The hockey world was a little bit shocked when the Winnipeg Jets acquired Paul Stastny. Nobody thought the Blues would wave the white flag and surrender their season.
Paul Stastny has only been here for a very short amount of time and he’s already making a difference. He’s getting standing ovations, as well as putting points up and creating scoring chances.
Stastny already has two goals and six assists for eight points in seven games. He’s already at over a point per game. Ever since he came, Patrik Laine has been even more unstoppable and I don’t think it’s a fluke. Stastny has been benefiting the team.
He’s also unbelievable at faceoffs, which can really help a team get an extra little boost right off the bat.
Has he been worth the price?
It hasn’t actually been that long that we’ve had him and he’s proving to be worth the picks and prospect. I think his value will also depend on how deep of a run we have. If we get knocked out, no matter how good he plays, it really didn’t pay off.
Obviously if we go deep and he plays bad, that’s not much off a payoff either. It needs to be a combination of good play and a deep run.
I think at the moment, Stastny is making himself worth the price we paid to get him. It’s a little early to say he’s already payed off, but he’s showing that he was worth it.
Long Term or Rental?
Paul Stastny actually had to waive a no trade clause to come to the Winnipeg Jets. Now that can mean a few things. First, he could see the Jets as contenders this year and realized the Blues wouldn’t win. Second, he could’ve been hoping he could win this year and in the future.
I think he’s here for the next couple of years. He has never actually won a Stanley Cup, and the Jets could bring him that opportunity, as they are an up and coming team.
Next: Why the Jets won the Stastny trade
One issue with Stastny staying with Winnipeg is that in the next few years we may not be able to afford to pay him a whole lot. We definitely could be facing cap issues. He’ll have to take a discount if he’d like to stay. It’s also a too much of a risk if he eventually slows down. To stay in Winnipeg, he’s either going to accept a cut off his contract this summer or he might be gone.