The Winnipeg Jets earned the right to go shopping at the trade deadline. Kevin Chevelday off ensured that the Jets were unique among the contenders in terms of cap space: $2.7 million now and close to $5 million by deadline day.
Fans are fantasizing about upgrades (and rightly so).
He covered rental targets like Sean Monaghan, Elias Lindholm, and Chris Tanev. We've been talking about ambitious swings for players who still have time left on their contracts.
What we don't discuss here is cost.
Jets fans know how this game works. In addition to obvious wins like second-round pick Nino Niederreiter and fourth-round pick Vladislav Namestnikov, Schwerdaoff isn't afraid to spend big on marquee pieces. Winnipeg paid St. Louis a first-round pick and prospect Eric Foley in 2018 for Paul Stastny. The Jets also sent a first-round pick, spark plug Brendan Lemieux, and a conditional fourth-round pick for Kevin Hayes to the New York Rangers. 2019.
What should Winnipeg go shopping with this year? Today we evaluate the Jets' prime trade assets and the likelihood of them being transferred before the March 8 deadline.
1. Rutger McGroarty, LW, 19 years old (University of Michigan)
situation: untouchable
statistics: 9 goals, 22 assists, 31 points in 17 NCAA games
Storyline: At one time, McGroarty was considered a great bet to become a solid NHL player. McGroarty was praised for his leadership at all levels, recently demonstrated as captain of Team USA's gold medal-winning world junior team. He's a character kid who plays the game the right way and will probably do enough right things to earn a bottom-six job in the NHL.
McGloarty then played on one of the most effective lines in college hockey as an 18-year-old freshman at the University of Michigan, along with Adam Fantilli and Gavin Brindley, scoring at a points-per-game pace.
This left critics with little to say. Perhaps Fantilli and Brindley were carrying him?
McGraw-Arty, now 19, has put an end to that mindset for good, scoring 31 points in 17 games, including a four-point streak against Michigan State that earned him Big Ten Player of the Week honors on Jan. 23. Also included.
He is a player that opposing teams will ask about. McGroarty's hockey sense is outstanding considering his level of competition. His shot is a weapon, his competitiveness is unquestionable, and the way he returned to his current level of play after a punctured lung and cracked ribs garnered a lot of attention. He became Winnipeg's top prospect and most untouchable asset. I don't expect the Jets to trade him or entertain the idea. In fact, the only question left is whether McGroarty will turn pro this season or return for his junior year.
I think McGroarty is where the limits of “untouchables” end.
2. Elias Salomonsson, Democratic Party, 19 years old (Skellefteo AIK)
situation: almost untouchable
statistics: 1 goal, 5 assists, 6 points in 19 SHL games
Storyline: Salomonsson is on track to cover that bet, as well as a bet on the player who finishes 55th in 2022. At just 18 years old, he's garnered a lot of attention as a contributing member of Skellefteå AIK's deep team, impressing everyone at Jets camp this September and even earning himself another bet. He stepped up to the SHL this season at age 19.
He was so good that one of his SHL coaches, Pierre Johnson, told Scott Wheeler: The Athletic Last season, “he went from average to overwhelming,” and he's maintained that level this year, he said.
It feels like the Jets value Salomonson's promise. It's hard for me to imagine a world in which he would be traded. (At least as far as publicly available rumors go, there are no Erik Karlsson or Mark Stone scheduled to be acquired by this year's deadline.) Salomonson is the subject of other teams' inquiries about players the Jets might target. I think it's clear that it is. Deserves a blockbuster deal.
Despite that caveat, I fully expect Salomonsson to be part of the Jets' long-term plans.
3. Brad Lambert, C/RW, 20 years old (Manitoba Moose)
situation: Available if Jets heads turn
statistics: 12 goals, 13 assists, 25 points in 30 AHL games
Storyline: Lambert's mere presence on the Jets' prospect list can be attributed to Winnipeg's work at the trade deadline. The Jets acquired him with a first-round pick acquired in the Andrew Copp trade. The conditional second-round pick became the Rangers' first pick when they reached the Eastern Conference Finals.
This isn't to say that Lambert has “found the money” so to speak, considering he's progressed as an impact player in the AHL this season. His speed is a weapon, his puck skills are high-end, and his sheer greed for production appears to be unparalleled. Winnipeg isn't in a hurry to walk away from that problem, but it could be a possibility, especially if they're looking for a player good enough to package into a high-end NHL player. In theory If you're able to get involved, I think Lambert could be your starting point.
