Quick viewing(Text Mode)

Jets to Take on Panthers in Finland

Jets to Take on Panthers in Finland

Free Press https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/sports/jets-to-take-on-panthers-in-finland-471446954.html

Jets to take on Panthers in

By: Jason Bell

Playing a pair of games in the country that produced the legendary Teemu Selanne and a budding superstar in Patrik Laine just makes so much sense for the , doesn't it?

Finland is the logical destination for the Jets 2.0 organization's first foray overseas.

The NHL has confirmed the Jets will soar across the pond for a pair of 2018-19 regular- games in Finland against the Panthers in early November. No firm dates or locations have been confirmed.

Word surfaced earlier this month about the possibility of club's involvement in the league's ongoing Global Series, however, the rumour then was focused on a Jets' two-game set with the .

But NHL commissioner confirmed Saturday the Panthers will provide the opposition. The series would be a homecoming for Winnipeg's young superstar, Laine, as well as winger Joel Armia, and Florida's terrific youngster .

Laine, 19, who leads Winnipeg with 22 goals this season, hails from Tampere and is massive star here but an even bigger sensation back home.

It's a terrific fit and the club jumped at the chance to be involved, chairman and co-owner Mark Chipman said from Tampa Bay, where he's participating in board of governors meetings while watching the fun and games at the NHL All-Star Weekend festivities.

Jets and goalie Connor Hellebuyck are among the NHL's elite at the home of the Lightning.

"That's what makes it exciting, obviously, to showcase those players — Patrik and Joel — and we drafted a very good young player in Kristian Vesalainen. Obviously, it remains to be seen whether he would be a part of it, but he's a very promising young player," said Chipman. "Joel has had a wonderful year, really, and of course, so has Patrik. I think it will be very exciting for those young men to be able to show the rest of their teammates and the rest of the organization around their country. There'll be an enormous sense of pride for those guys, for sure.

"It wasn't always Florida. As far as I know they were talking to other teams, but now we know it's Florida and that's great," he added. "They have a great young team and a very skilled player from Finland on that team in Barkov, who, I understand, is a good friend of Patrik's. So, that should make it fun."

Both hockey teams will use up a home date for the two-game series, meaning Bell MTS Place will host 40 games next season.

In effect, the league buys the contest from True North Sports & Entertainment, just as is did for last season's Heritage Classic outdoor game at Investors Group Athletic Centre.

"Obviously, you like to play as many games in front of our own fans, but all things considered being able to play in Finland where there's a lot of history (with the Jets), with Teppo Numminen and Teemu (Selanne), I think it's going to feel really good. It's going to be a very exciting time for our organization," said Chipman.

Expect the Jets faithful to begin contemplating a European vacation in the fall.

"I continue to see (fans) everywhere," said Chipman. "I saw Jets jerseys here (for the All-Star Game). Every building we go to, we see them, so it wouldn' surprise me at all to see our fans follow us to Finland, that's for sure."

Earlier this season, the and hooked up for contests in Sweden. Next year, Edmonton and New Jersey will also play in Sweden.

"We've been working on it for some time, so we've had the opportunity to consult with and talk to some of the teams that have done it in the past — most notably Colorado and Ottawa this year," Chipman said. "Both explained that they had real good experiences... so, it should be a really exciting event for us and we're very honoured that we've been asked to participate."

Those a little longer in the tooth will fondly remember the likes of centre Veli-Pekka Ketola and goalie Markus Mattsson with the Jets of the old , while the Jets 1.0 had the remarkable Selanne — he of the 76- rookie season in 1992-93 — and sensational blue-liner Teppo Numminen. For the real diehards, who can forget Hannu Jarvenpaa and Petri Skriko?

The good money's on the Finnish Flash being involved in some fashion in November, although Chipman isn't sure at this .

"I'm not aware if he's aware. This is a league event and all our discussions have been with the league," he said. "Whether or not, at some point in time, some of our former players from Finland would be involved remains to be seen. It'd be great ..."

Winnipeg Sun http://winnipegsun.com/sports/hockey/nhl/winnipeg-jets/jets-to-play-panthers-in-finland-next- november

Laine, Jets to play Panthers in Finland next November

By Ted Wyman

It says something about the impact Patrik Laine has made on the world of hockey before his 20th birthday when the NHL is already making him the focal point of a pair of regular season games in his home country.

Laine, the budding superstar from Finland, will get a chance to perform in a Winnipeg Jets uniform next November in a pair of games in Helsinki.

The games will be played against the , who have a Finnish star of their own in Sasha Barkov, but make no mistake, this overseas road trip has more to do with Laine than anything else.

“It has everything to do with it,” Jets chairman Mark Chipman said Saturday in a phone interview from the All-Star Game in Tampa Bay.

“Clearly he has made a real mark on the game at a very early age. He’s very much the centre of attention throughout his country. It’s not just his ability on the ice that has been so intriguing to people, it’s the way he carries himself and the maturity that he has at such a young age that has caught a lot of people’s attention.”

