Winnipeg Jets: 3 Centres We Should Trade For
By Dylan Paré
The Winnipeg Jets sit 3rd in the Central Division. It’s not a bad spot, but it’s not where we want to be. There are three players we could get to help this issue.
William Karlsson, from one team to the next
William Karlsson was one of the best players in the NHL last year. His first season as a Golden Knight was surely a shocker to everybody. This guy had never been a key player, never really someone that you would say “You know what, without him, our team wouldn’t be the same”. That was until he started his next chapter of his career with the Vegas Golden Knights.
After being claimed in the expansion draft, Karlsson helped lead the newly formed team to a Stanley Cup Final appearance in their inaugural season, with 43 goals and 35 assists for 78 points in all 82 games. Now I must say, this is quite the jump from scoring 20-25 points in a season.
Some people said after the season ended that it was almost too good to be true, and that it won’t happen again. He’s already proving them wrong, with 16 points in 21 games on a woeful Golden Knights team this year. I believe he has the potential to put up even better stats, just with the help of a better team with better players.
The Winnipeg Jets have so much potential, we just haven’t got all of our players performing like last season. Adding a highly skilled centreman, like William Karlsson could bring so much for the Jets. Putting a guy like him in between two young, high level wingers (*cough* cough* Laine *cough* Connor) could be the answer our Jets need to get on top of the Central Division
Not only would it be good for Winnipeg, but for Karlsson to keep putting up great numbers. Having a line that has Kyle Connor, Patrik Laine, and William Karlsson? That sounds unstoppable to me. Having him as a second line centre could truly be a gamechanger.
Oh yes, he would cost quite a bit of money when we would attempt to renew his contract this offseason, but the reason this is even more fitting is because we’re trading with Vegas. Vegas isn’t as flexible cap space wise as they once were, but they’re not too tightly pressed either.
If I were to make a proposal, it would look something along the lines of this:
Now, I’m not sure if Vegas would bite. It all depends on whether Golden Knights GM George McPhee is thinking for now or for the future.
I’d like to take some time to explain it a little more thoroughly. The reason the Winnipeg Jets trade Bryan Little is because his production hasn’t been there this season, and it’s slowly beginning to decline. Vegas could take a shot on him because they have the cap room, they’re getting a second/third line centre, and maybe a change of scenery is what he needs to get going again.
Dmitry Kulikov goes as a part of a cap dump, which Vegas is getting Jansen Harkins for. We’d have to likely retain some of Kulikov’s deal to make them bite, which is why I included that.
The picks are just the cost to acquire Karlsson. Obviously he doesn’t just come for free. The 2020 draft pick can either be a first or second round pick, depending on how hard Cheveldayoff works McPhee.
Jansen Harkins isn’t just included because there needs to be a prospect in the deal. Sure, that’s one reason, but Harkins hasn’t found any success in the AHL, with only 13 points in 46 games on the Moose. He was also demoted to the ECHL for a brief stint of six games. This year isn’t much better, with only 4 points in 16 games. The former second rounder just needs a change of scenery, this could be it for him.