Winnipeg Jets
2017-18 Results: 52-20-10 (2nd in Central, 114 Points)
Lost/FA: C Shawn Matthias, C Paul Stastny, F Joel Armia, C Matt Hendricks, G Steve Mason, D Toby Enstrom
Added: G Laurent Brossoit
Oh, boy. Winnipeg is currently a mind-boggling $27 million under the salary cap after a plethora of offseason moves/inaction; however, when looking at Winnipeg’s cap situation, one must take into account the future. Patrick Laine, Kyle Connor, Blake Wheeler, and Tyler Myers will all be free agents after the 2018-19 season (Laine and Connor will be RFA), so the Jets are opening up space to sign those guys to big deals. With that comes losing critical pieces to a squad that made it to the Western Conference Finals in 2018.
Shawn Matthias spent the last two seasons with Winnipeg after bouncing around for much of his career. A career minus-18 player, he spent much of this past year watching Jets games from the rafters as a healthy scratch, unable to crack Winnipeg’s lineup. Even when playing, Matthias underwhelmed, recording three points in 27 games.
Jets White Out
Paul Stastny was a mammoth trade deadline acquisition from St. Louis, recording 13 points (4G, 9A) in 19 games with Winnipeg. He was dominant in the playoffs, adding another 15 points (6G, 9A). Stastny was a rental, never intending to be re-signed by the Jets. He inked a three-year, $19.5 million deal with the Vegas Golden Knights on July 1.
Joel Armia and Steve Mason were traded on June 30 to the Montreal Canadians for prospect Simon Bourque. Armia was a substantial presence in Winnipeg, piling up 29 points (12G, 17A) in 79 games. Mason never got much of a chance to play while backing up Connor Hellebuyck, appearing in just 13 games last season.
After trading Mason, the Jets signed backup goaltender Laurent Brossoit to a one-year, $650,000 deal. At 25-years old, Brossoit has only played in 28 games in four seasons with the Edmonton Oilers, so he’s still somewhat of an unknown quantity. Hellebuyck appeared in 67 games for Winnipeg in 2017-18, and there’s no reason to assume that quantity changes. The Jets will hope that Brossoit can plug the gaps when Hellebuyck needs a night off, but if he gets injured, Winnipeg could find itself in a heap of goaltending trouble.
Matt Hendricks is a role player. While these types of players are valuable, they’re a dime-a-dozen. Hendricks appeared in 60 games, had 13 points, and a minus-1 rating in 2017-18. The oft-injured forward signed a one-year, $700,000 deal with the Minnesota Wild this offseason.
Toby Enstrom has spent his entire 11-year career with Atlanta/Winnipeg. During that time, he’s been a valuable asset, totaling 308 points (54G, 254A). Enstrom announced on June 10 that he would not be returning to Winnipeg this offseason. He is currently a free agent.
Winnipeg has a deep roster, so they should be able to overcome these losses. They were already one of the best teams in the West without Stastny, but it remains to be seen who will fill the roles opened by the departure of Armia and Hendricks.