The overseas games were formally announced Saturday by NHL commissioner Gary Bettman, who also unveiled plans for a season-opening two-game set between the and in Sweden.

Dates and times still need to be finalized for the Jets-Panthers games, but rest assured tickets are going to be hard to come by in a country that sees Laine as a star approaching the level of Teemu Selanne and .

Laine has 22 goals and 39 points in 50 games this season after scoring 36 goals and 64 points in 73 games last year as an 18-year-old.

The Jets will lose one of their 41 home games next season, though Chipman said the Jets will be “made whole” as the NHL buys the game from the team. It was a similar situation last season when the Jets hosted the Heritage Classic outdoor game at Investors Group Field.

“We’re very excited,” Chipman said. “It’s something we’ve been working on with the league for some time now and it’s nice that the commissioner made the announcement today.”

While Laine is the Jets’ best know Finnish player, they also have a fine winger in Joel Armia (nine goals and 20 points this season) as well as a couple of solid Finnish prospects in 2017 first round draft pick Kristian Vesalainen and Moose defenceman Sami Niku.

Chipman, whose team is in first place in the Central Division with 66 points at the all-star break, believes the international games will be great for the growth of the game.

It’s fitting to send one of the league’s more exciting, fast-skating young teams to such a showcase.

The other international series next season will feature players like Connor McDavid of the Oilers and of the New Jersey Devils, two of the last three first-overall picks in the NHL.

“You just look at the content of our league and how many of our star players and our total players come from those European countries,” Chipman said. “The ability for us to go over there and let them play in front of their home fans is really important and will only help us grow the game.”

CBC Manitoba http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/winnipeg-jets-florida-panthers-finland-game- 1.4507787

Jets, Panthers, to play NHL games in Finland, to delight of Finnish fans Superstars like Laine, Armia will be top attractions in Finland, says hockey journalist

By CBC News

NHL fans in Finland won't have to stay awake until 4 a.m. to watch their homegrown hockey stars, at least for two games next season.

The Winnipeg Jets and the Florida Panthers will play two regulation NHL games in Helsinki, Finland in November for the 2018-2019 season.

For Finnish fans who can't get enough of young Jets superstar Patrik Laine, this is exciting news, said Pekka Jalonen, a Finnish journalist who regularly writes about Finnish NHL hockey players.

"Usually fans have to stay awake during the night to see the NHL games live on TV, because most of the games start at 2 or 3 or 4 [a.m.] our time," said Jalonen.

"It's been seven years since [the] and Teemu Selanne played here in Helsinki, so it's a good time to have NHL back in Finland."

The NHL has a strong following in Finland despite excellent hockey from the Finnish Elite League, said Jalonen, and Laine is the "biggest star in Finland, or in Finnish hockey.

"It's funny, he's only 19, it's his second season, but still everybody wants to know what he's doing and still watch his games and read stories about him, and what he's doing and how he's doing and how his hair [beard] is growing."

That doesn't mean Laine is the only NHL player Finland is interested in, said Jalonen. Others, like the Jets' Joel Armia and the Panthers' Aleksander Barkov also command headlines.

"Hockey is one in Finland, and people, they just love these young guys, and every player that is doing well," said Jalonen.

"Of course there is other sports, they are a little bit jealous about hockey and its status in Finland."

Winnipeg Jets chairman Mark Chipman said the details still have to be worked out, but the idea has been percolating for a few months.

"I think it's going to be great," Chipman told Jets TV. "There's a long, sort of history of our organization, with players from Finland and Sweden, you know, the early Jets were really pioneers. It's kind of neat, it's kind of full circle. To be asked to go over there is a real honour.

"That the league would think that we would be an attraction in Finland is really a high honour for us. We're fired up about it."

Laine's popularity and poise likely had a lot to do with the NHL's decision, said Chipman.

"Not only just the way Patrik has performed at such an early age, but the way he's carried himself as well. He's really earned the respect of his teammtes.

"I think the fact Joel Armia is having a great year again, and has really turned into a fine NHL player is fantastic as well."

"Our fans over there, of which I know there are many because of those guys, they'll be really excited to see us over there," Chipman added.

The NHL is still ironing out details like when and where the games will be played. It's likely at least one game will be held in Helsinki, said Jalonen, but no matter where they're held, it will draw fans.

"I'm pretty sure that both games will be sold out."

NBC Sports http://nhl.nbcsports.com/2018/01/27/laine-barkov-heading-home-for-regular-season-games- next-year/

Laine, Barkov heading home for regular season games next year

By Scott Billeck

Finnish supremacy will be duked out in the homeland of Patrik Laine and Aleksander Barkov next season.

The NHL is sending four teams to during the 2018-19 season, with a marquee matchup that will pit two of the best Finland-born players currently plying their trades in the NHL for a battle in the Land of the Midnight Sun come November.

The Winnipeg Jets and the Florida Panthers will play a two-game set in Helsinki, roughly two hours north of Laine and Barkov’s hometown of Tampere.

And while the battle for the best Finn title will take place between both superstars, more could be in the mix.

