Winnipeg Jets

The Montreal Canadiens reportedly agreed to trade veteran center Sean Monahan to the Winnipeg Jets on Friday.

According to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet, the Canadiens will receive a first-round pick and a conditional draft pick in return. TSN's Pierre LeBrun added that the first-rounder is in 2024, and the conditional pick is a 2027 third-rounder.

Monahan, who has spent the past two seasons in Montreal, is set to become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season.

The 29-year-old center has played in 49 games for the Habs this season, registering 13 goals and 22 assists for 35 points to go along with a minus-10 rating. He has been effective with the man advantage, posting 16 power-play points, and is also winning 55 percent of his faceoffs.

Originally selected sixth overall by the Calgary Flames in the 2013 NHL draft, Monahan is an 11-year NHL vet who spent his first nine seasons in Calgary.

Monahan played his best hockey with the Flames, finishing with 30 or more goals in a season three times and 60 or more points in a season on four occasions.

His most productive season to date remains 2018-19 when he set career highs across the board with 34 goals and 48 assists for 82 points.

Monahan's statistical output has been modest since then due largely to the effects of hip surgery, as he has reached the 20-goal mark only once in the past five seasons, and has not surpassed 48 points.

The Flames traded Monahan and a conditional 2025 first-round pick to the Canadiens in 2022 in what amounted to a salary dump.

Injuries limited Monahan to just 25 games in his first season with the Habs, resulting in him finishing with six goals and 11 assists for 17 points.

While it is a far cry from what he did earlier in his career with the Flames, Monahan is trending this year toward his best statistical season since his 82-point output in 2018-19.

Monahan is set to join a Jets team that has been in solid playoff position all season long. With 65 points, the Jets are third in the Central Division, but they have two games in hand on the first-place Colorado Avalanche, who have 67 points.

As good as the Jets have been, center depth has been an issue, especially with No. 1 center Mark Scheifele currently on the shelf due to a lower-body injury.

Monahan's 35 points are tied for second on the team with Nikolaj Ehlers, trailing only Scheifele's 41.

Until Scheifele returns, it is possible Monahan could serve as the Jets' No. 1 center before settling into the No. 2 role once Scheifele is back on the ice.

The Winnipeg Jets announced Monday that head coach Rick Bowness is taking a leave of absence from the team after his wife, Judy, had a seizure Sunday evening, per ESPN's Kristen Shilton.

The Jets said in their statement that Judy remained hospitalized while undergoing further tests. Assistant Scott Arniel will serve as interim head coach in Bowness' absence.

Winnipeg also asked for "everyone to respect the family's privacy at this time."

Bowness is in the midst of his second season as Jets head coach after he was hired in July 2022 to replace then-interim coach Dave Lowry. The 68-year-old led Winnipeg to a 46-33-3 record in his first year behind the bench and the team lost to the eventual Stanley Cup champion Vegas Golden Knights in the first round of the playoffs.

Arniel skated in 730 NHL games across 11 seasons, including over four seasons with the Jets. He was a member of the team during the 1984-85 campaign when Bowness was serving as an assistant.

Arniel became head coach of the Columbus Blue Jackets in 2010 and held that position until he was fired midway through the 2011-12 season. He had a head coaching record of 45-60-18 during his brief time behind the bench.

The 61-year-old also held assistant roles with the Buffalo Sabres, New York Rangers and Washington Capitals before joining the Jets as a part of Bowness' staff in 2022.

The Jets are off to a 2-3-0 start this season. They will return to action on Tuesday against the St. Louis Blues (2-1-1).

The Winnipeg Jets are wrapping up their offseason in a big way.

With just one day remaining until the NHL's opening night, the organization locked down both goalie Connor Hellebuyck and centre Mark Scheifele to multiyear deals Monday, ensuring their futures north of the border, according to an announcement by Jets.

Hellebuyck and Scheifele signed identical seven-year deals worth $8.5 million per season. Both players were set to become unrestricted free agents after this year.

