Apr 5, 2014; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Winnipeg Jets defenseman
(33) carries the puck against the Toronto Maple Leafs at the Air Canada Centre. Winnipeg defeated Toronto 4-2. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports
9. WINNIPEG JETS
Things could get interesting here. If there’s any team that could labelled as Tambellini-esque, its this one. Kevin Cheveldayoff has been sitting on his hands since the Jets returned to the NHL. Every year, the Jets have been mere points out of playoff contention. They need an improved goaltending situation, and a bit more scoring punch. What could transpire? Here comes a proposal that will be seen as crazy by most of you.
WINNIPEG—Ondrej Pavelec, Dustin Byfuglien, 9th Overall
EDMONTON—Viktor Fasth, Martin Marincin, 2015 1st round pick
WILL IT HAPPEN? Quite possibly, yes. Edmonton recieves an established NHL goalie who would be a very solid #2 to Ben Scrivens. Winnipeg gets a hungrier and better goalie, but Fasth is unproven. Risky. Byfuglien brings his size and scoring to Edmonton. In exchange, they get a D-man on the rise in Marincin. Edmonton still retains a top 10 pick–keep in mind that the International Scouting Service lists the tenth pick as Nick Ritchie. He’s a six foot, 229 pound forward who shoots left, and Edmonton needs that. The bold and crazy part for Edmonton is the release of next year’s first rounder. Why use it? Because if all goes according to plan, they should pick in the Top 15 next year, not the top 5. It’s a gamble and one that hs a better chance of panning out for Winnipeg than not.