Winnipeg Free Press https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/sports/hockey/jets/jets-only-worry-about-the-next-game-not- trade-rumours-474509663.html

Plenty to ponder ahead of deadline Cheveldayoff has options before trade window closes on Monday

By: Mike McIntyre

A blockbuster move? A depth piece or two? Nothing at all?

Winnipeg Jets general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff says all options are on the table heading into Monday’s NHL trade deadline — and plenty of intrigue surrounds what the local squad might do. The Jets resemble a Stanley Cup contender and have the prime opportunity they’ve been building toward for years.

"I couldn’t tell you with a crystal ball what we’re going to be talking about Monday with respect to additions, or not, with our group," Cheveldayoff said Tuesday in a wide-ranging conversation with the Free Press.

Cheveldayoff made it clear that while he’s willing to move draft picks and prospects to help his team win now, there are a few untouchables. While he wouldn’t identify them by name, one has to think young players such as Kyle Connor, Jack Roslovic and 2017 first-round pick Kristian Vesalainen might be among them.

"We have assets within this organization — whether they’re picks or prospects — and there’s going to be a threshold that will be determined as to whether we will use them or not," Cheveldayoff said. "There’s some assets within our organization that I will not use. If there’s the right fit, and the right deal, then certainly I’d be willing to do that. If the deal requires assets I will not move, then that deal may not happen."

Names are flying around the NHL rumour mill of players the Jets might be interested in — from the likes of offensive stars such as Rick Nash and Mike Hoffman to more complementary pieces such as Patrick Maroon, Mark Letestu, Michael Grabner and Andrew Shaw.

"Everything is heightened and focused and more poignant right now than at any other time," Cheveldayoff said. "The key word is fit. I think you’re always looking for what opportunities are out there. But they do have to fit the structure, the dynamics that we have here and that have gotten us to this point."

Salary is an area the Jets will have to watch closely. They’re projected to spend US$69.4 million of the US$75-million cap this season, which would leave them with about US$5.6 million. However, performance bonuses to young players could eat away approximately US$4.6 million of that based on projections, Cheveldayoff said.

"A million dollars today is maybe worth roughly four million dollars (prorated)," Cheveldayoff said.

So, fitting in someone carrying more than US$4 million per season could be tricky. Winnipeg would have to find a way to shed some salary, either by having a team eat some of it or by moving someone in return.

The Jets could get additional relief if they put a player on long-term injury. Going above the cap due to an excess of performance bonuses is allowed, but would count against next year’s cap.

Cheveldayoff said he also has to balance several other factors, including how a potential move could impact the team both on and off the ice.

For example, veteran forward Mathieu Perreault is already on record saying he doesn’t think moves are necessary, that the Jets already have the pieces in the organization to win, and that his experience in the past is that deadline moves usually don’t pay off.

Winnipeg’s captain offered his own take Tuesday.

"It could make it better, it could make it worse. It’s pretty delicate," Blake Wheeler said. However, he made it clear the team would ultimately welcome any moves that Cheveldayoff decides are worth making.

"You can’t be scared of doing something just because you’re scared it might go the other way because you might make a move that is a home run and takes you to a level you wouldn’t have got to otherwise," Wheeler said. "Ultimately we deal with the guys we have in our room. We like our group. If there’s something out there that makes us a better team, gives us a better chance going forward, obviously as players you welcome (it)."

Cheveldayoff said he does speak with Wheeler and other team leaders to "get a pulse of what’s going on." He would also run various scenarios past head coach Paul Maurice before pulling the trigger on anything.

"You’re always in constant contact with your coach and have lots of discussions about pie in the sky and are there some realistic type of situations that may or may not come to fruition," Cheveldayoff said.

Maurice said Tuesday he doesn’t worry about how a new player might fit into the room, but said fans shouldn’t assume the Jets will be active.

"I don’t think it’s automatic," Maurice said.

"For a team like us that is still quite young, we also want them to play, balancing what you would do, what you would need, when you’re still learning about what some of these young guys can accomplish."

Although the Jets do appear poised for success beyond this season, rather than just being a one-hit wonder, nothing is guaranteed.

Just look at last year’s , who finally had a breakthrough season — only to go right back into the tank again this year.

When asked if the Oilers can serve as a cautionary tale and motivate the organization to do everything possible to win this year, Cheveldayoff said the vision of the franchise hasn’t changed.

"The ultimate plan is to win the Stanley Cup. But you first have to make the playoffs. That’s certainly what we’re focusing on right now. That’s why, much to the chagrin of a lot of people, it’s a workmanlike attitude here right now," he said.

"We’re proud of this group and what they’ve accomplished but they’d be the first — and they have been the first — to tell you let’s just play this (next) game and let everything else fall into place."

IS DEADLINE DEALING EVEN NECESSARY?

THE have continued to win, even with injuries to key players such as Mark Scheifele, Adam Lowry and Jacob Trouba. And internal help appears to be on the way.

Head coach Paul Maurice offered up some promising injury updates Tuesday. Forward is wearing a regular-contact practice jersey and should be cleared to play within a week. Lowry is expected to resume skating later this week and the centre could return to the lineup by early March. Defenceman Trouba will likely be a couple of weeks behind him.

“Lowry is ahead of Trouba. There’s a two-week window starting in March. They may both be back by the middle of March. Maybe the third week for Trouba. Those ones just take a little bit longer. Adam will be fine,” Maurice said.

That’s certainly promising news considering the recent silence surrounding Lowry’s latest injury. The fact he wasn’t even skating led to speculation about how serious it might be. His size and strength up the middle of the ice, anchoring the third line, are valuable assets for a team hoping to go deep into the playoffs in the spring.

Throw in backup goalie Steve Mason getting closer to returning from his second concussion of the season, plus veteran winger Shawn Matthias also getting close to being healthy and things are looking up for a team that is already flying high.

“If you were trying to acquire those pieces on deadline... if I could tell you I could get a top defenceman, a good third-line centre, a good bottom-six forward in Tanev and another good bottom-six forward (Matthias), well, good job,” Jets general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff said Tuesday of being able to add to his current roster without making a phone call. https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/sports/jets-end-epic-home-stand-with-4-3-loss-to-la- 474660113.html

Jets end epic home stand with 4-3 loss to L.A.

By: Jason Bell

The Winnipeg Jets certainly weren’t going to be a perfect 10 but would have gladly accepted a hard seven. Instead, the homebodies settled for six wins during their longest stretch at Bell MTS Place in franchise history.

Winnipeg wrapped up its epic homestand over much of the month of February on a sour note Tuesday night as penalties and glaring defensive-zone troubles led to 4-3 loss to the .

The Jets went 6-3-1 during the stretch that began Jan. 30 with a victory over the Tampa Bay Lighting, earning 13 of a possible 20 points along the way.

Jets captain Blake Wheeler had mixed feelings about the team’s productivity during the three- week stretch.

"We’ve set a pretty high bar for ourselves at home. Would we have liked to go 7-2-1? Absolutely. Coming into it, I think we thought we’d have an opportunity to win. Just didn’t go our way (Tuesday)," said Wheeler. "I think our group is setting the bar high. It was OK. It didn’t kill us. It didn’t necessarily vault us to a spot that we were hoping to get to. There’s a lot of work to be done."