Both Hellebuyck and Scheifele have been key to one of the most successful periods in franchise history for Winnipeg over the last few years, including the Jets' run to the conference finals back in 2018.

The pair were set to be two of the biggest free agents to hit the market next summer. Now, they'll be staying put throughout the rest of the decade.

With their new contracts, Hellebuyck and Scheifele each got a raise of about $2.44 million over their previous deals and will be 38 years old when their contracts expire.

Scheifele, 30, is the team's alternate captain and was once again a staple for the Jets last season, finishing third on the team with 68 points in 81 games, trailing only Kyle Connor and John Morrissey, respectively.

As for Hellebuyck, he continued being his consistently productive self, making his third All-Star team and ending the season with a .920 save percentage and 37 wins, both top-five marks in the NHL.

There's a lot of buzz surrounding the NHL this week, with the 2023 draft set to take place Wednesday and Thursday in Nashville, Tennessee. There's also been trade buzz, as rumors of potential deals continue to circulate early in the offseason.

One player featured amid the talk has been Winnipeg Jets forward Pierre-Luc Dubois, who is now a restricted free agent. But instead of returning to the Jets, they could opt to move him and send his rights to another team.

If that's the case, the Los Angeles Kings appear to the "front-runners," according to The Athletic's Pierre LeBrun.

"But as of Sunday evening, there was still lots of work to be done on that front," LeBrun wrote. "It didn't help that both [teams'] front offices were traveling Sunday to Nashville, putting some conversations on hold."

It could make a lot of sense for the Kings to acquire the 25-year-old. He's a talented young player, and they're a team that has made the playoffs each of the past two years but was eliminated in the first round both times.

Los Angeles needs to strengthen its roster a bit in order to take the next step. Dubois would certainly do that.

This past season, he recorded a career-high 63 points in 73 games for Winnipeg, tallying 27 goals and 36 assists. He likely hasn't even reached his ceiling yet.

So, the Kings appear to be the best fit as a trade partner with the Jets for Dubois, as he could help turn them into a more legitimate postseason contender.

However, Los Angeles doesn't appear to be the only team in the mix, per LeBrun, who noted the Montreal Canadiens have "tried" to enter the picture.

"It sounds like they're simply not as good a trade fit for a Jets team that doesn't want to rebuild," he wrote. "The Kings can provide players who can step into the Jets lineup right away."

Arpon Basu of The Athletic reported that the Canadiens are "still open to finding a way to make this work" if the talks between the Jets and Kings "go off the rails."

"A source close to Dubois said it's too soon to rule them out, as unlikely as it seems right now," Basu tweeted.

Montreal may not be as great of a fit for Dubois, though. The Habs have missed the playoffs each of the past two seasons, and they may need to add more than just him to get back to postseason contention.

Still, the Canadiens have the potential to improve quite a bit this offseason, so maybe it could make sense for Dubois to go there.

However, the best scenario for Dubois would likely be to have his rights traded to the Kings and then sign a new contract with them. It seems like the move that would work out the best for all parties involved.

A first-round loss to the eventual Stanley Cup champions Vegas Golden Knights has the Winnipeg Jets looking at a roster overhaul, including a trade of center Pierre-Luc Dubois.

The Fourth Period's David Pagnotta reported the team and Dubois' agent are working to facilitate a trade.

One team with interest is the Montreal Canadiens, who have had prior conversations about acquiring Dubois, per Scott Billeck of The Winnipeg Sun.

"Let's get the obvious out of the way. It's no secret that the Jets and Habs have spoken about Dubois. You'd imagine if there was a trade that could have been made by now, it would have. But that's not to say the Habs won't budge in the end," Bellick wrote.

While other teams will make calls to Winnipeg's front office regarding a potential deal for Dubois, it is Montreal who would most benefit.

