Winnipeg Jets

The Winnipeg Jets' most precious piece is due for a new contract this summer. Twenty-year-old budding superstar Evander Kane is a restricted free agent with his eyes set on a new contract with Winnipeg.

Kane has finished his three-year entry level deal which he signed back in the 2009-10 season with the Atlanta Thrashers. The former fourth-overall pick completed his third season in the NHL and set career-highs in his first-ever season playing in Winnipeg which included 30 goals.

The expectations for Kane are high. The potential that he has to exceed those expectations is real. There’s no hiding that the Jets will do what it takes to make Kane happy, and GM Kevin Cheveldayoff won’t be hesitant when it comes to re-signing him.

But this is the first standard contract Kane will receive at the NHL level, the first contract that comes after the entry-level deal. And fans want to know what kind of contract he’ll receive, both money-wise and length-wise.

Let’s take a look at one of Kane’s colleagues, a player that he can be compared to at this point in his career, to see what type of deal he may end up with.

Bobby Ryan of the Anaheim Ducks finished his three-year entry level contract and signed a five-year, $25.5-million contract with an annual cap hit of $5.1 million per year. This is a fitting contract for a superstar-like player and something I wouldn’t mind seeing Kane with—a mid-term contract with a good-looking dollar amount.

It’ll be interesting to see if one signing dictates the rest, because some of the other players that come to mind are also looking for a new contract—Colorado Avalanche forward Matt Duchene and Dallas Stars forward Jamie Benn.

Let’s compare him to one of his own teammates now for an even better idea on what Kane may seek (sometimes players use their own teammate’s contracts as a starting point).

Jets captain Andrew Ladd was re-signed to a five-year, $22-million contract in the previous offseason after coming off of a 29-goal season. His annual cap hit is $4.4 million per year. This is another great contract for a player who can do it all.

I mention these players because I expect Kane’s contract to fall somewhere in between. Kane is on the verge of being as good as Ryan—or better—at the same point in their careers, and looking at Ladd's contract will give an estimate on what we might see Kane get.

There’s no secret that Kane is due for a raise, and maybe he’s still too young for the Jets to sign him to an outrageously lengthy contract. But Kane will get paid and deservedly so. As far as the dollar amount goes, we should expect to see Kane make close to $4 to $5 million per year. In terms of length, expect to see a three- or four-year contract, nothing too long or too short.

Ideally, we’ll likely see a three- to four-year contract worth around $13 to $17 million. Four to five million per year seems about right for Kane at this early stage in his career. Usually young players in Kane’s situation sign short-term to prove their worth for their next contract which would usually involve the big money and franchise-player length.

Kane will turn 21 in August, which means he’s still a young kid who’s just starting to develop into one of the premiere players of this league. But what he’s done and how he’s progressed already in three years’ time and the potential that lies ahead makes Kane extremely valuable to the Jets organization. He’s expected to be the leader of this team for years and years to come.

The Winnipeg Jets enter the offseason with just over $33 million in cap space. After re-signing their key free agents, they should have close to $20 million, give or take a few, in available cap space. They have more than enough room to utilize it any way they want to, but the important question to ask is how can they use it to their advantage?

We saw what the Florida Panthers did last season when they signed a boat-load of free agents which not only iced a playoff competitor, but eventually propelled them to a division title. They proved that it can be rewarding to use your available cap space. There are millions of ways to utilize the cap to your advantage, but there are certain ramifications that come with each way.

Should the Jets do what the Panthers did last season? Will they be content with just reaching the cap floor or will they try to go beyond it? There are a lot more questions to be asked and a lot more ways to go about it, but there is only one way for the Jets—the way that helps them remain stable.

And it’s easy to locate that route.

The Jets have a lot of cap space available and have some roster spots that need to be filled for this upcoming season. They could go and throw money at players to fill that need or they could try out some of the younger players that are already in this organization.

Why not go with the latter for many reasons? The Jets are a young team. They need to see what these young prospects bring to the table. And prospects don’t tie up cap space with outrageous contracts.