The Jets (35-16-9) slipped to second place in the Central Division, two points back of the Nashville Predators (36-15-9), who narrowly defeated the Detroit Red Wings 3-2 Tuesday.

Winnipeg was knee-deep in the hoopla of the Western Conference playoff chase when the homestand began and there’s been only slight modifications to the landscape now that it’s done.

The team’s last road game was 27 days ago, a 4-3 shootout defeat to the . When they returned home after the all-Star break to face the Lightning, the Jets were 29-13-8, tops in the Central and second in the conference. The Jets were also nine points above the playoff line.

This morning? Winnipeg finds itself eight points ahead of the Ducks, who are just below the line.

Jets centre Mark Scheifele, who rejoined the team for the last six games of the homestand after returning from a suspected shoulder injury, said they stowed away critical points as the club pushes for a lofty spot in the standings.

"We played pretty solid, obviously we wish we could have got the win (against L.A.) but, obviously, we got a good amount of points at home. That’s always a positive."

"When you get that long of a home stretch, you’re hoping you get a lot of wins, get a lot of points there. For us, we did a good job but obviously wish we could have had tonight."

The Jets get a day away from the rink Wednesday, practise at home Thursday and then hit the road for back-to-backs against divisions rivals — the St. Louis Blues on Friday and the Dallas Stars on Saturday.

The rink on the old Eaton’s site has been a giant shop of horrors for visiting clubs since the early stages of the 2017-18 NHL schedule. Winnipeg is 23-6-2 at home.

But Scheifele said the team is fully prepared to hit the road.

"Yeah, when you’re at home for a while you kinda get into a bit of a funk just doing the same thing over and over. It can get a little redundant after a while," he said. "You get on the road, you get to be with just the guys, it’s always good to have that camaraderie on the road."

The Jets faced a team coming off a 3-1 victory Monday night in Chicago that arrived in town in the wee hours of Tuesday morning. And the Kings looked sleepy in the opening period as the hosts jumped out to a 1-0 lead on Wheeler’s 17th with Winnipeg on a two-man advantage.

But things took turn a dramatic turn in the middle period as the Jets got into troubles — Kyle Connor’s trip in the neutral zone was pure laziness, while Nic Petan’s purposeful slash was just plain dumb — and the Kings made them pay with power-play goals by defencemen Alec Martinez and Dion Phaneuf, his third in four games since coming over in a recent trade from Ottawa.

How unhappy was head coach Paul Maurice with the five stick infractions?

"(Dustin Byfuglien’s) first one (tripping) wasn’t a penalty. (I) didn’t care for two or three of them. Really didn’t like Petan’s," said Maurice. "That’s a lesson that doesn’t take too long to learn."

There were easy-to-spot defensive blunders, such as an errant clearing pass by Nikolaj Ehlers that led to Torrey Mitchell’s third-period tally that snapped a 2-2 tie, and Dmitry Kulikov’s decision to vacate the front of the net and chase Tyler Toffoli that led to Dustin Brown’s late to make it 4-2.

"Even having watched it five times, I can’t fully explain that, how we got to that decision," Maurice said of Kulikov’s poor decision. "But mistakes get made."

Winnipeg also got goals from Byfuglien, with his fourth, and Patrik Laine, with his 28th with just 49 seconds left.

Kings goaltender Darcy Kuemper finished the night with 30 saves, while Connor Hellebuyck, making his ninth straight start, made 28 saves

Hellebuyck said he wasn’t particularly enthralled with his performance, although he looked to be screened on goals by Martinez and Phaneuf.

"I still feel like I have more to give. If I had to redo it, I think I would do things differently. But you can’t be A-plus every single night, 82 times," he said. "The wear and tear on your body is going to get you one of these games. I’ve got to use this and I’ve got to learn from this."

He was asked if the strain of 50 starts is starting to affect him.

"It’s a lot of hockey, but I’ve really learned how to manage my body and this is another big stepping stone for that process. Now I know that I like to skate every day and maybe take the morning off. Maybe I learn something about my recovery. I’m going to really go in the gym and make sure I really recover after this one and learn from it."

Maurice said he senses his squad is ready for a change of scenery.

"This is the longest stretch I’ve ever been through. We’ve had a lull, I’ve felt, in it. It’s hard to explain, but it’s good. I’m sure all the wives will be making sure nobody’s late (for the plane)," he said. https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/sports/things-looking-up-on-jets-injury-front-for-tanev-lowry- trouba-474611993.html

Things looking up on Jets' injury front for Tanev, Lowry, Trouba

By: Mike McIntyre

A top-pairing defenceman. A shut-down centre. And a depth winger who can kill penalties and bring energy.

Sounds like the wish list of any general manager looking to make a splash at the trade deadline. But for the Winnipeg Jets, these additions will soon be in the lineup, and GM Kevin Cheveldayoff won't have to pick up the phone.

Coach Paul Maurice offered up some promising injury updates Tuesday as his team prepared to take on the Los Angeles Kings tonight at Bell MTS Place. Forward Brandon Tanev is wearing a regular-contact practice jersey and should be cleared to play within a week. Centre Adam Lowry is expected to resume skating later this week and could return to the lineup by early March. And defenceman Jacob Trouba will likely be a couple of weeks behind him.

"Lowry is ahead of Trouba. There's a two-week window starting in March. They may both be back by the middle of March. Maybe the third week for Trouba. Those ones just take a little bit longer. Adam will be fine," said Maurice.

That's certainly promising news considering the recent silence surrounding Lowry's latest injury, plus the fact he wasn't even skating, led to speculation about how serious it might be. His size and strength up the middle of the ice, anchoring the third line, are valuable assets for a team hoping to go deep into the Stanley Cup playoffs in the spring.

Throw in backup goalie Steve Mason getting closer to returning from his second concussion of the season, plus veteran winger Shawn Matthias also close to being healthy, and things are looking promising for a team that is already flying high.

The Jets look to wrap their longest homestand in franchise history on a winning note tonight when they host the Kings.

Winnipeg has gone 6-2-1 through the first nine games at Bell MTS Place. They're facing a team coming off a 3-1 victory Monday night in Chicago that arrived in town in the wee hours of the morning.

The Jets are 35-15-9 and tied with Nashville for top spot in the Central Division. Los Angeles is 32-22-5 and just outside the playoff line, two points behind both the final wildcard spot and third place in the Pacific Division. In other words, they're desperate for points.

"I think we've done a pretty good job. It's not always going to be perfect; going into this stretch with the success we've had at home, we were looking to have some (more) success here," captain Blake Wheeler said Tuesday.

"You have to try and keep pace with the other teams in our division and our conference. Looking back, for the most part, we like what we've been able to do,"

Connor Hellebuyck will make his ninth straight start in net for the Jets, who go with the same lineup that beat Florida 7-2 Sunday night.

Winnipeg Sun http://winnipegsun.com/sports/hockey/nhl/winnipeg-jets/it-has-to-fit-jets-gm-a-buyer-at-the-right- price

"It has to fit": Jets GM a buyer at the right price

By Ken Wiebe

There won’t be any sticker shock for Kevin Cheveldayoff before the NHL trade deadline arrives on Monday at 2 p.m. CT.