The Jets boast forward Joel Armia, a fellow Finn from Pori, who has become a staple on the roster this season.

Winnipeg also has prospect forward Kristian Vesalainen, a first-round pick in the 2017 draft, and defenseman Sami Niku in their system, although both would have to secure roster spots out of training camp next year to make the trip home.

The Panthers, meanwhile, have Harri Sateri on their roster currently, but have Roberto Luongo and James Reimer ahead of him in the pecking order at this point.

In their system, 2016 first-round pick Henrik Borgstrom hails from Helsinki, while fellow prospect forward comes from Tampere.

Elsewhere in Europe, Connor McDavid and Nico Hischier will take their talents to Sweden to open the regular season.

The Edmonton Oilers and the New Jersey Devils will play two games in Sweden to cap off an extended stay in Europe. Both teams they will face each other twice in the preseason — once in Germany, the home country of Oilers forward Leon Draisaitl and again in Switzerland, where Hischier hails from.

In other NHL games abroad, TSN’s Darren Dreger reported that the and the are candidates for a two-game series in next year.

Fellow TSN insider Pierre LeBrun said the league and the NHLPA are ironing out the details. http://nhl.nbcsports.com/2018/01/28/pht-midseason-report-card-central-division/

PHT Midseason Report Card: Central Division

By Scott Billeck

Now that the All-Star break has arrived it’s time to look back at the first half of the 2017-18 NHL season. Our team-by-team report cards will look at the biggest surprises and disappointments for all 31 clubs and what their outlook is for the second half, including whether they should be a trade deadline buyer or seller.

Winnipeg Jets Season Review: The best team heading in the to All-Star break. Yes, the Winnipeg Jets. What’s got them there? Great goaltending, for starters. A season worthy of a Hart Trophy nod for Blake Wheeler as well. And they’re just finding ways to win games, especially ones that, in the past, they would find ways to lose. Grade: A

Biggest Surprise: Undoubtedly Connor Hellebuyck. The Jets went out and got what they thought would be their No. 1 netminder in during free agency. Yeah. Not in Hellebuyck’s house. The second-year starter is in the Vezina conversation and is at the NHL All-Star Game along with Pekka Rinne. Who in Winnipeg thought the former would be the same conversation as the latter at the end of last season?

Biggest Disappointment: Dustin Byfuglien. It took him nearly half the season to score his first goal and has just two at the All-Star break. Couple that with some interesting defensive decisions and you have the makings of one of his worst seasons of his career, statistically speaking and otherwise.

Trade Deadline Strategy: Buy. The Jets have a legitimate at making a deep run in the . They seemingly have all the tools: a rededication to team defense, a high- scoring offense, great netminding and one of the best power plays in the league. They could probably use some depth on their fourth line and perhaps a seventh defenseman with playoff experience.

Second half outlook: Keep on keeping on. The Jets haven’t strung together a big losing streak this season, something that’s derailed them in the past. They basically play all of February at home at Bell MTS Place, which has become a fortress for them this season. The Jets just need to keep doing what got them to the summit of the division in the second half. Oh, and they’ll get Mark Scheifele back sometime next month.

TSN.ca https://www.tsn.ca/laine-jets-heading-to-finland-next-season-1.980677

Laine, Jets heading to Finland next season

By Frank Seravalli

TAMPA, Fla. — Without visiting Finland, it is difficult to describe just how popular Patrik Laine is there, other than to say only the original Finnish Flash in Teemu Selanne has a bigger profile among NHL stars at home.

Finnish journalists routinely travel to Winnipeg to follow Laine.

Next season, they won’t have to go very far.

Laine’s Winnipeg Jets will take on Aleksander Barkov and the Florida Panthers in a pair of regular season games next season in Helsinki, Finland, commissioner Gary Bettman announced Saturday night at his annual All-Star weekend media availability.

The Edmonton Oilers and New Jersey Devils will also head overseas to kick off the season in Sweden, as reported by TSN earlier on Saturday. Leon Draisaitl and the Oilers will stop in Germany for an exhibition game against a DEL opponent, while 2017 No. 1 overall pick Nico Hischier and the Devils will visit Switzerland to face an NLA team in preseason action before heading north to Sweden.

The NHL is still ironing out details for a return to China next season, but the Boston Bruins and Calgary Flames are expected to be the participants. The and played preseason games in Beijing and Shanghai last season.

There is no doubt Laine will be the big draw on the NHL’s latest European adventure.

Jets executive chairman Mark Chipman said Saturday it would be difficult to quantify any sort of potential benefit the Jets might see from bringing Laine to Finland. They were already one of Finland’s most popular teams after Selanne’s blazing start to his career there in 1992.

“He’s a very popular player there right now,” Chipman said.

The Jets sought counsel from the Ottawa Senators and Colorado Avalanche on the impact of an overseas game in the middle of the season. Those two teams met in Stockholm for two games in November - both buffered by at least four days off on either side of the games.

Like the Sens and Avs, the Jets and Panthers will each sacrifice one regular season home date.

