential trade offer for Scheifele that seemed reliable, so any potential return is just speculation at this point. I'll skip the Hurricanes since I outlined their potential trade bait in the Hellebuyck section and move onto the Red Wings, where I would target last year's 8th overall selection, 6'1" center Marco Kasper as part of the package for #55. The Predators have the cap space to afford Scheifele and some players the Jets would want (W Tomasino, C Parssinen, & G Saros), if Winnipeg wants to make an inter-division trade. The Wild may need a center, but cap space and roster needs might make it difficult unless they would part with C Ericksson Ek before his no movement clause kick in. There have been mentions of Marco Rossi, but while the 5'9" center has scored at a point per game in the AHL, the 21 yr old drafted in Perfetti's class has failed to crack the NHL (21 gms/1 pt). 6' right-hand defenseman Brock Faber would be off interest as well, if available.
Will Scheifele be on the Jets roster to start next year? What do you think Winnipeg could get in return for him? Would you trade a star player within your own division?