The general manager of the Winnipeg Jets fully understands what the sellers are looking for in return, which is probably a big part of the reason Cheveldayoff hasn’t made a pre-emptive strike yet.

The Jets have been actively pursuing a number of different options, but it remains to be seen how aggressive Cheveldayoff will end up being in the coming days.

“Traditionally, prices are always going to be high, but whenever you’re looking at something, you factor those (prices) into the equation,” Cheveldayoff said in a telephone interview on Tuesday afternoon. “You’re always looking to improve your team, but anytime you get close to a deadline, things get more heightened and more focused. It just comes down to fit. It has to fit a purpose. There are always players that are available, but they may not be the right fit for a variety of different reasons. That’s really what it comes down to.”

The Jets are battling the Nashville Predators for the top spot in the Central Division and since they’ve had to overcome a number of significant injuries to key players, the depth in the organization has been tested.

And for the most part, the youth has proven capable of doing the job.

Can that youth continue to perform at a high level under the microscope of the Stanley Cup playoffs?

That’s the great unknown.

“Because we’ve had seven guys on (injured reserve) and how the players have performed in certain roles, you take all of that into consideration,” said Cheveldayoff. “You always say to players that when you get your opportunity, take advantage of it. In a lot of cases, that’s been the case. So you’re looking at the different options available to you and saying, ‘does this make us better?’”

Playoff experience is the one thing the Jets don’t have an abundance of, so deciding how much needs to be added is one of the things Cheveldayoff and the personnel department are sure to be mulling over.

“The guys have earned the opportunity for me to be talking in conversations and seeing what might be out there to acquire some players or do some different things,” said Cheveldayoff. “Any team that is to achieve any level of success, it starts within that room and it starts with the leadership (core). That’s where our strength lies.”

As an organization that relies on the principles of draft and development, the Jets have yet to trade one of its first-round picks.

But with a well-stocked prospect pool, might Cheveldayoff be more open to including a pick that is tracking to be in the 20-to-30 range as part of a deal?

“We’ve got lots of assets at our disposal. Some of them will be non-starters with me and some of them certainly will be in play,” said Cheveldayoff. “That will be for me and the GM on the other side of the phone to discuss.”

Although Cheveldayoff wasn’t about to declare who the untouchables are, it’s a safe bet forwards Kyle Connor, Jack Roslovic and 2017 first-rounder Kristian Vesalainen are on that list.

“It’s hard to quantify if because you have more (prospects) that you’d be willing to give up more,” said Cheveldayoff.

The other thing the Jets have to pay close attention to is the salary cap, as the organization is closer than it’s ever been to being at the ceiling.

Thanks to a plethora of injuries – none of which has fallen into the category of qualifying for long-term injury relief – the Jets have just over $5.6 million in cap room.

However, the Jets are on pace to pay out $4.6 million in performance bonuses – just like last season – so that leaves around $1 million and when that number is prorated, it would allow Cheveldayoff to add a player (or players) that carry an average annual value of roughly $3.6 million.

That number could rise depending on the contract of the player (or players) going the other way, provided they are on the active roster.

The Central Division is considered by many to be the toughest division in the NHL, so winning two rounds to advance to the Western Conference final will be an enormous challenge.

Seeing the top-ranked Chicago Blackhawks bounced in the opening round by the eighth-seeded Predators last spring won’t serve as a deterrent for Cheveldayoff when it comes to deciding how many chips he pushes to the middle of the table.

“Like any trade deadline, it will take on its own life,” said Cheveldayoff. “You can look to history and try to learn from it and try to understand what may or may not have gone on in situations, but you don’t live it. And your own situation is what you are most in tune with. You have to be prepared for what fits your identity and your program.

“But as far as the level of busy-ness, there are going to be players that change hands for various different reasons, but in our own particular situation, there could be something that does happen, there could be depth moves or there could be living and liking our own depth right now.”

Spoken like a poker player who isn’t quite ready to show his hand to the competition. http://winnipegsun.com/sports/hockey/nhl/winnipeg-jets/jets-fall-flat-loss-to-kings-ends- marathon-homestand

Jets fall flat: Loss to Kings ends marathon homestand

By Ken Wiebe

A couple of careless stick penalties, a failed clearing attempt and a clear example of blown coverage in front of the net led to the Winnipeg Jets undoing on Tuesday night.

So instead of closing out a marathon 10-game homestand on a high note, the Jets were left to think about what might have been if they hadn’t been so flat during the second period in what became a 4-3 loss to the Los Angeles Kings.

The Jets wrapped up the lengthy stretch at Bell MTS Place with a record of 6-3-1 and are now 35-16-9 overall, two points behind the Nashville Predators in the chase for top spot in the Central Division.

“We’ve set a pretty high bar for ourselves at home,” said Jets captain Blake Wheeler, who extended his point streak to six games and has racked up three goals and 11 points during that span. “Would we have liked to go 7-2-1? Absolutely. Coming into it, I think we thought we’d have an opportunity to win.

“It was okay. It didn’t kill us. It didn’t necessarily vault us to a spot that we were hoping to get too. There’s a lot of work to be done.”

After a strong opening period by the Jets, this was a classic example of allowing an opponent to hang around.

The Kings had a bit of trouble finding their skating legs in the first period and the Jets took full advantage, getting a goal from captain Blake Wheeler during a five-on-three power play.

Wheeler’s goal extended his personal point streak to six games and he’s racked up three goals, seven assists and 10 points during that span.

Despite outshooting the Kings 16-5 in the first period, backup goalie Darcy Kuemper held the fort and kept it a one-goal game.

After Jets left-winger Kyle Connor was called for tripping in the opening minute of the second period, the Kings pulled even on a long floater through traffic from defenceman Alec Martinez.

Then with Jets forward Nic Petan serving a slashing minor for his retaliation against Andy Andreoff, the Kings pulled ahead on a goal from Dion Phaneuf.

While the Connor minor was an accidental trip in the neutral zone, Petan can’t afford to take that type of undisciplined penalty in a tight game.

“Well, that’s a lesson that doesn’t take too long to learn,” said Jets head coach Paul Maurice.

After killing off 16 consecutive penalties and moving into the top-five while shorthanded, the Jets have allowed a pair of power-play goals in each of the past two games.

“It’s a bit of everything. Obviously that’s not the way we want our penalty kill to be,” said Jets centre Mark Scheifele. “It’s something that needs to get fixed.”

The Jets were soundly outplayed in the second period but were fortunate to tie the game after Dustin Byfuglien’s slapshot went off the stick of Kings captain Anze Kopitar and into the net.

The Kings pulled ahead for good at 6:17 of the third period after Jets forward Nikolaj Ehlers failed to clear the puck out of the zone from the right-wing boards.

A bouncing puck ended up on the stick of Torrey Mitchell and he supplied the go-ahead goal before Dustin Brown added an important insurance marker late in the third period.

On Brown’s goal, Jets defenceman Dmitry Kulikov was in front with the Kings winger, but instead abandoned Brown and chased the player with the puck carrier in the corner, Tyler Toffoli.

Brown, left all alone, stuffed his shot home for what turned out to be the game-winning goal with 4:06 left in the third period.

