Winnipeg Jets: Why Trading Joel Armia Was A Costly Mistake
The Winnipeg Jets have started to feel the tightness of the salary cap, being the reason Steve Mason was dealt to Montreal with Joel Armia in a salary dump. After I looked back on that trade, well, I think it’s fair to say it was a costly mistake.
Last year at the trade deadline we saw Kevin Cheveldayoff get really busy. Cheveldayoff has been our general manager since day one in Winnipeg and has done an outstanding job. He took a bunch of misfit veterans on a team who hadn’t won a playoff game in their entire ten plus years of existence, and basically tore them down to the studs.
Flipping players that were too old or didn’t fit, but taking his time and being patient was the key. We only have a few players from the original 2011 Jets, which really shows you how much he has changed this team, all in good ways. Unlike many other managers that make a deal with no second thought, (*cough* *Peter Chiarelli* *cough*) Kevin Cheveldayoff waits until he has the best possible deal that works for the Winnipeg Jets.
At the deadline, for the first time basically ever, Chevy made a big move. It was time to win, so he stepped up to the plate by acquiring a solid centerman in Paul Stastny. Stastny came over from St. Louis in exchange for a first round pick and prospect Erik Foley. This was one of the first deals he’s ever made which saw us shipping out prospects and picks. Stastny was a good rental, but when it came down to re-signing him we didn’t have the cap space.
We really needed Stastny, and his presence is still truly missed. Chevy had to step up, however this time he needed to make a move that would cost us a player in order to have a chance at signing Stastny.
Joel Armia, the price the Winnipeg Jets paid for something that didn’t even work out…
Winnipeg shipped Steve Mason‘s big contract over to Montreal. (This was only for them to buy it out about a day later). Obviously it came with a cost, fourth and seventh round picks, plus our best fourth liner, Joel Armia.
Armia came over to the Winnipeg Jets in February of 2015 (Wow, it’s been a long time…) as an asset in the trade sending disgruntled Evander Kane to Buffalo. Armia was actually a first round pick in the same draft as Mark Schiefele. He didn’t turn out the way Mark did, but the kid really made a big difference.
Joel Armia was able to score 29 points on our fourth line, alongside Andrew Copp and Matt Hendricks. Copp reeled in 28 points, coming close behind Armia, who had 29 to his name. This helped Winnipeg tremendously. It allowed Paul Maurice to roll the lines, keep everyone fresh, and have no weak links.
Now, look at our fourth line. Neither of Nic Petan and Brendan Lemieux have more than one point. Jack Roslovic can’t do anything, which isn’t his fault whatsoever. He has nobody around him that can make anything happen. Winnipeg has recently been forced to scramble up the bottom six to spread out the talent. They moved Mathieu Perreault down to the fourth line, promoted Copp to the left wing on the third line, and finally gave Mason Appleton his first taste of the NHL.
All of these moves wouldn’t have to happen if Armia was still a Jet. He can make players around him better, an example being Andrew Copp last season. Copp’s totals haven’t transferred over to look like last seasons, giving us yet another example of why we’re missing him.
So reviewing the trade now, what did we really get out of it? We got cap room for a guy that was pickpocketed from us in free agency by Vegas. That’s literally all that we received, along with a no-name, former sixth round pick named Simon Bourque.
Next. Will Patrik Laine score 60+ goals?. dark
Sure, I guess you could say we got some cap room for this year’s deadline, but it definitely was not worth the price of Joel Armia. Chevy, you’ve done a great job, but this is one of those deals you hope to forget.