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The Winnipeg Jets are coming off their best season since relocating from Atlanta. They won the President's Trophy as the team with the most points in the NHL, but the Jets would fall in the second round to the Dallas Stars. If the Jets want to be the first Canadian team to lift the Cup since 1993, they have to make a few trades in this 2025 NHL offseason.
Winnipeg has already made moves this offseason, signing Jonathan Toews to a one-year contract. Toews played his entire NHL career with the Chicago Blackhawks, but has not played for two full years. The hope for the Jets is that he will be their second-line center, allowing Adam Lowry to anchor the third line. Still, the franchise formerly known as the Atlanta Thrashers has plenty of work to do this summer. Nikolaj Ehlers is expected to test free agency, while the Jets have nine total free agents.
Meanwhile, they are projected to have just under $24 million in cap space to work with. The Jets also lack draft capital. While they have a first-round pick for the next three seasons, they are missing their second and fourth-rounders each year. Winnipeg has improved year over year. They need to make moves if they are going to take the next step, though.
Winnipeg needs to move on from a restricted free agent
The biggest name for the Jets in the restricted free agent class is Gabriel Vilardi. Vilardi was great this year, playing in the navy blue and fighter grey. He played primarily on the left wing on the top line, joining Kyle Connor and Mark Scheifele. He played in 71 games, scoring a career high 27 goals, while also having a career high 34 assists. That gave him 61 total points. Further, the Canadian winger was great on the powerplay, with 12 goals and 13 assists. With the probability that Ehlers will be walking away in free agency, Winnipeg needs to bring back Vilardi this offseason.
They do have other restricted free agents that should be moved. A major one is on the blue line with Dylan Samberg. The former 43rd overall pick in the 2017 NHL Draft joined Winnipeg in the 2021-22 season. He would play 15 games in that campaign, adding five points. Since then, he has continued to improve. This past year, he had six goals with 14 assists, giving him a career high in goals and points while playing 60 games. He also added three assists in the playoffs.
Samberg also had career highs in takeaways and shots blocked on the defensive end of the ice, while having the best plus/minus rating of his career. Still, the blue liner played primarily on the left side this year and is behind Josh Morrissey in the rotation. The Jets also have Ville Heinola and Logan Stanley, who can play the left side. At an expected cost of over $5 million per year, the Jets could receive a first and third-round pick in return for the rearguard player. For a team that is hurting in terms of draft capital, trading away Samberg now makes sense.
Could the Jets ship out Dylan DeMelo?
Winnipeg just re-signed Neal Pionk to a contract before the offseason. The blueliner is coming off an amazing season with the Jets, playing in 69 games while adding 39 points. Further, he was a key part of both the powerplay and the penalty kill. Pionk is clearly part of the future of the blue line in Manitoba, as he is under contract until the summer of 2031, at a cost of $7 million per season.
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With Morrissey taking the top spot on the left side of the defense, Pionk could play on the right side in the top rotation, or continue on the second rotation, where he was at the end of the season. The Jets also have Luke Schenn still under contract this year, who was the third-line right-side defender, plus Colin Miller, who can play the right side as well. This makes DeMelo expendable.
DeMelo was playing on the right side, opposite Morrissey, at the end of the last campaign. The Canadian defender played in 82 games for a second straight season, but took a drop in terms of offensive production. He has just three goals with 16 assists, giving him his lowest points total since 2021-22. Further, some of his defensive statistics took a drop this year too, most notably his plus/minus rating and shots blocked. He is currently under contract for the next three seasons at a cost of $4.9 million per year. With the investment in Pionk and other, less expensive options on the roster, moving on from DeMelo would be the right move in Winnipeg.
Vladislav Namestnikov should be traded to open up cap space
Winnipeg just signed a new second-line center with Toews, plus they have Scheifele on the top line. Lowry will miss the start of the season due to an injury, but will take over the third line when he returns. This could make other players expendable at the center position. At the end of the season, it was Vladislav Namestnikov who was playing in that center position. With Cole Perfetti and David Gustafsson both able to hold down center positions until the return of Lowry, Namestnikov could be moved with his current salary.
The former 27th overall pick in the 2011 NHL draft has bounced around the league. He broke into the NHL with the Lightning in the 2013-14 season. He would spend time with the New York Rangers, Ottawa Senators, Colorado Avalanche, Detroit Red Wings, and Dallas Stars before landing in Winnipeg via a trade. He is also coming off a solid season, playing in 78 games and scoring 11 goals while adding 27 assists. It was the third time in four years he registered over 30 points. Namestnikov has been consistent in his NHL career and could be a valuable second or third-line option for many clubs.
Regardless, the Jets need to find salary cap space if they want to bring back Vilardi and potentially Ehlers. At a cost of $3 million per year for the next two seasons, trading away Namestnikov would make sense, considering he is just a depth piece now.
Overall, the Jets are in a solid position. They can trade away depth pieces to bring in both draft capital and space to re-sign players. They cannot stand pat, though, and need to make moves this offseason as they continue chasing an elusive first Stanley Cup.
