Kevin Cheveldayoff made it clear to us last week that his trade conversations are still in their earliest stages.
“Right now there’s still a lot of dancing going around, a lot of conversations that are (still) at 30,000 feet,” Cheveldayoff said. “Everyone might have these guys out there in trade rumours or trade talks and stuff like that, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that’s what’s happening behind the scenes on the phone calls. Some teams might extend some players, some teams might decide to keep their own rentals because that’s where they’re at.”
Then Mikko Rantanen was traded to Carolina in a three-team blockbuster. Hurricanes GM Eric Tulsky followed that up by telling Pierre LeBrun he’s going right back to his phone to look for more deals, while Avalanche GM Chris MacFarland seeks to use some of the cap space Rantanen left behind.
All of this stokes the fires of more trade speculation. It’s open season now — a perfect mix of too soon for the market to have crystallized, while following on the heels of a spectacular trade. It gives us the leeway to talk about all of the biggest names rumoured to be available — and how they might fit in Winnipeg.
We’re focusing on the NHL’s top forwards in today’s piece. What would J.T. Miller, Elias Pettersson — or a third Canuck, with closer ties to the Jets organization — look like on Winnipeg’s roster? What about Brock Nelson or Ryan O’Reilly?
And who is the Jets’ best bet to replicate Paul Stastny’s massive impact during Winnipeg’s deepest playoff run?
J.T. Miller, C, Canucks
Age: 31
Contract: $8 million cap hit, full no-movement clause, UFA 2030
Usage: Second line at five-on-five, first-unit power play, third-unit penalty kill
Production: 9 goals, 25 assists, 34 points in 39 games played
Canucks president of hockey operations Jim Rutherford has spoken openly about needing a new plan, admitting to The Globe and Mail that Miller and Pettersson are at the heart of Vancouver’s problems.
On the ice, Miller’s a great hockey player whose standard production rate is a point-per-game. He hit 103 points last season, still has 34 points in 39 games in this disappointing follow-up and is a force when he’s at his best: tough to play against, an elite faceoff man and a driver of play. Harman Dayal has written that Miller oscillates between hard-nosed, dominant force and something much less than that, even when he’s scoring points.
The assumption in discussing Miller to Winnipeg is that playing for a Cup contender would awaken the beast mode. The best-case outcome would see him take over Winnipeg’s second line, getting to the tough areas of the ice and helping Nikolaj Ehlers and Cole Perfetti produce playoff points. It would involve none of the off-ice conflicts that made headlines during Miller’s Canucks career. And it would see the 31-year-old Miller keep playing his hard-nosed game through the duration of a contract that pays him $8 million for five seasons after this one. If it all worked out, Winnipeg would have the pieces to stay dominant while Connor Hellebuyck and Mark Scheifele are still at the height of their powers.
It’s also a big bet — one that would come at a considerable cost, according to Dayal and Shayna Goldman. Winnipeg could afford the cap hit; the Jets are also uniquely positioned to afford to pay a first-round pick, a middle-of-the-lineup NHL forward and a younger player. That’s just a lot to give for a player whose intensity sometimes seems like a double-edged sword. Would you trade Cole Perfetti, Alex Iafallo, a first-round pick and a prospect for your memory of Blake Wheeler?
Remember, the worst-case scenario is a locker room problem with a full no-move clause who ages out of effectiveness and takes up a hefty chunk of cap space through 2029-30.
Brock Nelson could be an ideal fit on the Jets’ second line … if he’s available. (Bruce Bennett / Getty Images)
Age: 33
Contract: $6 million cap hit, 16-team no-trade list, UFA 2025
Usage: First line at five-on-five, first-unit power play, second-unit penalty kill
Production: 15 goals, 17 assists, 32 points in 49 games played
Nelson strikes me as an ideal stylistic fit for Winnipeg, matching speed and scoring with size and faceoff success. I think he’d perform really well on a sheltered second line with Ehlers and Perfetti and have written at length to that effect.
