The last time the Winnipeg Jets advanced to the NHL playoffs (the 2006-07 season), they were still the Atlanta Thrashers. The franchise’s current seven-year postseason drought is the second longest active streak in the league, behind only the Edmonton Oilers, who have missed the playoffs eight years in a row.
Much has changed in the hockey world since the 2006-07 season. For example, the Thrashers’ two star forwards who carried them to the playoffs that year were Marián Hossa and Ilya Kovalchuk. Hossa has moved on to win two Stanley Cup titles with the Chicago Blackhawks. Kovalchuk left the NHL altogether, returning home to play in the Russian Kontinental Hockey League.
Now, the Jets are changing, too. And they are ready to end their playoff drought. They currently hold the top wild card spot in the highly contested Western Conference. Twenty-four-year-old Michael Hutchinson has been phenomenal for the Jets so far this year, boasting a 16-7-3 record with a .923 save percentage (Tied for ninth in the NHL) and a 2.24 goals against average (seventh in the NHL).
Strong, speedy, sharpshooting forward Evander Kane, whom the Thrashers selected fourth overall in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft, was recently traded to the Buffalo Sabres. The 23-year-old Kane was the centerpiece of a chart-busting trade that included 24-year-old defenseman Zach Bogosian (whom the Thrashers selected third overall in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft) and 22-year-old current Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute goaltender Jason Kasdorf.
Trading away not one, but two top-five draft picks in the same deal seems downright moronic. However, it’s no secret that Kane and the rest of the Jets organization did not get along.
Kane was a healthy scratch for an overtime loss to the Vancouver Canucks. On game day in Vancouver, Kane was benched because he broke team dress code, wearing a tracksuit instead of a business suit to a meeting. Sparks flew when his teammate Dustin Byfuglien allegedly tossed his tracksuit into the shower — Kane was not on the Jets’s bus to the arena. Rumors of Kane being placed on Winnipeg’s trading block continued to intensify.
The Jets received more than enough recompense from the Sabres. Primarily, they acquired defenseman Tyler Myers, Buffalo’s most valuable asset for a number of reasons. At 6-foot-8, 219 pounds, Myers is almost always the biggest player on the ice by far. Though he has not produced as well as many expected him to, he did win the Calder Memorial Trophy his rookie season and has played fairly consistently. At just 25 years old, he still has plenty of time to improve his game. He has a very favorable contract that runs through the 2018-19 season. Finally, a defensive top four featuring the intimidating All-Star Byfuglien and the gargantuan Myers will instill fear into the hearts of Winnipeg’s foes.
The Jets also received forward Drew Stafford, who will play top-nine minutes, highly anticipated offensive prospects Joel Armia and Brendan Lemieux, and a 2015 first round pick.
Buffalo Sabres General Manager Tim Murray realized that his team has very little NHL level talent before pulling the trigger on this monumental trade. Buffalo has a plethora of prospects currently in its system, but these youngsters still have years of development ahead of them before they’re ready for the big league.
Murray seized an opportunity to gain experienced talent now, knowing that he has talent due on the roster in a few seasons. Kane is out indefinitely this year with a shoulder injury. He will require surgery and most likely an extensive recovery period. After recovering, though, Kane immediately becomes Buffalo’s best forward. He will lead the Sabres in scoring next year (barring injury of course). Hopefully for both Buffalo and Kane, he fits the Sabres system better than he fit the Jets system.
Also, after dealing Myers, Bogosian is now Buffalo’s new go-to defenseman. Bogosian logged over 22 minutes per game in Winnipeg and spent time on both the power play and penalty kill. And at just 24 years old, if (when) his play improves even more, Bogosian may evolve into a more important piece of this trade than Kane.
In summary, the trade worked for both teams. Winnipeg benefits more than Buffalo because its current team is far superior. Additionally, the two prospects the Jets acquired — Armia and Lemieux — have an extremely high ceiling. If they even come close to their maximum potential, Winnipeg’s offense will be a force to be reckoned with within three years.
Comparatively, Buffalo acquires an excellent defenseman in Bogosian, a powerful scorer in Kane and a young goalie with a high upside in Kasdorf, all while remaining in the Connor McDavid and Jack Eichel sweepstakes. Placing McDavid or Eichel at center between Kane and Matt Moulson would be lethal for Buffalo’s future opponents. Only time will tell exactly where the Erie Otter or Boston University Terrier will land, but one thing is certain: each of them will make an immediate impact on whatever team is lucky enough to sign them.
