On the dawn of a new season in BEARD Hockey, the Winnipeg Jets and GM Jesse Edwards are very optimistic about the coming season.
The current roster does look a little different than the roster that was swept from the 2nd round last season, let’s go through some of the changes.
UFA Departures
Versatile forward William Karlsson, snake bit Jeff Skinner and solid defenseman Joel Edmundson left for greener pastures. Pierre-Luc Dubois was unfortunately traded despite management declaring that he was untouchable, but the return was too great to refuse - enter Steven Stamkos, a pure stud that can play any position well.
Other Trades of Note
Kris Letang comes over from Chicago. The price was very high, but the time was right as the Jets time is now. In a cap saving move Brendan Gallagher was sent to Vegas for Jordan Eberle. Eberle and Letang both have retained salary from previous teams.
Another big addition is Mikael Granlund, another versatile with good scoring at the cost of a 1st round pick. The last depth pick up was Mathieu Perreault a dressing room guy that can play all forward positions.
Unfortunately the additions put the Jets in a cap bind and there was a casualty on the blueline. Carl Gunnarsson had to be moved at a discount to manage the cap.
Now the Jets need to use this infusion of talent and leadership to get to the top. Anything short of a championship season will be a failure.
The Winnipeg Press