The Canadiens ranked 28th in total offense in 2022-23, with just 227 and a -516 goal differential. They were not good, failing to keep up with the opposition en route to a second-to-last finish in the Eastern Conference.

Acquiring a quality center like the 24-year-old Dubois and pairing him with Nick Suzuki, who accounted for 66 points and the highest shooting percentage of his career (16) would provide the team with a spark in the middle.

Dubois amassed a career highs in assists (36) and points (63). He added another high in face-off percentage with 48.89. Considering the Canadiens ranked 25th overall in face-offs won, the center would be an instant upgrade there, too.

Dubois is by no means an instant fix, nor is he a superstar center at this point. What he is, though, is a player with upside that can help improve a Montreal squad that is in need of pieces in several spots.

In order to keep up in the east with the dynamic, explosive offenses in Boston, Toronto and Tampa Bay, they need to accumulate fast, young competitors who can manipulate the puck around the ice and put it in the net.

Dubois can do both of those things and contribute to a team that is just two years removed from the Stanley Cup Finals.

Winnipeg Jets forward Morgan Barron had a surprisingly calm reaction after taking a skate to the face that required more than 75 stitches to close before returning to Tuesday's playoff game against the Vegas Golden Knights.

The play occurred midway through the first period when Golden Knights goalie Laurent Brossoit's skate caught Barron when a group of players from both teams collapsed around the net.

Speaking to reporters after the game, Barron said he was looking to see if the puck went into the goal when he saw Brossoit's skate coming toward his face.

"It was an unlucky play," he explained. "The first thought was that I could see out of the [right] eye was the main thing."

Barron was taken to the locker room where he received medical attention to close the wound. The 24-year-old not only came back to the Jets' bench in the second period, but he was also on the ice with a full cage on his helmet to protect his face.

Jets center Adam Lowry said Barron looked "like he got attacked by a shark" and everyone was concerned, because they could "see a trail of blood all the way from the crease to the bench."

Barron wound up playing almost 11 minutes across 16 shifts. On the bright side, the Jets did get a 5-1 win to take a 1-0 series lead over the Golden Knights.

It's the first playoff victory for Winnipeg since a triple-overtime win against the Edmonton Oilers in May 2021.

Winnipeg Jets forward Blake Wheeler will return to the lineup Friday against the Tampa Bay Lightning after suffering a ruptured testicle last month.

Wheeler suffered the injury Dec. 15 when he was hit by a shot from Jets defenseman Josh Morrissey in a matchup against the Nashville Predators. He missed nine games with the ailment.

The 36-year-old was previously hit in the groin when he blocked a shot in Game 4 of Winnipeg's first-round sweep of the Edmonton Oilers in the 2021 postseason.

"I've got three beautiful kids, we're not having any more, so what the hell," he said at the time.

Wheeler's comments about his injury last month were a bit different. The Minnesota native finished the game against Nashville and told reporters Thursday he didn't realize he had ruptured a testicle.

"There's a difference between being hurt and being injured. I didn't know I was injured until the next day," he said.

Wheeler was having a solid season prior to the injury, notching nine goals and 17 assists for 26 points in 29 games. The Jets have gone 5-4-0 in his absence, improving to 24-13-1 on the season and sitting second in the Central Division behind the Dallas Stars.

Wheeler has been with the Jets organization since the Boston Bruins traded him and defenseman Mark Stuart to the then-Atlanta Thrashers in 2011 in exchange for Rich Peverley and Boris Valábik.

He has tallied 255 goals and 528 assists for 783 points in 854 games across 12-plus seasons with Winnipeg. He's under contract with the Jets through the 2023-24 season.

In addition to Wheeler, Nikolaj Ehlers, Cole Perfetti and Nate Schmidt are expected to return for the Jets on Friday. The return of all four players is a boost even though the team has found success without them this season.

Winnipeg enters Friday's game against Tampa Bay three points behind the Stars for first place in the division. The Jets also have two games in hand on Dallas.