The Winnipeg Jets keep cleaning up their restricted free agents. Good for them. If you’re not gaining talent, might as well keep what you have.
The Winnipeg Jets inked Nic Petan to a one year deal worth $874,125 when he’s with the big club. It is, indeed, a two way contract. Nic Petan was a good prospect. Nic Petan still kinda is.
Look, he did some good things with the Manitoba Moose last season. Petan was a point per game player, with 15 goals and 37 assists in 52 games. That’s the second best scoring rate among players with more than thirty games down there.
The first place? Jack Roslovic, with 35 in 32 games. So, you know Petan can play in the minors. He’s a really useful offensive prospect. Could he succeed in the NHL right now? Probably.
Petan might be more Anthony Duclair than Martin St. Louis, but hey, Duclair’s still in the NHL. There’s no shame in Anthony Duclairing. But there’s a problem with not being a premium player on the Winnipeg Jets.
They don’t have any room for you. Petan got just 15 games with the Jets last year, and scored two goals. Zero assists. Less than nine minutes of ice time per contest. Petan was in 54 games the previous year. That’s an unfortunate trend.
But it’s not so much because Petan has stagnated. He’s just been passed by. Kyle Connor, Jack Roslovic and even Patrik Laine are just…better. There’s no room at the inn for Petan.
So what’s he going to do?
Well, Petan could just sit there and hope for the best. The Jets lost a few pieces from last year, but remain pretty deep at the forward position. In my predictions post, Roslovic didn’t even make the lineup. And he’s a better player.
I mean, I didn’t even bring up Petan’s name. His time with the Jets has just passed him by. And teams know, he’s undersized. His speed and scoring ability can only make up for so much.
His defense leaves a bit to be desired, mostly due to, you know, only being 5’9. But hey, you can still play. The Jets can’t use him on their roster, but he can be used.
Having a premium prospect status at one point, being a second round pick. And oh, putting up a point per game in the minors is a sign you could be of some value. Remember, Petan is just 23. So, move him.
Yes, his trade value isn’t at its peak. But it’s not going up anymore. Teams know you have no use for him, so his value is down a bit that way. But he has value.
I want to see Nic Petan get traded. You just know he’s not getting a shot here, but somewhere else? He might do pretty well, and I’d be happy to see it. #PetanForStepan. Just add the S. And a first rounder, and maybe some other stuff.