Expansion Draft Preview: Winnipeg Jets

The Winnipeg Jets paid a high price back in 2017 to get around losing anybody of significance in the Expansion Draft.

The Jets sent Vegas the No. 13 overall pick and a third-round pick in exchange for Vegas taking enforcer Chris Thorburn along with the No. 24 overall pick, which the Golden Knights previously acquired from Columbus.

This time around, the Jets are poised to have the Seattle Kraken scoop up one of a couple of blueline prospects. Will they make another side deal?

Eligible Forwards

@Blake Wheeler, @Kyle Connor, @Paul Stastny (UFA), @Mark Scheifele, @Nikolaj Ehlers, @Pierre-Luc Dubois, @Mathieu Perreault (UFA), @Adam Lowry, @Andrew Copp, @Mason Appleton, @Nate Thompson (UFA), @Trevor Lewis (UFA), @Jansen Harkins, @Dominic Toninato

Eligible Defenders

@Joshua Morrissey, @Dylan DeMelo, @Neal Pionk, @Jordie Benn (UFA), @Nathan Beaulieu, @Derek Forbort (UFA), @Logan Stanley, @@Tucker Poolman (UFA), @Sami Niku

Eligible Goaltenders

@Connor Hellebuyck, @Laurent Brossoit (UFA), @Eric Comrie (UFA)

Exempt Players

Bryan Little (INJ), Cole Perfetti, Kristian Vesalainen, David Gustafsson, Ville Heinola, Declan Chisholm, Simon Lundmark, Arvid Holm

What should they do?

Winnipeg’s protected list seems fairly obvious as the team will likely keep the band together that made it to the second round of this spring’s playoffs.

Blake Wheeler has a no-movement clause, and Kyle Connor, Mark Scheifele, Nik Ehlers, and Pierre-Luc Dubois are all easy choices to protect. Adam Lowry has become an effectively middle-six centre for the Jets, leaving their final forward choice between Andrew Copp or Mason Appleton.

On the blueline, Josh Morrissey, Dylan DeMelo, and Neal Pionk, who were three of the team’s top-four defencemen, appear to be the clear choices to be protected. Finally, Connor Hellebuyck is obviously going to be the goalie that the Jets protect.

This leaves Seattle with a chance to take one of Winnipeg’s former top prospects: Sami Niku or Logan Stanley. They could also snag whichever forward between Copp and Appleton gets left exposed.

Both Stanley and Niku have upside but haven’t yet been able to establish themselves at the NHL level. If you’re Seattle, either one would be worth taking a flyer on. If you’re Winnipeg, none of these players are worth making a side deal in order to protect at this point.