Well, that was fun.
After weeks of speculation that the Jets were in the market for a big name forward, general manager Kevin Chevaldayoff swung five trades, improving depth and adding a huge piece to the puzzle when it comes to competing for the Stanley Cup. This calls for my annual take on the old adage: “Who says Kevin Chevaldayoff doesn’t like to make trades?” The team isn’t rebuilding anymore, retaining its asset. The Jets are now a buyer.
For the second year in a row, Chevaldayoff made a huge move on trade deadline day, acquiring centre Kevin Hayes from the New York Rangers in exchange for forward Brendan Lemieux, the Jets’ 2019 first-round pick, and a conditional fourth round pick in 2022.
Though his name may not be among the likes of Mark Stone or Matt Duchene—two names the Jets were also linked to that moved this week—don’t be fooled: this is a huge addition for the Jets.
Just where he’s going to play and who he’s going to play with is yet to be determined, but there’s a good chance he could be in the middle of some combination of the Jets’ corps of young wingers—Patrik Laine, Kyle Connor, and Nik Ehlers.
At Tuesday’s practice, he skated between Nikolaj Ehlers and Matthieu Perrault.
An unrestricted free agent at the end of this season, Hayes is on pace for a new career high in points, with 42 points in 51 games. He also led all Ranger forwards in penalty killing time. That’s not a huge feat, given the Rangers have the twenty-sixth-ranked penalty kill at 77.4 percent, but a fresh face could be just what the Jets’ penalty kill needs right now. After starting the year strong, the Jets currently have the twentieth-ranked penalty kill.
Hayes plays a responsible game defensively, and at six-foot-five, his size and length help him prevent shots against. He’s a smooth skater who generally makes the right play whether he’s got the puck or not. He can pass from all over the ice, uses his reach to get around guys, and has finish around the net. In other words, he’s the whole package.
There are still some question marks surrounding just how consistent a producer he can be, and whether or not his point totals this season are just a product of playing lots of minutes on a bad team. That being said, you could make the counterargument that as a good passer on a better team, he could be even better.
In fact, he just might need to be better considering the moves made by other Western Conference teams at the deadline. The Predators added forwards Mikael Granlund and Wayne Simmonds, and with a win over the Oilers on Monday they’ve taken over top spot in the division by one point.
The Jets have three games in hand, though, and as I discussed earlier in the season, winning these games is crucial. Especially after the trade deadline.
Last year, the Jets managed to win game seven in Nashville, and while they could do it again, it’ll be much harder this time around. Winning the division and getting home ice advantage could be the difference when chasing a Stanley Cup.
Gaining home ice advantage won’t be easy for the Jets, though, and it got even harder when it was reported that the team will be without defenseman Josh Morrissey until late March or early April.
Out in the Pacific Division, despite all the talk, the Flames didn’t acquire a marquee name at the deadline, choosing to hang on to their picks and prospects. This may be an odd thing to say, especially about the second-best team in hockey thus far, but after the trade deadline, is it safe to write off the Flames as a serious contender?
The Flames to me are the 2018–19 equivalent of last year’s Jets—a team on an upward trajectory with questionable goaltending. Of course, last year we saw Connor Hellebuyck go from a fringe starter to an elite goalie. I don’t know how much faith I have in Dave Rittich or Mike Smith, though, especially come playoff time.
The Golden Knights added forward Mark Stone in a deal involving top defensive prospect Erik Branstromm, while the Sharks added Gustav Nyquist for a second and third round pick, rounding out their top nine.
Safe to say, there’s going to be a lot of good hockey this spring, and after Monday the Jets have put themselves in an even better position to once again make it to the Conference Finals, and maybe go further.
Aside from the Hayes deal, the club also swung a few minor deals with the Sabres, Leafs, Jackets, Panthers, and Wild. We won’t go into all the details here—sorry, Alex Broadhurst fans—but the Jets did pick up some nice depth acquiring (and re-acquiring) forwards Par Lindholm and Matt Hendricks.
Broadhurst, Lindholm, and Hendricks are nice depth pieces and may be deployed situationally. Don’t expect Lindholm or Hendricks to become regulars in the line-up, though. The two will likely be used to patch and plug holes during the final stretch of the season. It also helps to have guys who are older, who have been there, and who have played under pressure. At 26, Lindholm has seen the playoff stage many times in Sweden. Getting Hendricks back is also convenient because he was just here last year. He knows the coach and he knows the system. Come playoff time, these could play huge factors.
The club also acquired defenseman Nathan Beaulieu. With Morrissey set to miss four to six weeks, he may see some top-four minutes some nights.