For the past two seasons the Winnipeg Jets have traded for a second line centre at the trade deadline. This has impacted how many assets they have going forward and they are once again entering the season with Bryan Little as the second line centre. Little is a fine player, but the Jets have twice traded to replace him on the second line. So what gives?
First of all, it costs assets to trade for a player who will help your team and you also have to have the cap space for them. Sure, if the Jets wanted to try and find a long-term solution at centre, they might be able to create cap space for the contract by adding Little into a trade deal for example, but it could end up costing the Jets more to get rid of that contract at the same time they are trying to upgrade a position.
The Jets are probably going to just keep Little at centre right now which is honestly the smartest thing to do. They are going to have needs at defence that they have not begun to properly address. They might be able to “fix” the second line by actually mixing up the wingers and maximizing everyone’s skills, but it will probably not be enough to make the Jets into a great team.
What should the Jets do about their second line centre position? Mix up the wingers an d hope that it helps Bryan Little. No matter what, they should not trade to upgrade the position at the deadline unless it is a long-term contract coming back. And most of all, they should really not worry about the forwards and stress about that defence.
