Shortly after the Winnipeg Jets downed the Tampa Bay Lightning on Thursday night, General Manager Kevin Cheveldayoff made his first trade deadline move as he confirmed that the True North franchise would be in the Seller category this season.
After news broke in the afternoon that defensemen Logan Stanley and Luke Schenn would be held out of the line up due to “roster management” reasons….we all knew that the likelihood that the veteran defenders would be moved increased dramatically. As a Jets’ team sporting a bunch of Manitoba Moose players were putting on a strong performance at the Canada Life Centre versus the Bolts, Chevy was working the phones in intense negotiations with the Buffalo Sabres’ Jarmo Kekalainen. In the end, the two GM’s were able to find common ground, resulting in Winnipeg shipping Stanley & Schenn to Buffalo for a package of players and picks.
For the Twin Towers being shipped to upper New York, our team picked up a package that includes a 2nd rounder in 2027, a 4th rounder in 2026 (higher of BUF or EDM’s), and a pair of players that included veteran defenseman Jacob Bryson. However, the biggest piece is likely comes in the form of a young Swedish forward named Isak Rosen.
While the 22 yr old left winger is not the big bodied top six forward that Winnipeg desperately needs, he does bring other aspects that the Jets are lacking. According to Dobber Prospects, Rosen can actually drive offense, something that is clearly lacking at both the NHL & AHL levels:
A speedy, shifty scorer who can drive play in open ice and execute flashy individual moves to create offense. Possesses a quick shot. Needs to improve his defensive game and can be too passive while away from the puck.
Obviously the fact that Isak couldn’t crack the Sabres’ NHL roster, despite the team only becoming a playoff contender this year, indicates that the 22 yr old is still a work in progress that still could end up in the hit or miss category. However, Rosen’s path was blocked by a lot of young talent in Buffalo, something that won’t be the case in his new organization. It will be interesting to see how Winnipeg chooses to deploy the winger for the rest of the year, but he certainly will provide a boost to the Manitoba Moose when the AHL playoffs kick off (due to his youth, Isak still doesn’t require waivers).
Speaking of that, don’t be surprised if the Jets send a bunch of players down to the Moose soon, as there are roster requirements to be eligible for the AHL post-season that need the players to be assigned to the minors on a certain date. Hopefully a player like Elias Salomonsson would be recalled once that condition is met and that possibly would be when Rosen gets his shot at making his Winnipeg Jets’ debut.
The newest Jets’ forward is having another excellent season in the minors this year, with Buffalo’s affiliate, the Rochester Americans. The Swede has been solid in all 4 AHL campaigns he’s seen, steadily increasing his offensive production with each year. The kid started out as a 19 yr old and ended up pocketing 14 goals and .561 pts/gm as a rookie, then increased his output to .746 pts/gm, before coming even closer to a point per game last season (.901). Not only have his points increased each year, but his goal scoring has followed the same trajectory: 14, 20, 28.
This year has seen Rosen take a leap forward once again, as he has already pocketed 25 goals in just 37 games and seems almost guaranteed to set a new career mark. His points per game has also shot up to 1.162 with the Americans, so he should help the marksmanship of whatever team he ends up playing with. Courtesy of theAHL.com, here are Isak’s career AHL stats:
The rest of the package will also provide some benefits to the Winnipeg Jets, as they had previously been without picks in the 2nd & 4th rounds of the next two drafts…so now they have replaced half of those. It would have been nice if the 2nd was for the upcoming Entry Draft, but from the sounds of it the 2027 prospect pool should be a good one and could provide a good opportunity as well, especially if the Sabres take a step back next season.
While I do not know a ton about defenseman Bryson’s game, with all the defenseman injuries the Jets are dealing with, having an extra body for the rest of the season won’t hurt at all. As a pending unrestricted free agent making only $900k this year, his contract won’t get in the way and could be easily buried in the minors, if required. Most likely, he will fight with Haydn Fleury for the 3rd LD spot once Josh Morrissey is back in the line up.
As Padre mentioned in the previous article’s Comment section, it is always a bit sad to see a longtime Winnipeg Jet leave the organization….even if I did send Logan Stanley a lot of “hate” over the years. The 6’7″ defenseman was drafted 18th overall in 2016 and has spent 6 seasons with the Jets before he finally showed some signs of why he was drafted that high. Even with his offensive explosion this season, his play on the ice still creates more scoring chances for the opposition that it did for our club, so while I wish the big guy the best in Buffalo, I am extremely happy with the return Chevy got for him and Luke Schenn.
Lets hear your thoughts on the Jets’ move in the Comment section. Which teams are “winning” the trade deadline so far? Who do you want to see Winnipeg move next?