TSN’s Hockey Insiders on the Winnipeg Jets, Montreal’s trade deadline approach, Team Canada holding out hope for Brayden Point’s availability, the Wings seeking a centre and defenceman with term, why the Islanders aren’t done dealing, and the Penguins and Mammoth sticking to a patient approach.
James Duthie: Your Insiders Chris Johntson, Pierre LeBrun, and Darren Dreger. We’re only a week away from an Olympic break, which comes with a trade freeze, which means we have less than three weeks of actual trade time before Trade Centre.
Let’s check in on a couple of Canadian teams starting in Winnipeg, who are eight points out of a playoff spot entering play on Tuesday, with a lot of teams in between. So, where are they at, Dregs?
Darren Dreger: Well, they’re at a crossroads to be fair and, directionally, it’s still somewhat uncertain as to what the plan is for the Winnipeg Jets. Right now, their focus is on winning and not about what’s being speculated around their team.
They don’t control the speculation, and is it a waste of time for general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff to put out fires and spike speculation?
What I can tell you is that if we’re relating speculation for Seattle and Winnipeg, there’s been no conversation between those two clubs about the potential availability of Shane Wright. Now, maybe that changes down the road.
The focus for Winnipeg is on winning, but if they have to shift into a sell mode. I would look at somebody like big defenceman Logan Stanley. He’s an unrestricted free agent at the end of the year. There has been no contract extension dialogue between Stanley, the Jets and the agent involved, so he could be a piece that betters their position in the draft, but it’s too early.
Pierre LeBrun: In the meantime, in Montreal, the Habs have slid down the standings just a bit in the ultra-competitive Atlantic division. They’re still in a wild card spot and certainly, listen, they’ve already traded for Phillip Danault this year, and I don’t think management feels the pressure that they have to make another big swing year before the March 6 trade deadline.
I do think they’ll make a deal, but the point here is that they haven’t lost the bigger picture when it comes to them opening their window this year, keeping in mind that they’re the youngest team in the league.
Kent Hughes, the GM of the Habs, was on the podcast of Arpon Basu and Marc Antoine Godin on Friday, and he used the word “prudent” to describe his approach to the trade deadline. So, to me, that means they’re not going to mortgage the future for a short-term fix this year at the deadline. They are still open to hockey trades, and they’ve been creative, and they’ll continue to look at that venue if possible for a top-six upgrade
Duthie: Let’s take an Olympic break like the NHL will do. We’ll get back to the trade talk in a second, but Brayden Point’s availability for Team Canada. What’s the latest CJ?
Chris Johnston: Well, it didn’t look too good when he went down with that injury in Philadelphia earlier in the month. What I can tell you since then is that the news has gotten at least a little bit more encouraging. At this point in time, it is fully Brayden Point’s intention to get himself back healthy and get himself ready to play for Team Canada in Milan.
That’s the way that the management group is looking at it and hoping for things. Now, there’s only a week and a half until the players fly over there, so he’s gonna have to continue to make progress, perhaps even get into a game for the Tampa Bay Lightning. But at this point in time, we’re not talking about an injury replacement. We’re talking about Brayden Point getting healthy enough in time to play for Canada.
Duthie: Let’s check in on a couple of teams that haven’t been real shoppers in a while in the playoff race, and Detroit’s one of those, neck and neck with Tampa in the tight Atlantic division race. Full shopping mode, Dregs?
Dreger: I would say so, yes, but it depends on what you’re talking about here. They’re not looking for rental pieces. They are looking for specific adds. Detroit has been a patient team, and the patience is paying off. They’re a very good team, and Steve Yzerman is hoping to make this team that much better between now and March 6. They are looking for a number two centre, a player with term, and preferably a right-shot defenceman, again, with term.
When you look at what Detroit might be willing to part with, you have a look at their draft list. They’ve got a number of juicy picks that could be in play.
Duthie: The Islanders, meanwhile, are third in the Metro and already made one deal for Soucy and perhaps more coming, Pierre?
LeBrun: They’re not done if they have their way. The Islanders, who you know, have surprised some by sitting in a playoff spot. Well, they want to make the playoffs, and the reason for that is they feel to be a great experience for a lot of the younger players. You think of the young star rookie Matthew Schaefer, so the playoffs matter. So they didn’t just acquire Carson Soucy because they wanted to replace Alexander Romanov, who is gone for five to six months. They also wanted to tell the team, ‘Hey, we see what you’re doing here, and we want to reward you.’
They’d like to add a piece up front, improve their offence a little and if they really can, add that piece before next Wednesday’s deadline, if possible, as opposed to waiting until March 6.
Johnston: Two other teams that are in position to make the playoffs and would love to make the playoffs are the Pittsburgh Penguins and Utah Mammoth, but I’m not sure that we can label either of these teams a true buyer.
We like to keep it simple: Buyer versus seller. I don’t think it’s simple for either side.
On the Penguins’ end of things, I do believe they’re still out there shopping, but they’re shopping in the same aisle they’ve been doing it. So, Kyle Dubas is still looking for young players, but not necessarily pivoting his approach after seeing his team go through Western Canada with a perfect record, putting itself into a playoff spot.
As for Utah, they’ve been patiently building up by acquiring draft picks and bringing young players into their roster. But the biggest player they’re looking to add