“I think it’ll be great,” Chipman said. “Our guys talked to Colorado and Ottawa about it and, by all accounts, the experience was really good, from a number of different vantage points. Everyone seemed to have a good time. Both teams reported it was a good experience. It’s pretty exciting.”

SEATTLE APPLICATION COMING The prospective Seattle ownership group led by billionaire David Bonderman is expected to submit a formal application for an NHL expansion franchise next week.

The Seattle group was close to finalizing the application on Friday. The lengthy paperwork process, which includes a $10 million application fee, includes market studies, arena plans and other data. Of that $10 million, $2 million is nonrefundable in the event Seattle is not award an NHL franchise.

After wiring the funds, the Seattle group will then soon be given the green light by the NHL to begin a season-ticket drive for deposits on seats.

A 32nd franchise could be awarded by the NHL as soon as the summer, but play would not begin in Seattle until a $600 million renovation of KeyArena, spearheaded by the Oak View Group, is completed in 2020.

The NHL has set the price of an expansion franchise at $650 million (USD), up 30 per cent from the $500 million paid by the in 2016. The Seattle group has been informed as part of this application process to expect the same expansion draft format that Vegas built their team around.

Bettman announced the opening of a formal expansion application process in December at the league’s Board of Governors meetings. He said then that a prospective ownership group for does not need to resubmit an application as their original application filed in 2015 has been officially tabled.

NEXT STOP: SAN JOSE Bettman announced the 2019 NHL All-Star Game is heading to San Jose, as reported earlier on Saturday by TSN. It will be the second West Coast All-Star weekend in three years and the first stop in the Bay Area since 1997, when Owen Nolan memorably called his shot on a breakaway against Dominik Hasek. https://www.tsn.ca/nhl/video/who-s-the-favourite-for-the-hart-mackinnon-or-wheeler~1312873 (VIDEO LINK)

Who's the favourite for the Hart - MacKinnon or Wheeler?

As the NHL pauses for All-Star festivities, Frank Seravalli and Dave Poulin debate who deserves the Hart Trophy so far - Avalanche forward Nathan MacKinnon or Jets Blake Wheeler.

Sporting News http://www.sportingnews.com/ca/nhl/news/nhl-international-games-teams-2018-jets-panthers- oilers-devils/1dqqjs3qhmpga1dycdccdd7ugd

NHL announces international games, teams for 2018-19 season

By Arthur Weinstein

The NHL Board of Governors announced Saturday the four teams that will play in the league's Global Series next season.

The Edmonton Oilers will face the New Jersey Devils in Sweden at the start of the year, while the Winnipeg Jets and Florida Panthers will play two games in November in Finland.

In addition, a couple of international preseason games are already scheduled, with more possibly on the way. The Oilers will play an exhibition game in Germany at the end of training camp, and the Devils will play one in Switzerland.

TSN's Darren Dreger also reports the NHL and NHLPA are trying to reach an agreement for a two-game series in China between the Calgary Flames and Boston Bruins. The Vancouver Canucks and Los Angeles Kings played two preseason matchups in China in September 2017.

This is all part of the NHL's continued effort to reach overseas audiences. NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said in November he hopes the league can put together a "predictable calendar" of international games each year.

"While we currently have worldwide sponsorship and advertising and licensing agreements, in order for us to really begin to grow the game internationally — which is great for fans who are following the game from outside North America in North America and encourages the continuing development of world-class players, Sweden being a great example — we need to have regular presence with events," Bettman said. "The international strategy doesn't work without major events, whether it's exhibition games against local clubs, preseason games, regular-season games, clinics and the like. That's something that we do in conjunction with the players' association, and that's something we're in discussions with them on and working on. But our hope is to establish a regular predictable calendar."

The Athletic https://theathletic.com/223678/2018/01/27/winnipegs-competitive-advantage-and-what-it- means-for-their-potential-trade-deadline-dealings/

Winnipeg's competitive advantage and what it means for their potential trade deadline dealings

By Murat Ates

A brief history of Winnipeg’s 66th point

On Feb. 11, 2015, traded , and to the for , , , Joel Armia and a first- round draft pick. In a salary-cap era where massive, multi-player trades are becoming increasingly difficult to execute, Winnipeg and Buffalo pulled off a blockbuster deal in every sense of the word.

At the time, I thought it was such a clever trade by both parties. Buffalo, you’ll remember, was doing all that it could to shed pieces in anticipation of drafting Connor McDavid. You may also remember that in addition to being tremendously unhappy as a Winnipeg Jet, Evander Kane was out for the season with a shoulder injury. In a trade that saw quality NHL players move in both directions, Buffalo was able to continue its tank job in peace while Winnipeg added Myers, its ice-time leader in that season's Stanley Cup playoffs, two prospects and a first-round pick at that summer’s draft.

That first-rounder is particularly notable now. Available to Winnipeg in part because Buffalo was such a good bet to draft McDavid or , Buffalo had acquired it a year earlier from the St. Louis Blues. There was a condition on it – Winnipeg was to receive the lowest of Buffalo’s three first-round picks – and when the Blues outlasted the Islanders in the 2015 playoffs, the Blues pick officially became the lowest of the Buffalo three.

