The NHL Free Agency period officially begins today at 12:00PM EST as thirty NHL General Manager will vie to make subtle — or in some cases desperate — acquisitions in hopes that they can bring their clubs closer to a date with the Stanley Cup next June.
For the Winnipeg Jets, their main focus during the free agency period will be to lock up Alexander Burmistrov, Blake Wheeler, Bryan Little and Zach Bogosian to long-term deals as the quartet of young guns will be instrumental building blocks for Kevin Cheveldayoff’s roster going forward.
Having said that, the Jets are still a team with its share of deficiencies, namely a glaring lack of scoring depth outside of Andrew Ladd and Evander Kane. With their blue-line more or less set for the start of the 2013-14 season, we decided to take a look at a list of modestly priced players that could fit into a second or third line role with the Jets.
The following forwards would compliment Winnipeg's line-up quite well:
Season | GP | TOI/60 | Pts/60 | Corsi Rel | On-Ice Sht % | On-Ice Sv% | PDO | Pen Take | Pen Drawn | OZ Strt% |
2013 | 48 | 14.75 | 1.86 | +4.9 | 8.20 | 881 | 963 | 0.4 | 0.5 | 60.1 |
2012 | 65 | 10.86 | 1.27 | +1.9 | 6.55 | 948 | 1013 | 0.3 | 0.5 | 53.9 |
2011 | 83 | 14.11 | 2.05 | +4.2 | 9.48 | 917 | 1012 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 54.0 |
2010 | 82 | 13.10 | 1.68 | +1.3 | 9.30 | 911 | 1004 | 0.4 | 0.7 | 51.4 |
The Skinny: Brad Boyes has carved himself a nice career for a hockey player that’s been a part of six franchises over the past decade. Though he reaped the benefits of playing alongside John Tavares for stretches last season, Boyes’ body of work shows him to be a reliable contributor who fits in well on Winnipeg’s second line and secondary power play unit. With Kyle Wellwood now off the books, Boyes would be a logical replacement.
Odds of signing in Winnipeg: 17.5%
Season | GP | TOI/60 | Pts/60 | Corsi Rel | On-Ice Sht % | On-Ice Sv% | PDO | Pen Take | Pen Drawn | OZ Strt% |
2013 | 44 | 12.27 | 1.67 | +1.7 | 8.42 | 908 | 993 | 0.4 | 0.8 | 59.3 |
The Skinny: Damien Brunner came into the NHL last season as a highly touted skill forward out of Sweden. However, unlike Fabian Brunstrom before him, Brunner actually lived up to the hype. In his first season in North America, he posted twenty six points as a member of Detroit’s third line. His twelve goals ranked third on the Red Wings, just short of Pavel Datsyuk (15) and Johan Franzen (13). Much like Boyes, Brunner offers a skill upgrade for Winnipeg to slot into their top six if necessary.
Odds of signing in Winnipeg: 8.8%
Season | GP | TOI/60 | Pts/60 | Corsi Rel | On-Ice Sht % | On-Ice Sv% | PDO | Pen Take | Pen Drawn | OZ Strt% |
2013 | 40 | 12.96 | 1.50 | +16.2 | 9.2 | 923 | 1015 | 0.8 | 0.5 | 45.7 |
2012 | 73 | 13.61 | 1.99 | +7.2 | 9.5 | 914 | 1009 | 0.8 | 1.0 | 52.8 |
2011 | 82 | 13.97 | 2.25 | +19.3 | 9.6 | 909 | 1005 | 0.5 | 1.2 | 49.5 |
2010 | 81 | 12.00 | 1.54 | -1.1 | 7.3 | 907 | 980 | 0.6 | 0.9 | 47.2 |
The Skinny: Clarke MacArthur brings with him a blend of size, speed and skill which would compliment Claude Noel's coaching philosophy quite well. Despite being benched on-and-off throughout the 2013 regular season and playoffs, MacArthur is another sizeable upgrade to the depleted depth here in Winnipeg as he can play left wing, right wing or centre. Any trepidation toward MacArthur may be caused by his inflated cap hit which, at $3.25MM, is a tad high for the talent he possesses. All things considered, he's still a valuable signing.