We see it every year. Teams are going out and overpaying for players and are regretting it a year later. And for what? To show your fans that you’re spending money? It would be a different story if the Jets were going to sign an already-proven superstar like Zach Parise. But that’s not happening.

The Jets don’t need to be tied up in cash with a bunch of players playing in over their heads. They don’t need to go out and sign five to eight free agents to be competitive. Their best bet would be to not use their cap space at all. Yes, not use it at all...at least after they reach the floor.

The Jets don’t need to be one of the highest salaried teams in the league. They don’t need to go beyond the cap floor to be a "good" team. Signing a bunch of players isn’t a successful method…not in the long haul and not in their situation. It will do more damage to the Jets.

There are disadvantages that can be damaging when trying to use the available cap space. The Jets have to be careful not to get tied up with a player that would hurt their cap in the long run. Ron Hainsey is a fine example. The Thrashers overpaid for him a few years ago just so they can say they "signed someone."

The Jets shouldn’t be worried about just "signing someone" for the sake of it or to please the fans by making it seem as though they’re being active. There shouldn’t be any pressure on Kevin Cheveldayoff that forces him to overpay for someone who isn’t needed.

It’s relieving to be one of the teams with the most cap space in the entire league...knowing that it can be utilized to your liking when the time is right, but it also tells you, both literally and figuratively, that there is room to be filled now.

There are smarter methods to fill it.

The Winnipeg Jets are a team that has to focus on two sets of goals—what happens in the short-term and what happens in the long-term. They have to address the now and the future.

The rebuilding plan may not say that it’s time to make the playoffs next season, but that doesn’t mean the Jets shouldn’t try. Because let’s face it, the Jets are a rebuilding team and rebuilding teams usually don’t make the playoffs. Nor are they expected to make the playoffs until they feel that they’ve successfully built their team. The Jets are on the path, but they’re not "rebuilt"—not yet.

Most teams want to win in the now, and while the Jets certainly have that in mind as well, it’s not as vital for rebuilding teams as opposed to winning in the future or planning for the future. However, you can almost say it’s a twofold plan. The time it takes in between to become that successful team matters as well.

Like every team, the Jets want to make the playoffs each season, but there’s also something called realism that prevents that from happening. Are they good enough? Do they have the talent? Can they win consistently? The Jets aren’t expected, and realistically, aren’t meant to make the playoffs consistently at least for a few more seasons, assuming the rebuild goes as planned.

But that doesn’t mean we just forget about next season or write it off with no set plan. Our goal is playoffs. Next season and beyond, the goal is always the same. Put it this way: the Jets have to do what they can in the offseason to become a better team in this upcoming season, but also have to realize that next season isn’t that season.

The Jets have to address needs for both the present and the future. Sometimes it’s possible to kill two birds in these situations. Some of the issues that Jets general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff has to consider are the salary cap and everything that goes with it, such as cap management and issues, the draft, free agency and trades.

One thing that the Jets have to be mindful of especially is trades. Trades can damage a team’s long-term goals if the wrong moves are made. Short-term, the Jets aren't in need of making any trades. Long-term, however, trades can be helpful for rebuilding teams when trying to move aging veterans.

The Jets have players in their system who aren’t ready for the NHL just yet. They’ll have even more after the draft in June. They also have young players on their roster who are still not reaching their potential. When all this is happening, it’s difficult to be competitive, but the Jets can still make the right moves to compete for the playoffs while still technically rebuilding.

This can be accomplished via free agency. When the market opens, the Jets may want to look for the veteran players who satisfy their needs. Players who can come in next season and help them get to the playoffs. Obviously, sometimes these players are just short-term fixes, but it helps the now. And while we’re waiting for players to grow both on the roster and within the system, a short-term free agent fix isn’t a bad idea.

This also ties in with cap management because it can be damaging for a team to overpay a player who may not be needed down the road. But when free agency begins in July, the Jets will want to weigh their options.

It’s important that Cheveldayoff doesn’t get derailed from the plan and go off track in some other direction. He can't forget about the real goal of this organization, which is leaned more towards the future. But at the same time, we don’t want to wait forever. We want to win.