The Jets, of course, used that pick to select , then a standout with the United States National Development Team Program. Winnipeg had already taken Kyle Connor with its own pick at 17th overall, making Roslovic their second pick from the USHL, and would go on to take six more players including current AHL standouts Michael Spacek, Mason Appleton and Sami Niku.

There are those who would tell you that Winnipeg killed it at the 2015 draft. They would be right.

On Thursday, Jan. 25, 2018, against the Anaheim Ducks, Jack Roslovic scored his first NHL goal. In doing so, Roslovic not only cashed a perfect feed from the Ducks' , he also stole the point that puts Winnipeg atop the Central Division standings.

In addition to giving Winnipeg its 66th standings point of the 2017-18 season, Cheveldayoff’s blockbuster with Buffalo helps inform our thinking with respect to this year’s trade deadline.

Where are we now?

No Jets season more closely resembles this one than 2014-15 did. On the day of the Jack Roslovic* trade, Winnipeg was fifth in the West, seven points ahead of the ninth-place . The Jets were a playoff team and they knew it, a feat that has taken Winnipeg three seasons to reproduce.

*Yes, this is revisionist. No, I don’t mind.

Winnipeg leads the NHL’s Central Division, they are a 96 per-cent lock to make the playoffs, and they have a general manager who – despite his conservative reputation – is capable of making a big trade when the situation calls for it.

Not only did he acquire Myers and Stafford for the extremely abbreviated Jets’ 2015 playoff run, Cheveldayoff also made two minor deals, picking up Jiri Tlusty and Lee Stempniak, veterans who combined for 18 points in Winnipeg’s stretch run.

This season’s Winnipeg Jets are better positioned than they were 2014-15 for three reasons:

The Jets are better positioned for home-ice advantage than they are to play against the conference’s top seed as they did in 2015. Connor Hellebuyck has a stronger track record as an above average goaltender than Ondrej Pavelec ever did. Winnipeg has enough cap space to add up to $29,090,609 worth of player salaries at this year’s trade deadline (via CapFriendly) Let’s focus on item No. 3 for a minute.

Here is a list of Winnipeg Jets who I see as value contracts this season (cap hit in brackets): ($4.125M) Jacob Trouba ($2.813M) Connor Hellebuyck ($2.250M) Adam Lowry ($1.125M) Andrew Copp ($1.000M) Patrik Laine ($0.925M) Joel Armia ($0.925M) Kyle Connor ($0.925M) Nikolaj Ehlers ($0.894M) Jack Roslovic ($0.894M) Josh Morrissey ($0.863M)

Take a moment to appreciate this – nearly half of Winnipeg’s active roster, including its starting goaltender, top defensive pairing and most of its top-nine forwards, have cap hits which represent extreme value. This simply doesn’t happen in the NHL anymore: even last year’s Stanley Cup-winning – with players on their ELCs on both of Crosby’s wings – had just four contracts this good: Justin Schultz, Matt Murray, Conor Sheary and Jake Guentzel.

Both of last year’s Penguins and this year’s Jets have end-of-the-roster players on cheap deals. For every Rowney, Rust or Dumoulin there is a Dano, Hendricks or Tanev. It could be argued that no matter how much you pay or Evgeni Malkin, their contracts are still value deals. Still, the point I want to make is clear: the Jets have a stunning number of players on value contracts and a mountain of cap space in 2017-18 as a result.

This highly exploitable competitive advantage doesn’t last forever. As soon as next season, Nik Ehlers’ $6 million contract eats up nearly all of the ’s projected growth, plus Hellebuyck, Trouba, Morrissey, Lowry, Armia, Tanev, Dano and Poolman sign their RFA deals this summer. It’s going to be an expensive summer.

The following season, Patrick Laine and Kyle Connor will need new contracts at the same time that Blake Wheeler and Tyler Myers hit free agency.

In short: if ever there were a year for Winnipeg to go for it, this is the one.

So if this is the year, what does Winnipeg need?

Let’s have a look at Winnipeg’s lines when healthy this season. I have my own opinions about this but for the moment, let’s leave Maurice’s lines untouched:

Connor – Scheifele – Wheeler Ehlers – Little – Laine Copp – Lowry – Tanev Perreault – Hendricks – Armia Roslovic, Dano, Matthias

Trouba – Morrissey Byfuglien – Enstrom Kulikov – Myers Chiarot, Poolman

Hellebuyck Mason

The closest Winnipeg has come to playing this lineup consistently was a stretch of games between Nov. 16 (enter Perreault) and Dec. 27 (exit Scheifele.) During that stretch of games, Winnipeg was at its most dominant. Not only were the Jets a top-three team in shot attempts, high danger scoring chances and actual goals scored – they were destroying teams.

Under ordinary circumstances, you might look at this lineup and conclude that it needed only modest help – a faster fourth-line centre, perhaps, or another NHL-calibre defenceman as injury insurance. Ken Wiebe of the Winnipeg Sun, who I view as a local insider, suggests that Winnipeg is looking for a centre and a defenceman.