Odds of signing in Winnipeg: 0.0% signed with the Ottawa Senators 2-years $3.25MM AAV
Season | GP | TOI/60 | Pts/60 | Corsi Rel | On-Ice Sht % | On-Ice Sv% | PDO | Pen Take | Pen Drawn | OZ Strt% |
2013 | 47 | 11.57 | 2.10 | +3.2 | 9.3 | 960 | 1053 | 0.8 | 0.9 | 63.9 |
2012 | 79 | 13.30 | 2.34 | +11.8 | 8.1 | 902 | 983 | 0.9 | 0.9 | 63.6 |
2011 | 77 | 10.36 | 1.65 | +11.0 | 7.3 | 899 | 972 | 1.3 | 1.4 | 60.3 |
2010 | 40 | 12.02 | 1.37 | -2.8 | 4.8 | 900 | 948 | 1.0 | 1.2 | 62.2 |
The Skinny: Viktor Stalberg is fresh off his first Stanley Cup Championship and is due for an ample raise on top of the $875K he presently earns. Stalberg is another speedy yet gritty player who fits Winnipeg’s system well and would likely be another second or third line tweener. The interesting rub with Stalberg is twofold: Firstly, Stalberg does have history with Kevin Cheveldayoff dating back to the 2010-11 season when both were employed by the Blackhawks. Secondly, the Jets recently acquired the services of Stalberg’s former teammate, Michael Frolik, who could help sway the Swede into calling Winnipeg home.
Odds of signing in Winnipeg: 0.0% signed with the Nashville Predators 4-years $3MM AAV
Season | GP | TOI/60 | Pts/60 | Corsi Rel | On-Ice Sht % | On-Ice Sv% | PDO | Pen Take | Pen Drawn | OZ Strt% |
2013 | 17 | 13.74 | 0.51 | -15.5 | 4.4 | 876 | 920 | 0.5 | 0.3 | 57.4 |
2012 | 80 | 15.19 | 1.88 | -2.2 | 10.1 | 917 | 1017 | 0.8 | 0.7 | 55.6 |
2011 | 76 | 14.40 | 1.43 | +0.1 | 7.7 | 907 | 984 | 0.8 | 0.3 | 47.6 |
2010 | 80 | 14.52 | 1.76 | +10.6 | 9.2 | 915 | 1007 | 0.6 | 0.5 | 47.0 |
The Skinny: This may be more of a reach than anything but Stephen Weiss is one of if not the best two-way centres in this summer’s free agency class. His face-off winning percentage has been north of 50% each of the last four years and though the numbers aren’t overly impressive, Weiss instantly becomes Winnipeg’s best centre and would facilitate the possibility of moving Bryan Little back to a more natural wing position. Having said that, Weiss will be a highly coveted commodity around the NHL which will drive up his price-tag on the open market. The odds of him landing in Winnipeg are slim.
Odds of signing in Winnipeg: 0.0% signed with the Detroit Red Wings 5-years $4.9MM AAV
Season | GP | TOI/60 | Pts/60 | Corsi Rel | On-Ice Sht % | On-Ice Sv% | PDO | Pen Take | Pen Drawn | OZ Strt% |
2013 | 48 | 13.34 | 1.12 | +1.0 | 8.45 | 904 | 988 | 0.6 | 0.8 | 36.7 |
2012 | 74 | 14.78 | 2.08 | +14.9 | 9.32 | 906 | 999 | 0.7 | 0.8 | 53.0 |
2011 | 81 | 14.73 | 2.06 | +21.3 | 9.83 | 917 | 1015 | 1.1 | 1.0 | 50.2 |
2010 | 59 | 13.50 | 1.96 | +13.6 | 7.65 | 903 | 980 | 0.3 | 1.4 | 55.1 |
BONUS FAN TARGET: We sent out a request via Twitter last night for our followers to vote on one player they wanted to target in this summer's free agency and an overwhelming segment of you voted for Mikhail Grabovski. It's evident that Grabovski is the most skilled player on our target list and he will likely be a coveted commodity for many General Managers looking to infuse skill into their roster. The Russian-born centre has done a remarkable job in carrying the play throughout his career, registering incredible Corsi Rel numbers in three of the past four seasons. Grabovski feasibly fits into a first or second centre role here and, like Weiss, provides more flexibility for Claude Noel. His salary may dip slightly after a sub-par 2013 regular season, but will it be enough for the Jets to make a considerable offer?
Odds of signing in Winnipeg: 0.1%
Below we have listed some of high-priced free agents set to hit the market and potential market bargains heading into the free agency period. If by chance a player you covet was missed, feel free to share your thoughts and opinions with us in the comments section.
High-Priced Free Agent Buys
Player Name | Current Team | Cap Hit |
Jarome Iginla | Pittsburgh Penguins | $7MM |
Mike Ribeiro | Washington Capitals | $5MM |
Jaromir Jagr | Boston Bruins | $4.5MM |
Nathan Horton | Boston Bruins | $4MM |
Derek Roy | Vancouver Canucks | $4MM |
David Clarkson | New Jersey Devils | $2.66MM |
Potential Free Agent Bargains
Player Name | Current Team | Cap Hit |
Pierre-Marc Bouchard | Minnesota Wild | $4.25MM |
Benoit Pouliot | Tampa Bay Lightning | $1.8MM |
Peter Mueller | Florida Panthers | $1,72MM |
Matt D`Agostini | New Jersey Devils | $1.65MM |
Boyd Gordon | Phoenix Coyotes | $1.32MM |
Jochen Hecht | Buffalo Sabres | $1.25MM |
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