Will the Winnipeg Jets make some trades at the NHL Trade Deadline?
The Winnipeg Press: Mike McIntyre thinks the Winnipeg Jets will make a big move at the NHL Trade Deadline just like they did last year when they traded for forward Paul Stastny.
McIntyre feels the Jets should target the following five big-name players if they want to contend for the Stanley Cup. They won’t come cheap, of course. But this is no time to stand pat or play it safe. The Jets are a good team, for sure. But they’re going to need all the help they can get.
- Matt Duchene, 27, Ottawa: Go big or go home, right? Duchene is probably the biggest fish in the pond, and the Ottawa Senators’ asking price may be too rich. But Cheveldayoff should at least be finding out what it might take to get him to Winnipeg.
- Eric Staal, 34, Minnesota: He’s a Stanley Cup champion who grew up about 700 kilometres east of Bell MTS Place. He’s in the final year of a team-friendly contract.
- Jake Muzzin, 29, Los Angeles: There’s no doubt the Kings are sellers, and Muzzin is a player who could surely bring back some value to an organization desperately in need of some youth and skill. He still has one more year on his contact, which could somewhat complicate matters for the Jets given the cap crunch they’ll be facing.
- Kevin Hayes, 26, New York Rangers: Big, strong, talented and in desperate need of a change of scenery. Hayes checks off many of the boxes the Jets would be interested in, and there are already plenty of rumours that Winnipeg is one of the teams that would be interested.
- Jay Bouwmeester, 35, St. Louis Blues: I’d be willing to bank on Bouwmeester, perhaps in a more sheltered role but one that could be a complementary piece for a defence core that would benefit from his experience.