“I can’t explain the (fourth) one to you. Even having watched it five times,” said Maurice. “I can’t fully explain that, how we got to that decision. But mistakes get made. Probably have somebody in front of the net with them. I’d start there.”

A power-play goal from Patrik Laine with 48.5 seconds to go in regulation made it interesting, but that was as close as the Jets would come.

For Laine, it was his 28th goal of the season and his league-leading 16th with the man advantage.

Jets goalie Connor Hellebuyck started his ninth consecutive game and made his 50th start of the season and finished with 28 saves.

Hellebuyck broke from his recent pattern of skipping the morning skate to try and preserve his energy and he seemed to be second-guessing his decision following the contest – though he fell short of saying fatigue was a factor.

“I’ve liked my games in the past a bit more. I still feel like I have more to give,” said Hellebuyck. “If I had to redo it, I think I would do things differently. But you can’t be A-plus every single night, 82 times. The wear and tear on your body is going to get you one of these games. I’ve got to use this and I’ve got to learn this.”

But what could Hellebuyck have done differently?

“It’s a lot of hockey, but I’ve really learned how to manage my body and this is another big stepping stone for that process,” said Hellebuyck. “Maybe I would have skated (Monday) and took the morning off (Tuesday). Maybe I would have analyzed the game a little bit differently.

“It’s a matter of seconds out there. Sometimes you don’t realize what you’re doing and then it happens and then you realize it. So I think I need to be on top of my game more.” http://winnipegsun.com/sports/hockey/nhl/winnipeg-jets/trade-could-mess-with-jets-chemistry- mostly-quiet-on-the-western-front-copp-peeks-at-twitter-lowry-return-in-sight

Trade could mess with Jets chemistry... Mostly quiet on the Western front... Copp peeks at Twitter... Lowry return in sight

By Paul Friesen

Beware the apple cart of chemistry.

As Jets brass mulls over the idea of acquiring a player or two before next Monday’s trade deadline, there’s the not-so-small matter of team chemistry to consider.

The Jets aren’t just deep in good players, they’ve got a nice supply of team unity.

Upset that at your own risk.

I asked captain Blake Wheeler how delicate that chemistry is, and what a trade could do to it.

“It could make it better,” Wheeler said. “It could make it worse. It’s pretty delicate.”

In talking to Wheeler, it sounds like character is as important as shooting or skating ability, maybe more.

“For the most part we’ve had a pretty consistent type of character guys in our room,” he said. “And it’s what’s made us pretty close in here for a long time, even when we weren’t winning like we are now. That’s an important element.”

Now, this doesn’t mean Wheeler is suggesting GM Kevin Cheveldayoff resist the urge to pull the trigger.

“You can’t be scared of doing something just because you’re scared it might go the other way. Because you might make a move that is a home run, and takes you to a level you wouldn’t have got to, otherwise.”

I asked Wheeler what a “home run” would be.

“You’re asking too much from me, now,” he said.

WAITING FOR A VOLLEY Cheveldayoff on Tuesday told Sun hockey writer Ken Wiebe he feels an obligation to his players to see what’s out there as the deadline approaches.

They’ve worked themselves into a good playoff position, fighting for the division title, after all. That typically means the GM gets into the arms race.

But what if there is no arms race?

“I don’t think it’s automatic,” head coach Paul Maurice said. “For a team like us that is still quite young, we also want them to play… you’re still learning about what some of these young guys can accomplish.”

Other than the Kings, who landed defenceman Dion Phaneuf, Western Conference teams have been quiet.

Normally there are at least a couple of NHL scouts at Jets home games. There wasn’t even one, Tuesday night.

“Those trade deadline shows might be very difficult to grind through,” Maurice said. “There doesn’t seem to have been a whole lot of talk like we’ve seen in the past. There doesn’t seem to be the same kind of urgency. The teams that are out of the playoffs aren’t necessarily unloading their players, either.”

JUST A PEEK Andrew Copp says how a trade might affect his role does occasionally cross his mind, but you can’t spend too much time thinking about it.

Copp definitely noticed the names connected to the Jets on social media, Monday.

“Letestu, Maroon, Nash, Hoffman, Hartman — the only reason I thought about it for more than five seconds is because I played with Hartsy before,” Copp said. “USA (development program) and played against him all growing up.”

That would be Chicago forward Ryan Hartman, who had 19 goals as a rookie a year ago but has tailed off to eight so far this season.

Copp addressed the issue of team chemistry, too.

“I guess you never really know until it happens, and how each new person assimilates himself into the room,” he said. “We’re really comfortable with the group we have, in terms of personalities and the way we attack every day.

“With that being said, though, Hendy (Matt Hendricks) is a huge part of that chemistry, and he’s new this year, too.”

Nik Ehlers acknowledged messing with this team might be dangerous.

“We feel good. We’re in a good spot right now,” Ehlers said. “We’re a tight group. Of course it’s not up to us what’s going to happen.”

WHAT DEADLINE? Some might not pay any attention, but for the most part I think players are pretty keen on watching what happens at this time of year.

Before he made the NHL, though, Patrik Laine was oblivious to it.

“Just the past couple of years I’ve known there is a trade deadline,” Laine said. “I didn’t know it was a thing before that.”

HELP ON THE WAY If the Jets do nothing, they’ll still get some reinforcements from sick bay shortly.

Maurice says Brandon Tanev should be back in about a week.

More importantly, centre Adam Lowry is looking good for early March, with Jacob Trouba likely returning to the blue line a couple weeks after that.

Those are decent acquisitions for the playoffs.

FAST LEARNER Rookie Kyle Connor, third on the team with 21 goals, is a great example of a young player quickly getting what it takes to play in the NHL, and adjusting his game accordingly.

“He’s learning how to get on the puck a little more,” Wheeler said. “That was probably the biggest thing he had to work on, why he didn’t make our team out of training camp. Wanted to be on the periphery a bit too much. He’s got to use his feet to be effective, and he’s learned that.

“These last handful of games he’s been all over the puck.”

QUOTABLE “I haven’t packed a suitcase, if that’s what you’re asking.” — Wheeler’s response, when asked how much he thinks about the trade deadline.

Canadian Press https://www.chrisd.ca/2018/02/20/dion-phaneuf-scores-third-goal-four-games-kings-4-3-win- jets/#.Wo3q4YPwZhE

Dion Phaneuf Scores Third Goal in Four Games with Kings in 4-3 Win Over Jets

By Judy Owen, The Canadian Press

WINNIPEG – John Stevens is getting more evidence that Dion Phaneuf is fitting in nicely with the Los Angeles Kings.

Phaneuf scored on the power play on Tuesday for his third goal in four games since being traded to the Kings from Ottawa last week, helping Los Angeles beat the Winnipeg Jets 4-3.

Alec Martinez also scored with the man advantage and Dustin Brown’s goal late in the third stood as the winner. Torrey Mitchell had the other goal while Darcy Kuemper made 30 saves.

“Why are we calling them (Martinez and Phaneuf) the second unit?” quipped Stevens. “They were the first unit tonight.

“I thought they were terrific. They had a game plan. They moved the puck quickly and they came up with a lot of loose pucks. Dion’s been a good fit there. He wants to shoot the puck all the time.”

