Keys to the offseason for the Winnipeg Jets
Ryan S. Clarke and Kristen Shilton of ESPN: The Winnipeg Jets lost to the Vegas Golden Knights in the first round in five games. Injuries took their toll with Josh Morrissey, Nikolaj Ehlers, Mark Scheifele and Cole Perfetti all missing varying numbers of games.
Do the Jets bring back most players and try to fill the holes to make another run or do they take a more long-term approach?
What will happen with pending RFA forward Pierre-Luc Dubois? Will they be able to sign him to a long-term extension? They’ll also need to make decisions on RFA defensemen Dylan Samberg and Logan Stanley.
Trade deadline acquisition Vladislav Namestnikov is a pending UFA and played well. The Jets might be interested in re-signing him.
Goaltender Connor Hellebuyck, and forwards Schefeile and Blake Wheeler are entering the final year of their contracts.
Mike McIntryre: With Dubois, Scheifele and Hellebuyck entering the final year of their contracts and a year away from being a UFA, if they can’t sign them to long-term extensions, they can’t lose them for nothing as free agents, so they have to consider trading them this offseason.
Bowness not happy after loss
Shawn P. Roarke of NHL.com: Winnipeg Jets coach Rick Bowness after last night’s loss was “disappointed and disgusted right now.”
And he kept going with his displeasure.
“No pushback,” Bowness said. “It’s the same we saw in February. As soon as we were challenging for first place (in the Central Division) and teams were coming after us, we had no pushback.
“This series, we had no pushback. Their better players were so much better than ours, it wasn’t even close.”
Free Agents this year and next
Puck Pedia: 2022-23 UFAs: Vladislav Namestnikov, Karson Kuhlman, Sam Gagner, Saku Maenalanen, David Rittich, and Ashton Sautner.
2022-23 RFAs: Pierre-Luc Dubois, Morgan Barron, Kevin Stenlund, Axel Jonsson-Fjallby, Dylan Samberg, Logan Stanley, Arvid Holm, Decland Chisholm, Alex Limoges, Evan Cormier, Mikhail Berdin, and Leon Gawanke.
2023-24 UFAs: Blake Wheeler, Mark Scheifele, Pierre-Luc Dubois, Nino Niederreiter, Kevin Stenlund, Brenden Dillon, Dylan Demelo, Connor Hellebuyck, Jansen Harkins, Jeff Malott, Pavel Kraskovsky, and Austin Wong.
2023-24 RFA: Cole Perfetti, David Gustafsson, Kyle Capobianco, Ville Heinola, Oskari Salminen, Simon Lundmark, Wyatt Bongiovanni, and Kristian Reichel.