During the TSN insiders trading episode, Darren Dreger and Frank Seravalli teamed up to provide a bit of an update as to what the Winnipeg Jets might be looking for in free agency that kicks off Friday at 12 pm EST. While Dreger said the Jets might look to add a veteran center to bridge the gap between now and when recently-drafted Cole Perfetti is ready to make the NHL jump, Seravalli actually named a specific player.
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The name was a bit of a surprise in that it was a former Winnipeg Jet in Paul Statstny. Seravalli noted their history with the player and the Vegas Golden Knights certainly have made Statsny available for cap space reasons.
As the Knights struggle to trade Marc-Andre Fleury and he moves to the sideburner, the team will move onto other players and GM Kelly McCrimmon will try to move other pieces off the roster and whichever player brings the best return will be moved. If the Golden Knights can move that piece, they want to jump into the free agent market.
Where that affects the Jets is that they could land that 2nd line center in Statsny if they offer up a better return than other GMs might do or other GMs are offering for other players the Golden Knight might consider trading.
Stastny only has one season left at $6.5 million which helps the Jets on a short-term commitment and it helps the Golden Knights because he’s the player with the highest salary cap, giving them the most flexibility to do other things. As a result, the ask might not be terribly high considering the Golden Knights leverage isn’t at its peak.
A Double Golden Knights and Jets Whammy?
If Vegas really wanted to get into the free agent market and the Jets were interested in landing their center and their defenseman, there is a trade that could be had for both Stastny and Nate Schmidt.
That would clear more than $12 million off the books for the Golden Knights and give them room to make a splash on Friday.
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