Anze Kopitar picked up an assist on Brown’s goal, giving him his 800th NHL career point in his 900th game.

Los Angeles was 2 for 5 on the power play.

The Jets also went 2 for 5 with the man advantage, but saw their three-game winning streak end in the final game of a season-long 10-game homestand (6-3-1).

Patrik Laine’s 27th goal was scored on the power play — his league-leading 16th — with 49 seconds left to squeeze the gap for Winnipeg (35-16-9). Blake Wheeler, also on the power play, and Dustin Byfuglien had the others and Laine added one assist.

“Penalty kill is kinda leaking oil right now,” said Wheeler, whose Jets have given up four power- play goals in the past two games.

“Just kind of wrong penalties at the wrong time. They capitalized, stole some momentum. Still 2- 2 going into the third at home, I don’t think we hate that spot. Just weren’t able to get one early enough to go in the third.”

Wheeler also added an assist to take his point streak to six games with three goals and eight assists. He has 14 points in his last 10 games.

The Kings capped off a seven-game road trip going 4-3, boosting their record to 33-22-5 and putting themselves in third place in the NHL Pacific Division behind Vegas and San Jose with 71 points.

“We knew we had a chance to get into the playoff picture here tonight so we were pretty determined to do that and we just did a great job,” said Kuemper, who won his fifth straight start.

It was the third straight win for the Kings, who were coming off a 3-1 victory over Chicago the night before.

Connor Hellebuyck made 28 saves for the Jets.

“They had some really good screeners in front of me,” said Hellebuyck, who was making his ninth straight start. “I found myself up high a lot.

“Give them credit, they’re a good team. They’ve won a couple of Stanley Cups for that reason, they know how to screen a goaltender. It makes a world of difference.”

Byfuglien’s fourth goal of the season tied it 2-2 with 65 seconds left in the middle frame.

Los Angeles took a 3-2 lead when Mitchell scored his second goal in as many games by picking up a bouncing puck in front of Winnipeg’s crease and finding some open net at 6:17.

Kopitar’s assist on Brown’s goal at 15:54 of the third gives him 19 points in his last 16 games, including seven goals and 12 assists.

Winnipeg starts a two-game road trip Friday in St. Louis. The Kings host Dallas Thursday.

Global Winnipeg https://globalnews.ca/news/4037379/winnipeg-jets-conclude-homestand-with-loss-to-los- angeles-kings/

Winnipeg Jets conclude homestand with loss to Los Angeles Kings

By Russ Hobson Sports Anchor/Reporter

WINNIPEG – It was a strong start and a solid finish for the Winnipeg Jets, the problem was in between.

The Los Angeles Kings ended the Jets’ three game win streak with a 4-3 victory on Tuesday at Bell MTS Place.

The Jets dominated the first period as they outshot the Kings 16-5, but the momentum shifted in the second as the Kings turned the tables with a two goal middle period and then added two more in the final frame.

“They picked up their speed a little bit,” Jets captain Blake Wheeler said. “Some untimely penalties, penalty kill is kind of leaking oil right now so, just kinda wrong penalties at the wrong time. They capitalized, stole the momentum.”

The Jets managed only five shots on goal in the second period after a strong showing in the first.

“We were getting pucks deep, we were getting pucks behind their D (defence) and making them turn and grinding that way.” Mark Scheifele said. “After that we kind of got away from that. We tried to make plays in the neutral zone and that obviously cost us.”

Wheeler, Dustin Byfuglien and Patrik Laine scored goals for the Jets while the Kings had markers from Alec Martinez, Dion Phaneuf, Torrey Mitchell and Dustin Brown.

“All of this gets wrapped in to when we skate we’re a good team, when we don’t skate we’re not, but that would be true of any team in the National League.” head coach Paul Maurice said. “We skated really well in the first period, but we didn’t skate particularly well after that.”

Both teams surrendered a pair of powerplay goals as the Kings and Jets both finished the night 2-for-5 with the man advantage.

“I’m not going to beat them up in front of you tonight.” Maurice said.

“We’ll deal with that game before St. Louis’ game but we’ve played pretty well. I don’t think that’s the way our team is going to play.”

Connor Hellebuyck stopped 28 of the 32 shots he faced as the Jets ended up outshooting L.A. 33 to 32.

The Kings took two early penalties to give the Jets a 5-on-3 powerplay and the Jets struck early into the man advantage. Wheeler stepped into the circle and fired a wrist shot into the top corner to give the Jets the early upper hand. Byfuglien and Laine had the assists on Wheeler’s 17th goal of the season.

The Jets controlled the bulk of the play in the opening period as they outshot the Kings 16-5 but had just the one goal to show for it.

The Kings scored the equalizer on a powerplay of their own less than two minutes into period number two. With Tanner Pearson parked in front of Hellebuyck providing the screen, Martinez scored on the point shot through the crowd for his sixth of the campaign. Pearson and Adrian Kempe drew the assists and the game was tied.

The Kings took their first lead with 2:55 remaining in the middle stanza. Phaneuf hammered the one timer past Hellebuyck. The assists on Phaneuf’s sixth goal of the season went to Martinez and Michael Amadio.

The Jets answered right back though. Byfuglien’s slap shot ricocheted off Anze Kopitar’s stick and in behind Darcy Kuemper. It was just his fourth goal of the season as Tyler Myers and Jack Roslovic picked up the assists.

It was 2-2 through two periods despite a dominating period by Los Angeles. They outshot the Jets 16-5 in the period.

Midway through the third period the Kings retook the lead. The loose puck bounced right to Mitchell and he slid the puck under Hellebuyck for the go ahead goal. His fifth goal of the season was assisted by Kempe and Jake Muzzin.

With 4:06 left in the third the Kings added an insurance marker. From behind the net, Tyler Toffoli spotted Brown in front and he sent it past Hellebuyck for his 17th to make it a 4-2 lead.

With only 49 seconds left to play, Laine scored on his patented slapper to make it a one goal game. Wheeler and Bryan Little picked up the assists but the Jets just ran out of time.

Marko Dano and Tucker Poolman were both healthy scratches. Jacob Trouba, Adam Lowry, Shawn Matthias, Brandon Tanev, Steve Mason and Michael Hutchinson all missed the game with injuries.

That concludes the Jets 10 game homestand as they now hit the road for a pair of games starting with the St. Louis Blues on Thursday.

NHL.com https://www.nhl.com/news/winnipeg-gm-kevin-cheveldayoff-proactive-ahead-of-nhl-trade- deadline/c-296193120

Jets GM proactive ahead of Trade Deadline Cheveldayoff making 'a lot of outgoing calls' looking to find right fit for Winnipeg by Tim Campbell @TimNHL / NHL.com Staff Writer

The 2018 NHL Trade Deadline (3 p.m. ET; Feb. 26) is less than one week away. With that in mind, NHL.com is sitting down with some of the biggest names in the game. Today, Winnipeg Jets general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff, who won the Stanley Cup in 2010 as assistant general manager of the Chicago Blackhawks and has watched the Jets make a big move forward this season, talks about his approach ahead of the deadline.

The Winnipeg Jets are in the hunt for first place in the Central Division and the top seed in the Western Conference this season. General manager Kevin Cheveldayoff is trying to do his best to push them over the top.

