Just recently I heard the James Neal isn’t untouchable going into the deadline. Neal is a UFA this summer and Vegas is still in the early days, where they should be looking at their future. Patrick Maroon is also a UFA this summer, and make a nice deadline addition. Maroon is 29, on a struggling Oilers team who’ll likely pawn him off at the deadline. I think these guys could make good additions to the Winnipeg Jets.
The Oilers have had a dreadful season. They have all the pieces to win but the pieces aren’t playing to their ability. When you have maybe one or two players carrying your team through the season, you’re bound for failure. Once again, Edmonton will be dealing off assets for younger players and picks.
The Golden Knights have had a season that will go down in history. The first year into their franchise history, and they’re looking like possible candidates for the Presidents Trophy. Whether it’s a fluke or not, the Golden Knights future is a bigger priority than anything. Not that they should pull a New Jersey and deal off the whole team, but it could legitimately make sense to deal off a few guys. Could James Neal be a candidate?
Breaking down the cost of James Neal
Neither of James Neal or Patrick Maroon would come cheap, but Neal would be more the expensive of the two. To get Neal off Vegas’ hands, we’d definitely have to be open to sacrificing a first round pick and also maybe a prospect. For Maroon, the cost may only be a second rounder.
When it comes down to it, is it really worth that for Neal? If we threw in the prospect, there’d definitely be another asset coming our way. Here’s a possible deal I put together:
Winnipeg Jets Receive:
- James Neal
- Reid Duke
- Teemu Pulkkinen
Vegas Golden Knights Receive:
- 2018 1st round pick
- Nic Petan
- Shawn Matthias
I feel this deal would work for multiple reasons. Petan gets a fresh start with Vegas and could maybe see some more playing time. Matthias hasn’t had a very great season, and maybe a fresh start for him would be good too. Vegas has no cap issues whatsoever, so Matthias would just be a depth addition for the end of the season, and not a contract liability. Vegas also gets Winnipeg’s first round pick which is basically swapping for Neal. They’d also be getting Petan who can go right into one of their lower depth lines, and maybe work his way up.
For Winnipeg, there’s some benefits too. We get James Neal who would come in and make an immediate impact. Neal has lots of playoff experience that younger Jets players need. Neal would be a rental, and re-signing him would also be smart.
We get Reid Duke, the first ever Golden Knight, and Teemu Pulkkinen. Duke would have a bit more potential than Petan, but won’t see an NHL shift for a year or two. Pulkkinen would be a good swap for Matthias because he’s younger, an RFA, and has more potential. He wouldn’t be on the Winnipeg Jets right away, and might be a bit of a risk. With a player like him, you can take those risks.
Cost of Patrick Maroon
Patrick Maroon won’t be overly expensive. He’s a solid player who can play on a top line, but will be a UFA come this summer. He’s a perfect rental piece for a team trying to make a long run into the playoffs, just like what Winnipeg is doing. I think depending on how well Cheveldayoff negotiates, we could either get a steal or a fairly even deal. Knowing Peter Chiarelli, it wont be overly hard to negotiate him down to lower picks. I feel like Maroon’s value is around a 2nd round pick, and a 6th or 7th round pick. I feel with Chevy’s patience, we could get Chiarelli and the Oilers down to a 3rd round pick and a 6th round pick which is definitely an improvement.
Next: Are the Jets pursuing Rick Nash, and would it even make sense?
Does it really make sense?
To be honest I don’t think it’d make sense to go after both of these players. I think we could benefit with one, but with both we’re sacrificing too much of our future. I don’t think it makes sense to go all Chicago Blackhawks and dish away our first three rounds of picks. We should make a trade, but staying with the draft and develop program is smarter than losing the whole future.