Winnipeg Jets Trade Options: THE DEVILS!!!
Welcome back to Winnipeg Jets trade deadline preview week! On this installment: THE DEVILS! Now that that’s out of the way, we can discuss any realistic trade possibilities between the two teams. The New Jersey Devils actually started things off, sending a second rounder and a prospect to their cross-river rivals, The Rangers, for their leading scorer Michael Grabner.
The New Jersey Devils sit at 70 points, which puts them fourth in the Metro. Washington, Philly and Pittsburgh are all bunched at the top, but the Devils are still ten points over in the Wild Card race. The Devils are clearly buying, however, with the trade for Grabner. New Jersey isn’t as deep as Washington, but they aren’t facing the same type of expectations.
This move is somewhat surprising, as Grabner is a rental. A young team would theoretically take this success and plan further for the future. Maybe they’re doing a bit of reshaping. It’s clear New Jersey is putting a premium on speed. Grabner is insanely fast. As are Taylor Hall, Nico Hischier, Miles Wood and Jesper Bratt. Those players also represent New Jersey’s top 4 scoring forwards.
Maybe this means the team is willing to move some of their, uh, less ‘fleet-of-skate’ players. They are 11th in scoring but 22nd in goals allowed. If you use that very crude statistic, you would assume they were looking for defensive-minded players. Grabner is an accomplished penalty-killer, so that might help. Scoring 20+ goals doesn’t hurt.
If I had my druthers, I’d like to see one player swap sides from the New Jersey Devils to the Winnipeg Jets: Brian Boyle. An unabashed Brian Boyle fan, he’s the perfect complementary player for any contender. He could help the Jets immensely.
Brian Boyle checks all the boxes of a bottom six center. He wins faceoffs, plays solid defense, kills penalties, and he’s very large. There’s also this inexplicable trait some players have, wherein they always seem to be on overachieving contenders. Boyle is that guy now, he was with Tampa (although that was less overachieving, more outright contending). He was that guy with the Rangers when they made the Finals.
I’m not personally of a mind that the Winnipeg Jets necessarily need to upgrade around the margins, but if you do, get a guy like Boyle. He could fit in and play the wing or the pivot at any bottom 6 spot. Maybe the Jets could use a marginal defensive upgrade. But Ben Lovejoy isn’t really useful, and the young guys don’t really seem like they’re going anywhere. Maybe John Moore is available, and while that would be a worthwhile add, I’m uncertain if either team would do it.
Keith Kinkaid and Eddie Lack are both serviceable as backups, actually. Kinkaid has been bad this season, and, in limited time, Lack has been acceptable. Starter Corey Schneider is currently injured, but should be back in a week or so. If the Jets are worried about their backup situation, a call could be made. It wouldn’t be the first call they would make, but it could be one of them. Concussions are a risky business, and while I’d rather roll with Michael Hutchinson or even (gasp) a healthy Steve Mason, it cannot be counted on right now.
Next: Trade Deadline Week: Caps
Long story short, the Winnipeg Jets won’t likely send any roster players to New Jersey. Maybe New Jersey feels like overpaying for more talent, but the Jets should be going for it. Get Brian Boyle. Otherwise, hang up the phone.