The Winnipeg Jets are still looking at ways to add, and the latest discussion around the club is all about how to do it without boxing themselves in.
According to the Winnipeg Sun, the challenge is straightforward: Winnipeg wants help at centre, but any move there could end up being nothing more than a short-term patch if neither Viggo Björck nor Brayden Yager is ready to handle the job next season. That’s the tension. The Jets don’t want to spend heavily on a one-year fix and then be right back where they started.
The conversation isn’t limited to the middle of the ice, either. Massi broadened the discussion to include winger possibilities and even help in goal, keeping the door open on several different kinds of trade targets as Winnipeg explores its options.
The club’s offseason chatter has already included plenty of attention on its newest prospects. The team has been speaking with Jets management, prospects and staff throughout draft weekend and Development Camp, and those comments are expected to keep turning into standalone stories over the coming weeks.
There’s also been a deeper look at why Winnipeg is so high on Viggo Björck. That piece included insight from Kevin Cheveldayoff and Mark Hillier on what made the Swedish centre the player the Jets wanted with the 8th overall pick.
And for fans following along with the broader Winnipeg hockey picture, today marks the final Illegal Curve Hockey Show of the season. The show is set for 9 AM CT on YouTube and will run for two hours, with Dan Robertson, the voice of the Jets on TSN, joining to talk about the NHL and AHL clubs of Winnipeg.
In Other News...
Sabres May Finally Have Their Goalie But The Cost Looks Serious
Connor Hellebuycks future in Winnipeg has become one of the more notable summer storylines around the Jets, with EJ Hradek raising the possibility that the veteran goalie may have already played his last game for the club. The idea of moving on from a player of that caliber is never simple, but it has clearly moved beyond idle chatter, especially with Buffalo showing interest and the conversation now centered on what kind of return would make sense for both sides.
There is still no urgency to force a deal in mid-July, and that leaves the situation in a holding pattern as the season gets closer. Winnipeg has to balance its own roster needs against the value of moving a top goalie, while the Sabres continue weighing whether the fit is worth the cost, so this one could linger for a while before anything becomes official. [Read more 🡒]
Should The Jets Really Revisit Patrik Laine Now
Patrik Laine is still the kind of player who makes teams pause and think twice, even after his game has drifted far from the explosive early years that once made him one of the leagues most intriguing young scorers. He has not been the same all-around threat, but the shot is still there, and in the right situation he can still tilt a power play enough to matter.
For Winnipeg, the question is whether that kind of upside is worth another look on a short-term, low-base deal that protects the club while giving Laine a chance to rebuild value. The fit is obvious in one sense because of the history, but the concern is just as clear: he is not a consistent five-on-five, 200-foot answer, so any reunion would have to be framed as a prove-it opportunity rather than a full-time solution. [Read more 🡒]
Nikolaj Ehlers Just Had The Cup Moment Jets Fans Feared And Loved
Nikolaj Ehlers got the kind of championship day Jets fans could only imagine when he brought the Stanley Cup back to his hometown of Aalborg, Denmark. After winning it with Carolina, the former Winnipeg winger turned the trophy into a hometown celebration, driving through the city in a yellow Lamborghini before taking part in a public event that drew thousands of fans.
For Jets supporters, the sight carried a familiar mix of pride and regret. Ehlers spent 10 seasons in Winnipeg before finally reaching the sports biggest summit elsewhere, and the homecoming made clear just how far his career has come since leaving the Jets. He signed autographs, posed for photos and soaked in the moment, even if the path that got him there still leaves Winnipeg wondering what might have been. [Read more 🡒]