The Jets (35-16-9, 79 points), who completed a 10-game homestand with a 4-3 loss to the Los Angeles Kings on Tuesday, are in second place in the Central, two points behind the first-place Nashville Predators. They are three points behind the Vegas Golden Knights for the top spot in the West.

"There are a lot of outgoing phone calls in the situation we're in, more than incoming," Cheveldayoff said. "When you're in a situation like we're in, that we've earned the opportunity to look around to see if you can acquire, you maybe are a little more proactive about the outgoing calls than the incoming ones.

"That's not to say there isn't the same kind of chatter that goes on to see if there are potential deals, ones that maybe aren't necessarily deadline-driven deals."

Since becoming GM on June 8, 2011, Cheveldayoff has generally been conservative when it has come to making trades, preferring that the Jets grow and improve from within.

Winnipeg has qualified for the Stanley Cup Playoffs once (2015) in its first six seasons since relocating from Atlanta for the 2011-12 season. The Jets finished fifth in the Central (40-35-7, 87 points) last season, seven points back of Nashville for the second wild card into the playoffs from the Western Conference. Nashville reached the Stanley Cup Final.

"It's been very interesting this season," Cheveldayoff said. "You are really only as good as your last game. We've seen that in this homestand (the Jets went 6-3-1), that when you don't win you ask yourself questions and when you do win, you enjoy it for a bit and then you move on.

"It's that type of maturity that you try to get to on a regular basis. That's why you play. That's how veterans who were once rookies learn the ropes and hope to show the younger players the same thing. It really does become 82 one-game seasons. And we've certainly worked hard to get to the point we're at, but we've really accomplished nothing. That's the attitude that prevails internally."

As the Jets inch closer to the trade deadline and locking up a spot in the playoffs, Cheveldayoff took time to discuss a variety of topics with NHL.com.

On the Jets' draft-and-develop plan "Draft and develop are the first two words that everyone says (about us). Retain is another that we've focused on as well. If you go back over the course of time, we've constantly made decisions now about keeping players, some of which came over to the franchise with the move. We've made conscious decisions in trying to keep the core that we felt was going to be the right one to surround young players coming into our organization. We saw that as the way to help those young players achieve success and help the veteran players achieve success as well. So it's really a three-pronged approach. Drafting and developing are key components but retention is ultimately what puts you in the situation you're in today."

On defenseman Jacob Trouba's recovery from a lower-body injury sustained Jan. 25 "It's hard to give a definitive update. When it happened, it was thought to be 6-8 weeks. As far as the healing process, it's going along as anticipated. It's certainly one of those that, much like (center) Mark Scheifele progressed in that six-to-eight-week timeline, we have nothing to believe it's different from that."

On how he's approaching the Trade Deadline "Obviously this is a deadline-driven league, so there's lots of focus and conversation and sometimes hype. When you do have a deadline, you have to assess internally and assess externally what options may or may not be out there. From our standpoint, you look for silver linings throughout the hardships or trials and tribulations you have throughout the year. We've had some silver linings, for instance when Mark Scheifele went out (for six weeks) and Blake Wheeler shifted positions and takes over as the top-line center, you saw the emergence of some young players following his leadership and growing. You take those silver linings into consideration. Our biggest deadline acquisitions may be after March 1 when we get Trouba back and hopefully (forwards) Adam Lowry and Brandon Tanev and Shawn Matthias back. And (goalies) Steve Mason and Michael Hutchinson , too. We have guys having success (in our lineup) right now but we have those guys waiting as additions. In approaching the deadline, you keep all options open but you are looking for the right fit."

On how he assesses when it's time to add or go all-in "I really think you have to look at what's around you and what's available to you and then you make that assessment. Does it really make you better in an area you think can help you? You don't just throw caution to the wind to get the perceived most-talented player that's available because they'll be a free agent or for whatever reason. It really comes down to it being a good fit in order to make a move and it has to fit the chemistry of your group."

On comparing this year to making the playoffs in 2015, when he traded for Jiri Tlusty and prior to the deadline "At that time, we made some assessments that we needed to add some players to fill in our bottom six, our fourth line, to allow (coach) Paul (Maurice) to play four lines. I think if we did nothing from an acquisition standpoint at this point in time, I think we have a much greater depth within our organization. If you ultimately want to win the prize, you might need more depth because I'm not sure you ever have enough depth so those are things you assess. When the roster is healthy, we have tremendous confidence in it. The emergence of some of our younger players has been gratifying when a guy like Scheifele or (Dustin) Byfuglien or Trouba or Lowry has been injured." https://www.nhl.com/news/los-angeles-kings-winnipeg-jets-game-recap/c-296183456

Kings hold on against Jets Phaneuf scores third goal in four games since trade; Los Angeles keeps pace in Pacific by Scott Billeck / NHL.com Correspondent

WINNIPEG -- Torrey Mitchell and Dustin Brown scored in the third period, and the Los Angeles Kings held on to defeat the Winnipeg Jets 4-3 at Bell MTS Place on Tuesday.

Mitchell made it 3-2 at 6:17, scoring five-hole on Connor Hellebuyck before Brown extended the lead to 4-2 at 15:54 with a shot from in front of the crease.

"They always come out flying here and we knew that," Kings goaltender Darcy Kuemper said. "Our mindset was to work through it, defend well. I thought we did a good job in our own zone, and then after that, we were able to establish our game and start getting on the forecheck and start dictating the way we wanted to play and we were able to take over the game."

Alec Martinez and Dion Phaneuf scored, and Kuemper made 30 saves for the Kings (33-22-5, 71 points), who won their third straight game and are tied with the Anaheim Ducks for third place in the Pacific Division.

Anze Kopitar played in his 900th NHL game, assisting on Brown's goal for his 800th point (280 goals, 580 assists).

"It's huge," Mitchell said. "We knew how important the two points were coming into tonight. Trying to get back into a playoff spot, so it was a really good effort by us and great to get the two points."

Blake Wheeler, Dustin Byfuglien and Patrik Laine scored for the Jets (35-16-9, 79 points), who had their three-game winning streak ended. They are two points behind the Nashville Predators for first place in the Central Division.

"They picked up their speed a little bit, some untimely penalties. The penalty kill is kind of leaking oil right now," Wheeler said. "Just kind of wrong penalties at the wrong time. They capitalized, stole some momentum. Still 2-2 going into the third at home, I don't think we hate that spot. Just weren't able to get one early enough to go in the third."

Wheeler made it 1-0 at 5:46 of the first period with a wrist shot from the right circle on a 5-on-3.

Martinez scored on the power play at 1:49 of the second period to tie it 1-1, beating a screened Hellebuyck with a shot from the point.

"They had some really good screeners in front of me," Hellebuyck said. "I found myself up high a lot. Give them credit, they're a good team. They've won a couple of Stanley Cups for that reason, they know how to screen a goaltender. It makes a world of a difference."

Phaneuf gave the Kings a 2-1 lead with a goal on the power play at 17:05. He has three goals in four games since being traded to the Kings from the Ottawa Senators on Feb. 13.

"Dion's been a good fit there," Kings coach John Stevens said. "He wants to shoot the puck all the time. He's always looking at the net. I think he's got people going there because they know the puck's going to go there."