The problem — at least for the moment — is that no one told the Islanders they’re supposed to be sellers. They’re 8-2-0 in their last 10 games, four points back of a wild-card spot and have a game in hand over every team between themselves and Tampa Bay. Maybe Ilya Sorokin cools off, maybe the goals dry up, but until they do Nelson is a 6-foot-4, goal-scoring speedster who will help the Islanders make their playoff push.
Ryan O’Reilly, C, Predators
Age: 33
Contract: $4.5 million cap hit, UFA 2027
Usage: Second line at five-on-five, first-unit power play, third-unit penalty kill
Production: 14 goals, 14 assists, 28 points in 45 games played
O’Reilly is the closest thing to a 2018 Stastny on our trade board. He’s a veteran with great faceoff results and an elite two-way resume; Stastny was the same. O’Reilly is scoring at a 51-point pace; Stastny was scoring at a 52-point pace. O’Reilly plays a key role for a team that’s underperforming; Stastny was available partly because the Jets beat St. Louis on the Friday before the 2018 deadline. Winnipeg could help end the Predators’ playoff hopes for good when they play in Nashville on Feb. 27, potentially ensuring O’Reilly’s availability.
O’Reilly is about to turn 34, mind you — Stastny was 32 when Winnipeg acquired him. He’s still thought to have top-line impact, helping the Predators dramatically outchance their opponents despite playing tough opponents at five-on-five, and check this out: O’Reilly’s 2.0 points per 60 minutes at five-on-five would land him third among Jets scorers, behind only Ehlers and Kyle Connor. His usage has changed and his power-play impact has dropped but O’Reilly can still score.
He’s also won a Stanley Cup (and a Conn Smythe Trophy along the way) which would make him unique on that front in Winnipeg. He has two more years left on his contract after this one — a perk whether you’re Nashville thinking about keeping him or Winnipeg making your pitch to acquire him.
Age: 23
Contract: $7.1 million cap hit, UFA 2030
Usage: Second line at five-on-five, second-unit power play, third-unit penalty kill
Production: 10 goals, 16 assists, 26 points in 50 games played
I don’t understand this one. If I’m Buffalo, I might have some regret paying for Cozens’ percentage-driven offensive explosion in 2022-23 but he’s still a good, young player. His $7.1 million cap hit comes with sticker shock but Cozens is young, the cap is going up and it would be very easy for Buffalo to wait a couple more years for Cozens to grow into his contract.
For what it’s worth, Cozens doesn’t have trade protection — yet. A five-team no-trade clause kicks in starting 2027-28.
Age: 33
Contract: $5.167 million cap hit, 23-team no-trade list, UFA 2025
Usage: Second line at five-on-five, second-unit penalty kill
Production: 6 goals, 10 assists, 16 points in 35 games played
Gourde won back-to-back Stanley Cups with Tampa Bay in 2020 and 2021 before being taken by Seattle in the expansion draft. He’s been a versatile middle-of-the-lineup player for the Kraken since that time but has struggled with injuries this season. Gourde recently skated in a non-contact jersey after missing most of January with a lower-body injury.
The upshot of a Gourde acquisition is that he’s fast, feisty and an excellent penalty killer with strong underlying numbers at even strength. His 23-team no-trade clause would be a barrier, while his AAV seems more like a reason the acquisition cost should be affordable than a problem in and of itself.
Yanni Gourde won back-to-back Cups with Tampa Bay before going to Seattle. (Steph Chambers / Getty Images)
Age: 26
Contract: $2.3 million cap hit, UFA 2025
Usage: Third line at five-on-five, occasional penalty kill
Production: 7 goals, 7 assists, 14 points in 50 games played
Frederic is best known in Winnipeg for knocking David Gustafsson out in a fight that never should have been offered. Frederic’s fight card is extensive; Gustafsson’s consists of that single abbreviated fight. If the Jets want to add that element — perhaps alleviating their concerns about taking Logan Stanley out of the lineup — then Frederic is a big, capable, affordable third-line player they might look into. He also skates well enough to fit into Winnipeg’s forecheck, making him more useful before the whistle is blown than many of the alternatives.
