The Winnipeg Jets are inching closer to the February 29th trade deadline with one of the best records in the NHL. Alternatively, the Detroit Red Wings are essentially out of the playoff race in the Atlantic Division.
The Winnipeg Jets are looking like a cup contender at the midpoint of the season. They have some cap space to play with and could benefit from a trade or two. The Wings would benefit instead from selling off their high paid vets as they are close to the salary cap limit. GM Ken Holland has already stated they are looking at a “retooling” and not a full “rebuild”, so don’t expect a full fire sale. But there are players available for the right price.
The Kids
Detroit’s talented youth of Andreas Athanasiou, Dylan Larkin, Anthony Mantha, Tyler Bertuzzi, and Martin Frk are all RFAs and likely to be resigned. Though if there is some distance on numbers between the player and team we could see a few possibly go during the summer in a trade. As for the February trade deadline, I doubt Ken Holland would be considering a trade for any of his youth outside of a home run offer.
Mike Green
Green is not the All-Star in Detroit that he once was in Washington. He is still a good offensive weapon on the backend, however. The 32-year-old will be a UFA this summer and is making 6 million this year. He will look to get the most he can out of free agency as his next contract may be the last of his career. The Jets have 4 UFA’s and 8 RFA’s to take care of this summer. Greens cap cost alone is a deal breaker for Winnipeg and Detroit would have to retain salary. Add in the fact that Mike is just a rental for this season and that puts him out of consideration.
Henrik Zetterberg
Even the Detroit captain might be available. But Detroit will want a suitably nice package of current and future talent for the eventual Hall of Famer. Zetterberg brings a lot to the table with strong 2-way play. But at a 6 million dollar cap hit until 2020-21, he is cost-prohibitive for the Jets. Winnipeg is good on Captains and centers anyways, so no trade match here.
Gustav Nyquist, Justin Abdelkader, & Darren Helm
All three have NTC they would have to wave to make them available. While it is not hard to see any of them waving their NTC to go to a cup contender in Winnipeg, personal issues such as home location and family tend to have a large impact on these decisions. All 3 are having a rough year in Detroit and should be available given the Wings cap situation. While offering some veteran presence they are still risks as they pose to be of little benefit to the Jets roster compared to the cost to acquire them.
Frans Neilsen
A Selke mention throughout his career, Neilsen is a surprising -7 on an underperforming Red Wings team. Known most for his 50% shootout percentage, he is a whopping 75% in the final frame so far this season. Adding him to a Jets team that has struggled in the extra frame would be a key upgrade.
The cost, however, would be huge. Frans is making 5.25 million until 2021-22 and would take a good package to acquire from Detroit. Winnipeg Jets GM Kevin Cheveldayoff would have to really go after Neilsen now to build some ground with Ken Holland and get something done before the February 29th trade deadline to avoid a bidding war. While possibly expensive, Frans is the best bet in any deal for a forward with Detroit.
Niklas Kronwall
The veteran defender has a 10 team approval list on his modified NTC. The heavy hitter brings a physical presence to the backend. Making 4.75 million for one more season, he posses a reasonable cap hit. However, at age 36 the “Kronwall-er” has seen his best days behind him. A Jets team stacked on the right side including Dustin Byfuglien really has no need to look any further than what they already have.
Trevor Daley
Last summers offseason acquisition has not performed to expectations. At 3.17 million for the next 2 years and having only 6 points with a -10 in +/-, I doubt many teams will be inquiring about the 34-year-old, nor will the Winnipeg Jets.
Petr Mrazek
Mrazek is available. Two years ago Petr took the starter job away from longtime starter Jimmy Howard. This year Howard has made a resurgence and Mrazek has struggled. With his 4 million dollar price tag this year and RFA status this summer he looks to be the cheaper option over Mason in the long-term. An arbitrator is not going to award Mrazek anything close to the same 4 million a year on his next contract.
His 3-4-1 record this season with a .892 Sv% and a 3.64 GAA are not good. However, Petr has given up more than 3 goals only 3 times in 11 starts this year, one of those being an overtime loss(4 GA). That’s only two five-goal games in 11 starts. Given how badly Detroit has played this year, those numbers are not bad. The Jets would get a 25-year-old competent backup with good experience who has sparkling playoff stats(.931 Sv% & 1.88GAA). With how well Winnipeg is playing in front of Hellebuyck it’s a safe bet to see Mrazek thriving in a Winnipeg Jets uniform.
Getting Detroit to take Steve Mason back in a trade is going to cost Winnipeg a high pick or pick/prospect package. Mason is twice the cost of Mrazek without the RFA status. There is also enough talent in the Red Wings farm system to cover Mrazek’s loss, so adding Mason will not benefit them. A trade would most likely be a 2nd rounder or good prospect. It would be a calculated risk for Cheveldayoff and worth pursuing a playoff proven backup that can take some of the heat off the overworked Hellebuyck.
Jimmy Howard
Acquiring Howard would be a home run acquisition. A solid vet with a proven reputation, Jimmy is sporting a decent .915 Sv% and a 2.66 GAA on a not-very-good Detroit team. This would immediately give the Jets arguably the best netminder tandem in the NHL and take some of the weight off of Hellebuyck. Howard is Detroit’s #1 right now and he provides the solid veteran backbone that allows the team to work in their goaltending prospects as they come up. Making $5.29 million for one more year does not put him on the books for long and is only 1 million more than the Jet’s Mason. This is expensive for a backup, especially when your star netminder in Hellebuyck is an RFA this summer.
Howard would also provide the Winnipeg Jets with an insurance policy if Connor gets an injury at any point. Jimmy is also a great mentor for Hellebuyck and could really help solidify the young netminder’s career going forward. Having a playoff veteran netminder to talk to when the pressure is on could be key in the postseason.
Next: Winnipeg Jets should pursue Anthony Duclair
Howard’s Cost
The cost to get Howard from Detroit, however, would not be cheap. Jimmy is also the best goaltender out there nearing the trade deadline for any playoff team trying to shore up their netminding for a cup run. So competition for his services is likely to drive his price up. Also, trying to get Detroit to take Mason back will up the cost even more. From the Red Wings perspective, Mason would not be a favorable replacement for Howard. So either you up the trade offer to a 2nd rounder, blue-chip prospect, and an NHL player or you move Mason in another trade. Moving Mason’s contract will cost a high draft pick or prospect. That’s assuming you can even entice another team to take him.
This is a situation where the pieces will have to fall into place to be possible. Ken Holland would have to really like a Jets prospect to even give Kevin Cheveldayoff a starting point to work from. While possible, the price of Howard combined with the cost to move Mason make this deal un-realistic for the Jets. But pulling it off could bring Winnipeg its first Stanley Cup.