Byfuglien tied the game 2-2 on a one-timer from the point that deflected off the stick of Kopitar at 18:55.

Laine cut the lead to 4-3 with 48.5 seconds remaining in the third with his NHL-leading 16th power-play goal.

Goal of the game Brown's goal at 15:54 of the third period.

Save of the game Kuemper's saves on Wheeler and Mark Scheifele at 4:44 of the third period.

Highlight of the game Mitchell's goal at 6:17 of the third period.

They said it "The whole game he was making big saves. There was a couple sequences there where they had three or four shots in a row, so he was big for us. We wouldn't have won without him tonight." -- Kings forward Torrey Mitchell on Darcy Kuemper

"I can't explain the next one to you. Even having watched it five times, I can't fully explain that, how we got to that decision. But mistakes get made." -- Jets coach Paul Maurice on Kings forward Dustin Brown's goal

Need to know Kopitar has 24 points (eight goals, 16 assists) in his past 21 games. … Wheeler has 11 points (three goals, eight assists) in a six-game point streak. … Byfuglien has seven points (goal, six assists) in a four-game point streak.

What's next Kings: Host the Dallas Stars on Thursday (10:30 p.m. ET; FS-W, FS-SW, NHL.TV) Jets: At the St. Louis Blues on Friday (8 p.m. ET; FS-MW, TSN3, NHL.TV)

The Athletic Winnipeg https://theathletic.com/245461/2018/02/19/pronman-prospects-for-sellers-to-target-at-the-trade- deadline/

The case for and against the Jets using Nic Petan as a trade chip

By Murat Ates

Moments after the Winnipeg Jets' 7-2 drubbing of the Florida Panthers on Sunday, a group of reporters and media personnel gathered in the Matt Frost Media Centre at ice level of Bell MTS Place. Paul Maurice was about to take the podium and, given the convincing nature of Winnipeg’s win, I wondered to myself if his speech would reflect any obvious cheer.

Ken Wiebe of the Winnipeg Sun asked the first question – is Kyle Connor making the case that the Jets don’t need a top-six forward at the trade deadline?

Connor had just scored his 20th and 21st goals, both on cannonading one-timers into wide open nets courtesy the superlative passing of Jets’ captain Blake Wheeler. If Maurice wanted to bask in the success of a big win on the back of his go-to top line, I wouldn’t have blamed him.

“I never wrote that (Winnipeg needed a top-six forward),” Maurice dryly responded. “Not once. None of my blogs have that in there.”

And then silence.

Wiebe is a pro, he asked a follow-up question and the conversation continued. It was clear to all through Maurice’s wry delivery that the coach had no interest in speculation. If anyone was going to play armchair GM it would have to be us and not him.

Here we are, then: with just six days remaining until the NHL trade deadline, we are left to speculate.

Or at least we were until Jets’ GM Kevin Cheveldayoff spoke to The Athletic’s Pierre Lebrun on Monday evening. I will be quite sparing in my sampling of quotes; click through to LeBrun’s article for the full story.

“We have assets within the organization that we’re willing to use and we have assets within the organization that I will not use,” Cheveldayoff said. “That’s just the simple truth.”

Cheveldayoff’s “simple truth” is the subject of today’s piece.

The simple truth:

Do you remember my deep dive into Jack Roslovic’s NHL potential?

We looked at “NHL equivalencies” (NHLe), a tool first developed by Gabe Desjardins to compare offensive production across different leagues.

Essentially, that piece was the story of how Roslovic’s offensive production relative to his age has improved since draft day. It also – inadvertently – became the story of how far Nic Petan has fallen since Winnipeg drafted him in 2013.

Remember that Petan’s draft year offence for the WHL’s was sky high – his NHLe was fully 10 points higher than Roslovic’s or Connor’s was when they were drafted in 2015.

Following each player’s draft year, Connor stormed past Petan, scoring a higher NHLe for his age than Petan did in all but one of the seasons that followed. This season, in what has been a very impressive AHL year for Petan, Connor is still outpacing him: 38 points in 53 NHL games puts Connor on an 82 game pace of 59 points, while Petan’s sterling AHL production converts to an 82 game NHLe of just 41 points.

This is not an argument that Petan is a bad player. Instead, it is an acknowledgement that Connor is even better – first, in terms of production relative to age, and now without any qualifications whatsoever. And Roslovic – at an NHLe of 44 points despite being two years younger than Petan – has edged his way past him, too. When Winnipeg returns to full health in advance of this year’s playoffs, Petan could find himself on the outside looking in.

I don’t think anyone has put Petan’s unique position – too good for his roster spot, not good enough to take minutes from Connor or Roslovic – more eloquently than Allan Mitchell did in his Edmonton Oilers deadline preview.

Mitchell wrote “Petan has posted solid boxcars everywhere but the NHL and his only sin is that his playing rights belong to an organization producing prospects by the dozen.”

Let’s be clear – eight minutes a game on Winnipeg’s fourth line is not primetime offensive opportunity – and Petan has a (brief) history of producing offence in limited looks with highly skilled linemates.

But Blake Wheeler, who Petan had success with last season, just notched his 50th and 51st assists by setting up those Connor goals on Sunday. The job on Wheeler’s opposite wing is altogether quite taken.

And on a team that’s drafted all of Nikolaj Ehlers, Patrik Laine, Connor, and Roslovic since 2014 while maintaining its pre-existing core, Petan has been passed as cleanly and crisply as one of his own saucer set-ups.

This is why, when interpreting Cheveldayoff’s response to LeBrun, I place the line between “assets we’re willing to use” and “untouchable” precisely between Roslovic and Petan on the organizational depth chart.

What’s the case to keep Petan?

He’s young (22 turning 23), he’s talented, and he scored more than a point per game this season in the AHL. With more ice time and more opportunities, there is every reason to believe he can have offensive success in the NHL.

That’s why, for Petan’s biggest supporters, the future might hold pain. In the right situation, Petan’s numbers could soar – and it would hurt to watch that happen in another team’s colours.

For a team with less depth than Winnipeg, Petan’s situation might mean an opportunity to pluck a plug-and-play forward from the Jets for an affordable price. Could you imagine him on a skill line alongside Connor McDavid?

I know Edmonton can, because this is Mitchell’s conclusion:

“Nic Petan has done everything but post offence in the NHL and his numbers suggest he should have success if given an opportunity. He's underrated because the Jets have lots of great options for his position, meaning he doesn't get the kind of push his talent warrants. The solution could very well be a trade to the Edmonton Oilers.”

I won’t argue with that. Instead, I will bring Cheveldayoff back into the discussion.

“It’s got to fit,” Cheveldayoff said of the trade scenarios at play this week. “And whether it is playoff experience or whether it is position-specific, those things play themselves out.”

In my Winnipeg Jets trade deadline preview, I discussed Patrick Maroon as a possible fit in Winnipeg.

But would you trade 22-year-old Nic Petan, who is under team control for four more seasons, for a 28-year-old pending UFA? I know I wouldn’t.

With that in mind, let’s imagine a scenario where Winnipeg robs Peter to placate Paul.

