NHL Trade Rumors: The Winnipeg Jets and the New York Rangers

With the dog days of the offseason ahead of us and the NHL Draft behind us, we look forward. Toward the preseason and any possible offseason trades or free agent signings. You know as well as I that the Winnipeg Jets would like to improve. But that’s easier said than done.

The Winnipeg Jets have a little bit of money to play with, yes, but also a lot of talented players on their roster that are currently underpaid. That will not be the case for long. You certainly don’t want to earmark too much of that money for current upgrades.

That being said, if John Tavares comes up to the Jets and says he’d like to be a part of their organization, you throw caution to the wind. You have to strike that right balance of present aggressiveness and future success.

So, that being said, I have a couple of minor trade ideas that might help the team in the short term, without mortgaging the future assets (maybe, I’m not sure).

The other day I saw an article discussing the fact that Jeff Gorton of the New York Rangers was likely to trade one of his top centers, Kevin Hayes or Mika Zibanejad. A little bit before that, I had discussed two possible targets from the Carolina Hurricanes, both capable of playing the pivot.

Mika Zibanejad has a bit more of a reputation, but as Larry Brooks pointed out in the article, they’ve had remarkably similar production. It’s not unfair for Hayes to want big money. But should the Jets give it to him?

The acquiring costs for either of these centers should be palatable, but not optimal. The Rangers value them very highly, and they’re both former first rounders. Zibanejad signed right away, and was a top ten pick with lots of talent.

Hayes, 26, was a late first rounder and went to college for four years before signing with the Rangers (He was chosen by the Blackhawks). Zibanejad is a better skater with a bigger shot, and Kevin Hayes is more methodical.

That patience that Hayes shows, coupled with his somewhat reluctance to shoot, makes him seem like a center. Maybe the Rangers pushed the pass-first mentality onto him. But this past season, he thought he’d showcase his ability. He went ahead and blasted 25 goals, and added 19 assists.

Basically the inverse of who he had been up until this point. So he can do both. Zibanejad also threw down with a career high 27 goals, but only had 20 assists. Keep in mind, these two were basically the Rangers only options later in the season.

Mats Zuccarello was good, but Chris Kreider missed a lot of time (boy if the Jets could talk Gorton out of Kreider..or Zucc) and the other youngsters disappointed.

I wouldn’t hold the fact that neither of the two has reached 50 points in their career. They have both shown promise with passing and shooting. One has disappointed as a top center (Zibanejad) and the other has shown he warrants more responsibility. I think the Winnipeg Jets would be better with either one.

It’s up for Gorton (and Cheveldayoff) to decide which. If I had my druthers, I would take Hayes. You can slot him into his current third-line status, and have him play the second line a bit while pushing Bryan Little down. Also, Zibanejad has dealt with more injuries (broken leg, concussion) than Hayes has.

Kevin Hayes would be a nice change of pace player for a team that’s all furious speed and vicious slapshots. I think he would slot nicely in between Laine and Ehlers (although let’s face it, most centers would).

His impending free agency and the Rangers seeming unwillingness to trust him (or pay him!) might make this an easier trade than it would seem. But hey, having more speed and shooting playing up in the top six wouldn’t be bad either, with Zibanejad.

Next: Winnipeg Jets Draft Summary

Plus you know my affinity for having players with difficult names to spell on the Jets. Kevin Hayes would take it too easy on me. But he might be the right play for Winnipeg.

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