Carl Klingberg is a second-round draft pick, taken 37th overall in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft for the Atlanta Thrashers. The 6'3'', 205-pound winger came from Goteborg, Sweden where he grew up as a hockey player.

In his development, Klingberg played for Frolunda HC in the Swedish Elite League, where he lined up as a fourth-line player. He knows how to play well defensively, finishes his checks and has some scoring ability as a forward.

Despite being given very little ice time in Frolunda, Klingberg managed six goals and seven assists for 13 points in 42 games in the 2009-10 season.

Coming over to North America last summer, 21-year-old Klingberg has made the transition to play professionally in the AHL. With the size advantage that Klingberg possess, and also the familiarity of playing with men in Sweden, Klingberg has shown some progress with his development.

In his rookie season (2011-12) on the AHL St.John's IceCaps, Klingberg has scored 15 goals and racked up 22 assists for 37 points in 66 regular season games. He also played in 12 playoff games, adding two points.

Also, the Winnipeg Jets called up Klingberg to play six games last season, but he did not figure into the score sheet.

The projection for Carl Klingberg becoming a professional player in the NHL is likely as a checking-line winger on the Jets' third line. He has the size to be a punishing force, and he does use that to his advantage. He also plays well defensively, so that will earn him more ice time as a role player in the NHL.

What Klingberg has to do this summer is come to training camp in the best shape of his career and give the coaches something to think about at training camp.

He may not be ready to jump in the NHL right away this October, but he could catch the eye of Jets coach Claude Noel and earn some call-ups during the regular season.

Related Articles from the Jets Prospect Series

1. Barrie Colts Prospect C Mark Scheifele

2. Barrie Colts Prospect LW Ivan Telegin

Best available player or reach, forward or defenseman, trade the pick or keep it— these are just some of the strategies NHL draft teams have to decide upon before the draft clock begins to wind down on them.

How will Kevin Cheveldayoff and the rest of the Jets’ organization go about their strategy come draft day? As opposed to last year, we’ll see quite a few changes on how the Jets proceed.

Last year, the Jets reached on Mark Scheifele with their first-round pick, about 10-15 spots higher than his average projection. Dale Hawerchuk and the Barrie connection to Winnipeg may have swayed Cheveldayoff’s decision. Taking Scheifele over the likes of stout rookie Sean Couturier could be costly. If Scheifele doesn’t pan out, it could prove to be a huge set back in the development of this team.

This year, the Jets should be content with drafting the best available player, preferably, the best available defenseman in the first round— a strategy or theme that should dictate the rest of their draft—especially if someone unexpected falls to them in the first round just like last year.

As far as position goes, the Jets main focus has to be on a defenseman. However, they can’t afford to stockpile defensemen throughout the entire draft and forget about their other positional needs.

The Jets have to make solid selections each round and focus on more than one position. Furthermore, the Jets should be looking to draft players that suit their organization for the long run.

Sure it's nice to have a player who can come in right away and contribute, but that's not usually the case with prospects. And in reality, that's not at all a concern for the Jets and shouldn't be a factor in any decision.

Drafting for next season isn’t the goal. Drafting for the future is. So the Jets have to be content with a player that might not be NHL ready for another three seasons. It's all apart of the rebuilding process. If keeping a prospect in the juniors better suits the player, then that decision has to be made.

One strategy that would be unfitting to the Jets would be to trade away a pick or picks. A goal that the Jets have focused on and have to continue to rely upon is the fact that building through the draft is the key ingredient to building a contender.

This seems to be the model for success for the Jets going forward because the organization has been outspoken about building from within.

The draft is a key date for many teams and has been for the Jets for quite some time. Their drafting strategy has to guarantee them the best success in the long run.

Winnipeg Jets prospect Ivan Telegin is a fourth-round draft pick, 101st overall in the 2010 NHL draft. He is native of Novokuznetsk, Russia, and he came to North America to advance his hockey career.