Age: 32
Contract: $5 million cap hit, 16-team no-trade list, UFA 2026
Usage: Third line at five-on-five, second-unit power play, first-unit penalty kill
Production: 9 goals, 15 assists, 24 points in 46 games played
Pageau strikes me as a prototypical Islanders player: underrated outside of his market, shy on offence and annoying to play against. He hasn’t been as effective on special teams this year as through most of his career, but Pageau is what most teams tend to get from the Adam Lowry spot in their lineup.
The Jets get more than most teams do, though — part of what makes Winnipeg’s depth a formidable asset — which makes Pageau a thought worth exploring only if Winnipeg decides to keep the Lowry-Ehlers duo intact when Lowry returns from injury. I’m not sure that’s in the cards.
Pageau comes with one more year on his contract after this one but has a 16-team no-trade clause.
Age: 30
Contract: $3 million cap hit, UFA 2026
Usage: Third line at five-on-five, first-unit penalty kill
Production: 10 goals, 15 assists, 25 points in 48 games played
Laughton has one more year left on his contract and has a more productive scoring resume than Pageau does. Laughton is a versatile player on the ice and glue guy off of it in Philadelphia, making him a desirable acquisition for many teams — and an important player for Philadelphia to keep.
If the Jets were to acquire Laughton, he might not be a substantial upgrade to Vladislav Namestnikov at centre so much as another helpful, versatile bottom-six option.
Winnipeg has fond memories of Brandon Tanev in a Jets jersey. Is he the right fit for a return? (Dilip Vishwanat / Getty Images)
Age: 33
Contract: $3.5 million cap hit, 10-team no-trade list, UFA 2025
Usage: Fourth line at five-on-five, first-unit penalty kill
Production: 8 goals, 7 assists, 15 points in 50 games played
It’s hard for me to see the Jets sending someone from their typical fourth line of Morgan Barron, Rasmus Kupari and Alex Iafallo to the press box for kicks. They’d need a meaningful upgrade somewhere else in the lineup to justify that — especially now that Gustafsson is getting into games and showing he can help too.
That said, there are fond remembrances of Tanev’s tenacity in Winnipeg. He’s still fleet of foot and still receives substantial penalty-killing duties. Note that Seattle balances its minutes more than the Jets do; Tanev’s fourth-line deployment gives him at least two more minutes per game than anyone on Winnipeg’s fourth line. He’s scored more than Barron or Kupari have but they’ve beaten his considerable top speed — and have more impact as forecheckers, too.
Age: 27
Contract: $6.65 million cap hit, 10-team no-trade list, UFA 2025
Usage: First line at five-on-five, first-unit power play
Production: 16 goals, 17 assists, 33 points in 42 games played
Winnipeg liked Boeser a lot at the 2015 draft. Had he not come off the board at No. 23 to Vancouver, the Jets would almost certainly have selected Boeser with the No. 25 pick they used on Jack Roslovic. Winnipeg even considered Boeser at No. 17 — the pick they used on Kyle Connor, one of only eight players from that draft class with more points (548) than Boeser’s 417.
It makes loads of sense to me that the Jets would still be interested in Boeser, whether on the trade market right now or as an unrestricted free agent this summer. I don’t view his no-trade list as a concern, either, given my understanding of Boeser’s relationships with Jets management.
Sources indicate that many teams expect Brock Boeser to be available at the deadline barring a serious Canucks turnaround.
If he does stay through this season, he’ll likely be available on July 1, and a healthy group will be vying for his services on a long-term deal – something…
— Cam Robinson (@Hockey_Robinson) January 28, 2025
The obvious spot for Boeser to fit would be at second-line right wing. If he were to be acquired for draft capital, that could put Perfetti between Ehlers and Boeser on a scoring line. It’s also possible Namestnikov will keep that job while Perfetti gets demoted, although I don’t expect Scott Arniel to be of the same mindset that Rick Bowness was a year ago when Perfetti dressed for only one playoff game.