Wiebe suggests a centre of Derick Brassard’s calibre, I nod my head and think: yes, someone at least that good. Of course, there are those that think a minor addition – say, Mark Letestu to cover off the No. 4 centre role – would be more than enough. Personally, I think this is the most singularly cost-effective roster that Winnipeg will ice for as long as Ehlers and Laine are Jets. As such, I see this as a time for calculated aggression.

The NHL’s salary cap is pro-rated based on the number of days in its season. For example, if Winnipeg stayed exactly $5 million below the cap from the beginning of the season to its exact midpoint, it would be able to add a $10 million contract for the rest of the season. By staying well below the cap leading up to the trade deadline on Feb. 26, Winnipeg has $29,090,609 in projected deadline-day cap space.

Imagine: if in some fantasy world, you could snap your fingers on Feb. 26 and add all of Sidney Crosby ($8.7 million), ($5.5 million), and Erik Karlsson ($6.5 million) to the Jets roster, Winnipeg would be able to afford it with more than $8 million in cap space to spare. That’s the kind of competitive advantage the Jets are working with here – for one season only.

So in a magical fantasy world, what should the Jets want?

To me, Winnipeg’s biggest wants should be a veteran forward – a centre, ideally – capable of playing on a skill line and a defenceman who they’d trust as high as the second pair in case of injury.

They would also benefit from a better fourth-line centre – not because Matt Hendricks is inadequate in that role but because his wingers are so superlatively good that the upgrade would pay large dividends.

This is my version of addressing all three of these wants:

Perreault – Scheifele – Wheeler Ehlers – Brassard (UFA 2019) – Laine Connor – Little – Armia Copp – Lowry – Roslovic Extras: Tanev, Dano, Matthias, Hendricks

Trouba – Morrissey Enstrom – Byfuglien Kulikov – Myers Auvitu (UFA 2018) Chiarot, Poolman

Hellebuyck Mason

If Brassard (UFA 2019) can’t be made to work, then I propose wingers such as Rick Nash (UFA 2018), Mike Hoffman (2019), and Patrick Maroon (2018) with a shuffle required to give Little his role as the No. 2 centre. All three of these players have scored at least 0.5 points per game in at least 25 playoff games.

Meanwhile in Edmonton, Johan Auvitu has managed not just a 54 per cent Corsi but a positive relative Corsi, too – he hasn’t been their solution but he hasn’t been their problem, either.

You may find it absurd that I scratch Tanev despite the TLC line’s proven success. This is not out of disrespect for Tanev, whose fast, straight line game I have come to regard as a perfect stylistic match for Copp and Adam Lowry. Instead, it is out of respect for the intelligence of Jack Roslovic. Plus, if the rookie can’t play the responsible two-way game demanded of Lowry’s starboard side, I have no qualms at all with swapping him out.

Finally, a note on the demotion of rookies. I have all kinds of time for the argument that Connor or Roslovic are good enough for the top left-wing job. That said, I told you I believe this year represents unique opportunity and I stand by that. If adding Hoffman or Nash means someone like Kyle Connor doesn’t have to be counted on in a feature role, then I am all for it – no matter how good I believe Connor to be.

As always, your mileage may vary.

A healthy dose of realism

If my urgency in the previous section struck you as idealistic, consider this portion of the article its necessarily pragmatic follow-up.

In the three points per game, parity pushing NHL, standings separation is hard to come by. In the Western Conference, I count only three teams as sure bets to miss the post-season: Edmonton, Vancouver and . In the East, I count five: Detroit, Montreal, Florida, Ottawa and Buffalo.

That’s eight teams whose distance from eighth place strikes me as too far to be made up. If you go by Dom’s playoff probabilities, it may be reasonable to add the Rangers (29 per cent) in the East and Chicago (19 per cent) in the West. I feel like I’m being generous here but that’s 10 teams whose interests may lie in selling.

Let’s have a look at pending free agents from those 10 teams. Of all the defenders listed, only Green and Holden play as high as the second pair. Most are healthy scratches. And of the forwards, the most impactful players come with compelling reasons they might not be available. Call me naïve, but I don’t think Evander Kane is coming back.

Here’s the list:

Detroit: Mike Green (RD), Andreas Athanasiou (C/LW), David Booth (LW)

Montreal: Tomas Plekanec (C), Ales Hemsky (RW), Nicolas Deslauriers (LW), Adam Cracknell (RW)

Florida: Radim Vrbata (RW), Colton Sceviour (C)

Ottawa: (RW), Johnny Oduya (LD)

Buffalo: Evander Kane (LW), Josh Gorges (LD), Benoit Pouliot (LW), Jordan Nolan (C), Justin Falk (LD)

New York: Rick Nash (LW), Nick Holden (RD), Michael Grabner (RW), David Desharnais (C), Paul Carey (C)

Edmonton: Michael Cammalleri (C), Patrick Maroon (LW), Mark Fayne (RD), Mark Letestu (C), Yohann Auvitu (LD)