4. Colby Barlow, LW, 18 years old (Owen Sound Attack)
situation: Available if Jets heads turn
statistics: 18 goals, 9 assists, 27 points in 26 OHL games
Storyline: Barlow's season was interrupted by an injury, and he missed the chance to play for Canada at the world juniors. Perhaps fueled by that frustration, Barlow has nine goals and four assists in 12 games since returning to the OHL. His one-timers are clearly ridiculous by OHL standards, conveying a Patrik Laine-like ability to score from a standstill, but drive the net to score from a dirty area close to the goal. Sometimes.
Winnipeg is excited to have this player in the pipeline. To me, for Burrow (or Lambert) and a first-round pick to make sense, they would need to get a high-end center on a great deal. Please don't throw tomatoes at me for including tomatoes as a possibility. I'm thinking of blockbusters like Stone to Vegas, where the Golden Knights waived Eric Brannstrom, who was highly touted as the centerpiece of the package. A player as promising as Barlow and Lambert is certainly impressive.
5. First round pick
situation: Available (perhaps reluctantly)
Storyline: I think Winnipeg wants to keep their first-round pick and use their second-round pick as currency. You can't always get what you want, especially if you're shopping in the quality aisle, but Winnipeg is picking up a nice fit with a non-first-round pick. The Jets acquired Niederreiter, Namestnitikoff, Brenden Dillon, Dylan DeMelo, Nate Schmidt, and Mason Appleton all for less than the cost of a first-round pick, and all of those players have been acquired for less than the cost of a first-round pick. has been playing for a considerable amount of time. He plays for a high-end NHL team in Winnipeg.
Jets fans would be thrilled if Winnipeg found a similarly important piece of talent for less than a first-round pick.
6. Nikita Chibrikov, RW, 20 years old (Manitoba Moose)
situation: Available (perhaps reluctantly)
statistics: 13 goals, 16 assists, 29 points in 35 AHL games
Storyline: Manitoba's leading scorer is undersized and was drafted later than the young players ranked higher on this list. That said, watching Chiburikov's professional game at Jets camp made me think there's a good chance he'll have more impact than at least a few players. Like Lambert, he has played professional hockey against men for several years. Chiburikov's shot is a weapon, and his willingness to take hits to make plays is prized despite his young age. I think he's operating in defiance of public perception, and despite the fact that NHL teams are well aware of rival AHL lineups, Chiburikov's trade value is at his level of potential. I think the amount is lower than the amount commensurate with the player.
7. Ville Heinola, left-handed, 22 years old (Manitoba Moose)
situation: Available (perhaps reluctantly)
statistics: 1 goal, 2 assists, 3 points in 5 AHL games
Storyline: After all this development time and a trip back and forth to the AHL, I think Winnipeg might want to see what Heinola can do in the NHL. Heinola loses his right to waivers at the end of this season, but as Bowness told me after a recent practice, if he earns a roster spot in Jets camp, he'll get that spot again next year. It's easy to imagine.
Would the Jets include him in their contract if a rival club claimed? I don't know why you wouldn't do that. But I think they're finally ready to reap the rewards of all their patience with him.
8. Chaz Lucius, C, 20 years old (Manitoba Moose)
situation: I was injured
statistics: 2 goals, 11 assists, 13 points in 17 AHL games
Storyline: Lucius undergoes season-ending ankle surgery.this is 4 consecutive seasons Lucius Finishes on the sideline. He's only 20 years old, a creative and intelligent offensive player with a lot of upside. However, it is hard to believe that he will be able to improve that much after injuries have robbed him of so much time to develop. It's also hard to imagine he has huge trade value at this point.
9. Second round pick
situation: Available
No statistics, no stories. I think Montreal's 2024 second-round pick, which the Jets acquired as part of the PL Dubois trade, has a lot to do with it. The same goes for the Jets' own second-round pick in 2025 and every second-round pick thereafter.
10. Logan Stanley, D, 25 years old (Winnipeg Jets)
situation: Available
statistics: 0 goals, 0 assists, 0 points in 7 NHL games
Storyline: Stanley made it clear last season that he would rather be traded than remain a healthy scratch. He has only played in seven games this season. That's certainly more of a goose egg than Declan Chisholm's two games and Heinola's injury, but while Stanley will be on the outside looking in at least once in his career, he's likely to play a lot more minutes. I'm sure you want to.
I think the Jets would enjoy acquiring big, strong Stanley to add depth heading into the playoffs. Winnipeg protected him in Seattle's expansion draft, hinting at fear of him being taken and suggesting he might have trade value, but he's not playing much right now. It's hard to imagine that he's worth much. He is under contract and will remain under team control until at least this summer, when he is a restricted free agent with arbitration rights.
(Photos by Brad Lambert, Nikita Chibrikov and Ville Heinola: James Carey Lauder/USA Today, Jason Franson/The Canadian Press via AP and Terrence Lee/USA Today)
