The Winnipeg Jets were back in the headlines again yesterday evening as they made their second trade in as many days to acquire another veteran defenseman.
On Monday night, the Jets traded two draft picks to the Washington Capitals in exchange for shutdown defenseman, Brenden Dillon. You can read our recap of that trade by clicking the link here.
Last night, Kevin Cheveldayoff and the Jets front office decided to pull the trigger on another trade to help bolster their defense, which many considered was Winnipeg’s biggest weak spot during the most recent season.
The Winnipeg Jets acquired Nate Schmidt from the Vancouver Canucks
All the Jets sent to Vancouver in exchange for the thirty-year-old defenseman, was a third-round draft pick in the 2022 NHL Entry Draft. You can see the trade in the graphic below:
Schmidt arrives in Winnipeg with four years remaining on his six-year deal that he signed with the Vegas Golden Knights back in October of 2018. His contract has an average annual value of $5,950,000 and he has a no-trade clause.
The St. Cloud, Minnesota native is now the seventh left-handed shooting defenseman on the Jets’ current roster with the only right-handed defensemen being Neal Pionk and Dylan DeMelo. But Schmidt has played both sides of the point throughout his career and can be a candidate to move and play on the right side on an all-lefty defensive pairing.
Schmidt appeared in 54 regular season games for the Cancuks during the 2021 season. He scored five goals, had ten assists, and finished with a minus-seven plus/minus. That was the first time since the 2016-2017 season that Schmidt finished a season with less than thirty points and the first time since the 2014-2015 season that he finished with a minus plus/minus.
Schmidt is more an offensive defenseman who is known for his great skating and passing abilities. He is extremely smart in the defensive zone in limiting high-scoring opportunities for opposition forwards.
Expect there to be much more news around the hockey world today as free agency starts at 11:00 a.m. central time. There are many high-profile players that are set to become free agents and they will be able to negotiate with every franchise once the free agency period starts. Check back to our site for all your need-to-know Winnipeg Jets news!
Winnipeg Jets Fans: What are your initial reactions to the Nate Schmidt trade- Are you happy with what the Winnipeg Jets did or would you have traded for someone else? Leave your comments below!
*All Stats Provided by the NHL*