Vancouver: (C), (LW), Thomas Vanek (LW/RW), Erik Gudbrandson (RD), Alex Biega (RD), Nic Dowd (C)

Arizona: Brad Richardson (RW), Luke Schenn (RD), Kevin Connauton (LW), Zac Rinaldo (LW), Mario Kempe (LW)

Chicago: Jan Rutta (D), Lance Bouma (C), Cody Franson (D), Michal Kempny (D), Patrick Sharp (LW), Tommy Wingels (RW), Dennis Rasmussen (C)

The final call:

After all of this, there are two things I remain convinced of heading into the 2018 trade deadline:

• If the Winnipeg Jets stand pat, they are missing a once-in-a-Laine opportunity • Acquiring impact players whose contracts expire this summer or next may require some creativity on the part of Kevin Cheveldayoff and his rival GM

As always, the value of a deal depends not just on the players acquired but the assets given up. In 2014-15, Cheveldayoff proved he could pull off a complex deal to the benefit of his team. If he can do the same heading into the 2018 playoffs, the Jets could be looking at a deep run this spring. And if Winnipeg pulls off some of the EA Sports inspired stuff I've been reading on Twitter – Tavares and the Sedins, as two quick examples – then I'll see you on Portage Avenue this June.

In the end, the final call is not mine but yours:

How aggressive do you think Winnipeg should be?

Would a minor deal – say, Mark Letestu to play fourth-line centre – be enough to keep you satisfied?

Or do they need to add a major piece like Derick Brassard and an extra defenceman like Auvitu?

As always, I'll be keen to hear what you think. https://theathletic.com/224162/2018/01/27/lebrun-gary-bettman-is-looking-to-clarify-goaltender- interference-reviews/

LeBrun: Gary Bettman is looking to clarify goaltender interference reviews

By Pierre LeBrun

Euro-bound Patrik Laine and Aleksander Barkov squaring off in an NHL game in Finland?

Yeah, that was pretty much a no-brainer for the NHL and NHLPA.

Bettman made official Saturday evening what we tweeted earlier in the day, that the Winnipeg Jets and Florida Panthers would play a pair of November regular-season games in Helsinki featuring two of two of Suomi’s brightest hockey stars.

“I think it’ll be great,” said Jets chairman Mark Chipman on Saturday. “Our guys talked to Colorado and Ottawa about it and by all accounts the experience was really good, from a number of different vantage points. It’s pretty excited.”

Connor McDavid’s Edmonton Oilers and ’s New Jersey Devils are also headed overseas, playing one regular-season game in Stockholm to open the regular season in October (it’ll count as a Devils home game). The Oilers will also play an exhibition game in Germany beforehand, which will be a treat for Leon Draisaitl while the Devils will play an exhibition game in Switzerland, no doubt a thrill for Swiss-born Nico Hischier.

Not every team in the league lines up for these European games but the Jets had zero issue with it. Chipman said they talked to Colorado about it for feedback.

“Just kind of talked about it in terms of the travel, schedule, how for it not to be punitive in terms of throwing the rest of the schedule off balance and those kinds of considerations,” said Chipman. “But the league was really accommodating in that respect. So it was those kind of things we talked to them about, and just the general experiences with their players. Everyone seemed to really have a good time. Both teams reported that it was a good experience.” www.winnipegjets.com https://www.nhl.com/jets/news/jets-all-stars-enjoy-first-nhl-skills-competition-experience/c- 295374498

Jets All-Stars enjoy first NHL Skills Competition experience All-Star Game set for Sunday at 2:30 pm CT by Mitchell Clinton @MitchellClinton / WinnipegJets.com

TAMPA BAY, Florida - Blake Wheeler and Connor Hellebuyck got everything they wanted out of tonight's NHL All Star Skills Competition.

For Wheeler, it was memorable experiences for him and his wife Sam, and their three kids.

His oldest son Louie got to sit on the bench with the Jets captain, and it's something his dad won't forget.

"He was just asking a lot of questions," said Wheeler of his son's experience at ice level. "The two youngest probably won't remember much of it, but we'll have a lot of good pictures, a lot of good stories, and Louie will remember this the rest of his life. So that's pretty cool."

Wheeler participated in the Accuracy Shooting event, which like many of the events at this year's event, underwent a bit of a facelift.

Instead of four targets, there were five, with the additional one in the middle of the net. The five targets also lit up, and the shooter had to hit the proper target.

Wheeler hit all five in 22.531 seconds.

"The hardest part was having to get the pucks out of the pile of pucks. Then you have to figure out where the target is," said Wheeler. "I think if you did it again, you'd kind of scatter those pucks around a little bit, so you could rapid fire it a little bit. I'm happy I didn't do 50 seconds there."

Fifty seconds was the amount of time it took Los Angeles Kings forward Anze Kopitar to complete the same event.

"The best part was that me and Anze Kopitar were talking about it the whole time. I went second and I was at 22 seconds, and I'm like 'oh man. I might be that guy,'" said Wheeler. "He was giving me a hard time, and he was like 'as long as I beat 22 I'm good.' It was fun."

