The Winnipeg Jets were the talk of the summer. Winnipeg was one of those teams everyone in the hockey world had their eyes on. We all knew the current players on the roster did not want to go through a rebuild. And with the dysfunction inside the locker room between the coach and the players, changes were coming.
Winnipeg began the off-season by trading Pierre-Luc Dubois to the Los Angeles Kings. General manager Kevin Cheveldayoff got a nice return considering he was looking for players to reload with and not rebuild. Then Blake Wheeler was bought out.
Winnipeg Jets Players Do Not Want A Rebuild
The focus then shifted to goaltender Connor Hellebuyck and center Mark Scheifele. Hellebuyck has made it clear he does not want to sign an extension in Winnipeg. However, trade partners are limited considering teams do not want to meet his $9 million salary demands.
And what about Scheifele? He wants to follow in the footsteps of his idle Steve Yzerman and play his entire career with Winnipeg. Is that a realistic possibility? Maybe.
Sportsnet’s Sean Reynolds joined the Rod Pedersen Show to discuss this very topic.
** NHLRumors.com transcription
Pedersen: “Sean how long before the Winnipeg Jets get going? Shouldn’t be too long now.”
Reynolds: “I am a big believer and there are a lot of people that suggest going forward the Winnipeg Jets will hold on to Connor Hellebuyck and Mark Scheifele and carry them into the season and trade them at the deadline next year. I mean it is a possibility. I don’t see it happening.
The Jets have already come out and said no doubt they are trying to reload. They are not rebuilding. What we saw from them in their trade of Pierre-Luc Dubois shows exactly that.
Everyone I have talked to essentially says the same thing within the organization and what I think that means is I think the clock is ticking on moving those two players.
NHL Rumors: Will the Winnipeg Jets Make Any More Moves Before the Start of Training Camp?
Why? Well if you at what kind of return you can get during the season which is very hard because trades don’t happen very often during the season, especially at the trade deadline, which would be the next stop, for when you trade these players.
Let’s say you are the Tampa Bay Lightning and are looking to load up to try to win another cup and you say we are going to take a look at Mark Scheifele and we are going to bring him here. Well, what are you sending back to the Jets? You are not sending reloading players. You are sending futures and adding Mark Scheifele to your team to get better. You are not trying to break even and send Steven Stamkos to the Jets for Mark Scheifele. You are sending futures.
So if the Jets are truly intent on retooling I think the window on that is closing because it is so much harder to do that during the season and especially at the trade deadline.”