Everyone knows that cap space can be a good NHL team’s biggest concern. After all, it was introduced to help ensure parity throughout the league. The Winnipeg Jets are no different.
The Winnipeg Jets need to use their cap space wisely. More than just spending intelligently, they’ll need to shed money when it makes sense to do so.
Smart free agent signings, deft trades and bold moves of all kinds are going to be required if the Jets want to remain as relevant as possible for as long as humanly possible.
Let’s not beat around the bush here, this past season was disappointing. I get it, injuries happen. The team just never played up to what we thought they were capable of, though.
It made you wonder if 2017-2018 was a fluke and the Jets won’t reach those highs again, or if this year was just a blip and a tough go. Sometimes it happens. The Washington Capitals weren’t good in 2013-2014 but around that year they’ve been one of the dominant forces of the NHL.
Maybe a coaching change is needed, maybe not. But one thing we do know, the Jets will be fighting the cap as long as they’re good. Perhaps even after (looking at you, Chicago).
They’ve already started doing so, honestly. The Jets traded Steve Mason to clear space. Well, also because they signed him to be the starter and he lost the job almost immediately and was awful and injured all year.
They also shipped off Joel Armia, thinking one of the youngsters could fill in a bottom six role just as admirably. None of the kids the Jets brought up managed to really seize a spot, though Jack Roslovic stayed in the lineup nearly all year and flashed enough to have some hope for him in the future.
But we know the Jets need to make some cost-saving moves, so we’ll go over a few possibilities.