A new event this year involved the , called the Save Streak.

Each goaltender faced a minimum of nine shooters, and the streak couldn't end with a save, meaning if a particular goaltender made a save on the ninth shooter, he kept going.

Hellebuyck's longest streak was three - with saves on Calgary's Johnny Gaudreau, Vegas' James Neal, and Arizona's Oliver Ekman-Larsson. Overall, Hellebuyck stopped six of the ten shots he faced.

"I wasn't too concerned with it, but once I got going, I got a bit nervous," said Hellebuyck. "I could feel myself getting a little intense. I just wanted to have some fun out there, and I feel like I did that."

The Jets goaltender, who sits second in the NHL in wins with 26, enjoyed the time he spent on the ice with the league's best, and found himself enjoying all the other events Saturday night.

"I was really into them all. I don't know if you saw me out there, but I was being a fan for a bit," said Hellebuyck. "I'm hoping the fans did too." https://www.nhl.com/jets/news/chipman-ecstatic-for-jets-to-take-part-in-2018-nhl-global-series/c- 295375078

Chipman ecstatic for Jets to take part in 2018 NHL Global Series Winnipeg will face Florida in two regular season games in Finland come November by Mitchell Clinton @MitchellClinton / WinnipegJets.com

TAMPA BAY, Florida - Next season's NHL schedule won't be released for a number of months, but Patrik Laine and Joel Armia already know two games to circle on the calendar.

In November 2018, the Winnipeg Jets will play two regular season games in Laine and Armia's home country of Finland against the Florida Panthers.

Jets Executive Chairman Mark Chipman says the conversations began back in November.

"I think it's going to be great. There's a long history of our organization and players from Finland and Sweden," said Chipman. "It's kind of neat, it's full circle. To be asked to go over there is a real honour. That the league would think that we would be an attraction in Finland is really a high honour for us. We're fired up about it."

A number of details still need to be ironed out, including the specific dates and cities the games will be played.

Even those logistics up in the air, Chipman is happy for Laine and Armia, two players that have already contributed so much to the organization in their 271 combined NHL games.

"Not only just the way Patrik has performed at such an early age, but the way he's carried himself as well. He's really earned the respect of his teammates, and people around the league in short order," said Chipman. "The league notices those things. He's a great young man.

"I think the fact Joel Armia is having a great year again, and has really turned into a fine NHL player is fantastic as well. We're very pleased with the young man we drafted last summer in Kristian Vesalainen. He's having a great year in the Finnish Elite League. So we've got some pedigree in Finland right now. Our fans over there, of which I know there are many because of those guys, they'll be really excited to see us over there."

Also part of the NHL Global Series, the Edmonton Oilers and New Jersey Devils will also head overseas. Each team will play a preseason game (Edmonton in Germany, New Jersey in Switzerland). Then the two will face-off to open the regular season in Sweden.

"We think the German market is a tremendous opportunity for the , NHL players, in terms of making an impact in the German market it's a great market place," said NHL Deputy Commissioner, Bill Daly. "It has a hockey tradition, and a hockey culture, and we think we can build on that and add to it. We have a great relationship with the German Federation, a great relationship with the German Ice Hockey League."

The NHL also announced the league is heading back to China in September, as part of the 2018 O.R.G. NHL China Games. Like the Finland games involving the Jets, details are still being worked on, including which teams will attend. https://www.nhl.com/jets/video/ask-a-jet--all-star-edition/t-277437442/c-57082703

ASK A JET | All-Star Edition

Blake Wheeler and Connor Hellebuyck answer YOUR questions in this All-Star episode of Ask a Jet presented by FASTSIGNS https://www.nhl.com/jets/video/all-star--1-on-1-with-chipman/t-277437442/c-57074003

ALL STAR | 1-on-1 with Chipman

Jamie Thomas catches up with Mark Chipman to discuss the Jets and Panthers games in Finland this fall https://www.nhl.com/jets/video/all-star--sights-and-sounds/t-277437442/c-57085903

ALL STAR | Sights and Sounds

Follow Blake Wheeler and Connor Hellebuyck as they arrive on the red carpet and settle into the dressing room prior to the All-Star Game https://www.nhl.com/jets/video/all-star--wheeler-at-skills/t-277437442/c-57080403

ALL STAR | Wheeler at Skills

Blake Wheeler talks about his performance in the shooting accuracy competition, and what it was like his family on the bench https://www.nhl.com/jets/video/all-star--hellebuyck-at-skills/t-277437442/c-57080203

ALL STAR | Hellebuyck at Skills

Connor Hellebuyck looks back on his first NHL All-Star Skills Competition https://www.nhl.com/jets/video/all-star--1-on-1-with-friedman/t-277437442/c-57069703

ALL STAR | 1-on-1 with Friedman

JetsTV's Jamie Thomas goes one-on-one with 's Elliott Friedman to discuss the Bettman presser, the Jets/Panthers in Finland and more

Top View