One concern? Boeser has never driven play at even strength, despite his considerable goal-scoring prowess. That concern is easy to mitigate — Winnipeg could keep him on Ehlers’ sheltered secondary scoring line, while adding him to the second power-play unit — but it limits Boeser’s versatility.
Age: 33
Contract: $5 million cap hit, 16-team no-trade list, UFA 2025
Usage: Second line at five-on-five, first-unit power play, second-unit penalty kill
Production: 12 goals, 20 assists, 32 points in 49 games played
Palmieri is a feisty 5-foot-11 right wing who goes to the net hard and gets plenty of shots from dangerous areas. He used to score 20 goals per season like clockwork, is on pace to repeat that feat this year, and hit 30 as recently as last season. All of that is easy to like, despite the $5 million contract, his rental status and his 16-team no-trade clause.
A bigger concern might be that Palmieri doesn’t particularly control the flow of play. I don’t expect that a worse version of Tyler Toffoli will be on Winnipeg’s shopping list — even if the Islanders do become sellers.
Age: 32
Contract: $5 million cap hit, UFA 2025
Usage: Second line at five-on-five, first-unit power play, first-unit penalty kill
Production: 15 goals, 29 assists, 44 points in 51 games played
Granlund’s second-line usage in San Jose sees him hit the ice more often than Miller or Boeser do in Vancouver. His power-play role attaches him to Macklin Celebrini, while his special teams usage helps Granlund lead all Sharks forwards in total ice time per game. On one hand, he’s clearly versatile; on the other, it’s more than fair to question his ability to replicate his offensive results in Winnipeg.
I’m not sure if the Jets remember Granlund fondly — or the right type of not-so-fondly — from his decade-plus in the Central Division, but he could be a middle-six upgrade with versatility to his game.
Elias Pettersson, C, Canucks
Age: 26
Contract: $11.6 million cap hit, UFA 2032
Usage: First line at five-on-five, first-unit power play, third-unit penalty kill
Production: 11 goals, 20 assists, 31 points in 43 games played
My expectation is that Vancouver will trade the veteran Miller and keep the 26-year-old Pettersson, who is signed until he’s 33. It makes the most sense from a team-building perspective, with Pettersson closer to Quinn Hughes’ age and still capable of elite offensive production.
That said, those are exactly the same reasons why opposing teams should be willing to give Vancouver more for Pettersson than for Miller. Elliotte Friedman reported Vancouver was close to moving Pettersson to Carolina prior to the Rantanen blockbuster.
Do the Jets have a Martin Necas and Jack Drury-type package to send the Canucks? Could they offer something similar to what Buffalo got for Jack Eichel — a first-round pick, a scoring winger (Alex Tuch) and a quality prospect (Peyton Krebs?) I think Ehlers, Brad Lambert and a first-round pick could get in the ballpark and still fall short — especially with Ehlers as a pending UFA.
Pettersson’s contract would blow up the Jets’ salary hierarchy. I don’t think that matters — Kyle Connor will do the same if they retain him in 2026 — but the Jets might not agree with me there. Pettersson was well worth the big ticket when he scored 102 points two years ago and when he hit 89 points last year. At full health, he could be one of the NHL’s top players for the next several seasons, giving the Jets an elite centre duo and a succession plan beyond the heart of Scheifele’s career.
If there’s reason to believe he can get back to his 90-100 point, play-driving, defensively responsible peak, Winnipeg should join the lengthy list of Pettersson suitors.
If you ask me, O’Reilly is the ideal fit, Nelson would be a tremendous addition if the Islanders moved him, and Boeser makes sense to consider. Miller at his best is a phenomenal player but his contract scares me. And Pettersson’s offensive drop-off remains a mystery to me — a mystery I’d bet on if he’s healthy, given his age and elite ceiling.
Who’s on your wish list?
(Top photo of Ryan O’Reilly: Sergei Belski / Imagn Images)