With the emergence of Darnell Nurse as a top-four option in Edmonton and Adam Larsson cursed with the role of trying to fill Taylor Hall’s shoes, TSN has speculated that Andrej Sekera might be available.

Sekera is a left-handed defenseman making $5.5 million per year for this and three more seasons. He a history of playing top pairing minutes in Edmonton and Carolina and an even longer history of playing in the top four. His possession numbers suffer when partnered with Kris Russell (a statement true of every Oiler, including McDavid) but, when healthy, he is an upgrade over Toby Enstrom:

If Sekera is not your dream return for a package built around Petan, I will leave you with the following opinions.

To me, Petan is all of:

Too good for his place on Winnipeg’s depth chart. Surpassed by other young talent, and Good enough to be asked about by other GMs.

I believe there is a good chance Petan gets traded at this year’s trade deadline and I don’t believe he is on Cheveldayoff’s list of untouchable assets.

The price Winnipeg pays to upgrade their defence heading into this season’s playoffs may be dear.

In the wake of Tuesday night’s loss to Los Angeles, Maurice was not quick to lay blame.

When asked about losing despite the Kings playing on back-to-back nights, Maurice said Winnipeg played a good first period and then added, “I’m not going to beat them up in front of you tonight.” I thought that was kind.

When asked about the Jets leaving Dustin Brown wide open on the game-winning goal, Maurice said, “I can’t explain (that) one to you. Even having watched it five times, I can’t fully explain it – how we got to that decision – but mistakes get made.” I thought that was balanced.

When asked about getting into penalty trouble, Maurice said, “Dustin’s first one wasn’t a penalty. I didn’t care for two or three of them. I really didn't like Petan's.”

I thought that was telling.

TSN.ca https://www.tsn.ca/nhl/video/mclennan-do-not-mortgage-the-future-with-those-young- players~1331154 (VIDEO LINK)

McLennan: 'Do not mortgage the future with those young players'

TSN Hockey analyst Jamie McLennan explains how the Jets could use some depth ahead of the trade deadline, but not at the expense of their future. He also breaks down how Dion Phaneuf has impacted the Kings since being acquired from the Senators.

TSN 1290 (AUDIO LINKS) https://www.tsn.ca/radio/winnipeg-1290/green-jets-put-together-a-respectful-home-stand- 1.1006551

Green: Jets put together a respectful home-stand

TSN Jets analyst Josh Green joined host Kevin Olszewski to discuss Tuesday's loss to the Los Angeles Kings that closed out a 10-game home stand for the Jets. https://www.tsn.ca/radio/winnipeg-1290/dubois-moose-had-best-goalie-tandem-in-ahl-before- jets-injuries-piled-up-1.1005329

Dubois: Moose had best goalie tandem in AHL before Jets injuries piled up

Manitoba Moose asst. coach Eric Dubois joined host Kevin Olszewski with the latest on the Jets farm team and how they are coping with the loss of star players and goalies do to injuries on the big club. www.winnipegjets.com https://www.nhl.com/jets/news/jets-end-home-stand-with-loss-to-the-kings/c-296187412

Jets end home stand with loss to the Kings Winnipeg finishes franchise long 10-game home stand with 6-3-1 record by Mitchell Clinton @MitchellClinton / WinnipegJets.com

WINNIPEG - The longest home stand in Winnipeg Jets franchise history came to an end Tuesday night, it just wasn't the end the Jets were looking for.

Dustin Brown scored the eventual game winner, as the Los Angeles Kings beat the Jets 4-3 at Bell MTS Place, dropping the Jets record to 35-16-9.

Blake Wheeler, Dustin Byfuglien, and Patrik Laine scored for the Jets, who dominated the opening 20 minutes, outshooting the Kings 16-5.

But that was when the script flipped, as the Kings would score twice on the power play in the second, and twice more at even strength in the third to improve to 33-22-5.

"They picked up their speed a little bit. Some untimely penalties, our penalty kill is leaking oil right now. So just wrong penalties at the wrong time," said Wheeler, who extended his point streak to six games with a goal and an assist.

"You can't expect to be up 3-0 every time at home in the first period. It's just not going to happen. In your building, you're up 1-0 on a team that played last night, that game should be where you like it."

That 1-0 lead came when the Jets took advantage of a 5-on-3 power play early, when Blake Wheeler took advantage of a quality screen from Mathieu Perreault, and sent a laser to the top corner, short side on Darcy Kuemper.

Los Angeles would tie the game on a power play of their own 1:49 into the second. With Kyle Connor off for tripping, Alec Martinez's wrist shot from the point beat Connor Hellebuyck high on the stick side, due to a screen from Tanner Pearson right in front of the Jets net.

"They had some really good screeners in front of me, and I found myself up high a lot," said Hellebuyck, who made 28 saves in the loss. "Give them credit, they're a good team, and they've won a couple of Stanley Cups for a reason. They know how to get in front of a goaltender, and it makes a world of a difference."

A slashing penalty on Nic Petan late in the second put the Kings back on the man advantage, and once again they would jump on the opportunity. Martinez sent a pass to Dion Phaneuf in the right wing circle, and his blast slid between the legs of Hellebuyck, putting the Kings up 2-1 with 2:55 left in the second period.

But the Jets would draw even just 1:50 later, as Byfuglien teed off on a feed from Tyler Myers, and the puck deflected off the stick of Anze Kopitar on the way to the net, beating Kuemper high on the glove side.

It was Winnipeg's fifth shot of the period, compared to the 16 from the Kings.

"We skated really well in the first period, and didn't skate particularly well after that," said head coach Paul Maurice.

"I thought the game turned on speed. The hits after two (periods) were 15-10. That's not a heavy game. I didn't find it was heavy. We were slow. We were slow with the puck. We've got to skate…. Not just skate, but move faster."

After two high quality chances for Mark Scheifele and Wheeler, the Kings would take the lead 6:17 into the third. When the Jets couldn't clear the zone, Torrey Mitchell pounced on a loose puck, resulting from Adrian Kempe getting stick checked in front of Hellebuyck, and slid the puck five hole on Hellebuyck for his fifth of the season.

Brown would make it 4-2, when he slipped home a centering pass from Tyler Toffoli in tight in front of Hellebuyck just seconds after Byfuglien's high sticking penalty had expired.

With Hellebuyck out for an extra attacker, Laine would score his 28th of the season to cut the deficit to one with 49 seconds left in regulation, but that's as close as the Jets would get. Wheeler picked up his 52nd assist of the season on the goal.

"We have a lot of confidence that we can score a goal 6-on-5. We've had some success doing that the last two years," said Wheeler. "It's just a matter of giving up that fourth one, it's the back breaker. It's asking a lot to score two goals in two minutes. Our group is never going to give up, we gave it everything we've got."

The loss leaves the Jets with a 6-3-1 record on the home stand.

Now the Jets face three divisional opponents in a row, starting with St. Louis on Friday.

"There are going to be moments in the game that we don't dominate," said Wheeler. "There will be moments that they make a push. We just have to find a way to stay confident, stay with it, and be confident that we can win 2-1 or 3-2 games." https://www.nhl.com/jets/video/live-jets-gameday-coverage/t-277437442/c-42256603

POSTGAME | Paul Maurice

Head Coach Paul Maurice addresses the media post-game at Bell MTS Place