Winnipeg Jets Trade Options: Bottom-Dwelling Buffalo Has Plenty to Offer

The Buffalo Sabres are bad. This should not come as a surprise to…well, anyone, really. They’re the Cleveland Browns of the NHL. Buffalo is in last place in the Atlantic at a pathetic 47 points. In 61 contests, they have just 18 regulation wins. The Winnipeg Jets were almost the Buffalo Sabres. Thankfully, they are not. Thankfully, they have them to trade with.

Buffalo’s awful play cannot be understated. They actually have more points than Arizona, which is odd since Arizona seemed to be going for it. They traded the 7th overall pick in last year’s draft for Derek Stepan and Antti Raanta. Regardless, the Sabres are in last in the East. It’s almost like four of the last five seasons. It’s exactly like that. The one time they didn’t finish 8th, they finished 7th. Brutal.

There should be one player off limits for Buffalo: Jack Eichel. Eichel is currently injured, and he’s missed time the past two seasons with injury issues. He’s a generational talent, and only 21. Unless you get a Herschel Walker deal, keep him. Build around him…again. Everyone else can go. This is good news for any team trying to improve before the deadline, since there’s some useful complementary pieces here.

Rasmus Ristolainen should be chief among the targets if the Winnipeg Jets call up. A defenseman who plays massive minutes and scores at roughly a .5 ppg pace is worth acquiring, even if the underlying numbers suggest he might not be that good. He’s an elite powerplay guy, and that would make the Jets man-advantage one of the best in recent memory.

Another thing to note: The Winnipeg Jets once acquired an underperforming blueliner from the Sabres, and that’s worked out pretty darn well. Tyler Myers has really turned his career around. Some players just need a change of scenery. Buffalo is a pretty darn good place to want to change from.  They clearly have some sort of culture/development issue deep inside the organization.

Ristolainen accomplishes the idea to shore up every defense pairing and adds another player to Winnipeg with a very difficult name to spell. Thanks Connor Hellebuyck and Dustin Byfuglien. There are no shortage of options to add a little help, however.

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I suppose the Jets could also look to acqurie Marco Scandella, but it’s uncertain whether the juice would be worth the squeeze, in this event. He’s not a massive improvement. I suppose it’s about time we address Evander Kane. Evander Kane should not find himself back in Winnipeg, but it’s not the worst idea. He would add scoring punch. He might add a lot of other things that wouldn’t be appreciated.

Evander Kane should be moved, but it shouldn’t be to Winnipeg. That’s pretty much all that needs to be said about that. The Sabres haven’t had a useful goalie since Ryan Miller, and the Jets may not need one anyway. That’s out too.

Ryan O’Reilly is really good, too, but as a center that shouldn’t be a bottom six guy, I don’t see where he fits on the roster. If they’re willing to move Sam Reinhardt, however, there’s a different feel. He’s still making under seven figures and could be worth picking up and hoping he continues to improve. He’s much younger than O’Reilly, too, but I doubt this is a pickup the Jets will make.

Other than Ristolainen, we’re looking at upgrading around the margins. You know I’m all about those marginal upgrades, kids. Zegmus Girgensons adds a little upside at the bottom of the center depth chart, and he’s not making prohibitive money. With Buffalo motivated to move, teams have options.

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I love the idea of Benoit Pouliot as a fourth liner, but he’s not Brian Boyle and he’s not particularly impressive in any way. Solid if unspectacular. If the Jets want to add some salary and some heat, Kyle Okposo is an option. Consider him the backup to Kane, but with a much heavier salary commitment. Also not as good of a scorer, but a better passer. Signed for $6 million, he’s hilariously overpaid and underperforming. Not a great add for a team betting on him returning to the form he had with the Islanders. But hey, maybe they really want to take a chance.