In the spring of 2009, Telegin bought out his contract with Metallurg Novokuznetsk in order to come to the Ontario Hockey League, after knowing the Saginaw Spirit selected him in the annual CHL import draft.

Having a reputation as a player who tries to perform at his best among the best competition in the world, the 20-year-old Telegin decided to join the Spirit, and hopefully be noticed by NHL scouts at some point so he can fulfill his dream of playing in the NHL.

According to the general consensus of scouts around the league, Telegin is a player with explosive speed, great size at 6'3" and high hockey IQ.

In 2011, the Barrie Colts acquired Telegin from Saginaw, and they asked the left-winger to play on Mark Scheifele's top line. With the high-end speed and hockey sense, Telegin enjoyed his best season in the OHL this year tallying 35 goals and 29 assists in 46 games. He was also a mainstay in the Colts' power play unit.

Telegin is far from the typical Russian mentality that he will be leaning toward playing in Russia for big money if he can't get what he wants in the NHL. He already showed that from buying out a contract with his hometown team in order to play in the OHL.

When he was interviewed by Russian press in 2010, he said, "In the OHL I earn 50 dollars a week. But it's not about the money. If I wanted to earn money I would have stayed in Russia. But I have a dream to play in the NHL and for it I'm ready to live on 50 dollars."

Also, Telegin has the size, speed and hockey smarts to become a full-time NHLer. He may be somewhat lacking in terms of high-end scoring touch, but he does put up solid offense for the team.

His dream is to play in the NHL as opposed to playing European hockey in the KHL. He said, "I adore the Canadian style - small rinks, a lot of hits. In Russia it's different - a lot of passes and little shots. I believe that the Russian hockey is not for me. My dream is to play in the NHL."

Telegin is already half way there after signing his first professional contract with the Winnipeg Jets on July 26, 2011.

In September 2012, Telegin will likely join his Barrie teammate Scheifele in Winnipeg for the prospects camp, and also play some exhibition games during NHL training camp. If all goes right, Telegin looks to be headed to play for the Jets' AHL farm team St. John's IceCaps for most of the year. He may earn a call-up to Winnipeg if he impresses the coaching staff during his time there.

This is Joseph Trenton reporting on the Winnipeg Jets prospects.

Recent articles related to NHL prospects

Barrie Colts prospect C Mark Scheifele

Oklahoma City Barons prospect D Colten Teubert

Vancouver Canucks prospect RW Zack Kassian

Mark Scheifele is the Winnipeg Jets' first-round draft pick, seventh overall in the 2011 NHL Draft.

The Kitchener, Ontario center was listed at 6'3'' 184 lbs as an 18-year-old. Now entering the summer a year older, Scheifele will be trying to increase his game to a level where he can play regular minutes as a Winnipeg Jet.

Scheifele is among a long list of players drafted by the Jets from the OHL Barrie Colts organization. It is rare to see an NHL team select so many players from one junior hockey team, but the Jets have done a superb job acquiring these guys.

The Hockey News projects Scheifele to become a power forward in the NHL one day. Blessed with high-end skill and a projectable frame, Scheifele will be able to play the game with intensity when he adds some more muscle to his 6'3'' height.

Here is a quick look at the statistics from his junior career, courtesy of hockeydb:

2009-10: 66 GP, 22 G, 53 A, 75 PTS

2010-11: 47 GP, 23 G, 40 A, 63 PTS, Playoffs: 12 points in 13 games.

Looking ahead to 2013 or 2014, Scheifele should figure into the Winnipeg Jets' offensive lineup by then. He brings an element that the Jets do not possess very much at the moment, which is size and skill. Nik Antropov is like that, but he will be happy to get some support from a young player like Scheifele.

If Scheifele takes the summer to get stronger and faster as a player, then he will enter the Jets' prospect camp and training camp as a potential candidate to crack the lineup for the start of the regular season.

A lot depends on the level of dedication he shows this offseason. Claude Noel is patiently waiting to see what Scheifele can bring to the table.

This is Joseph Trenton reporting on the prospects of Winnipeg Jets.

The draft is still over a month away, but it’s a day where the Jets will look to fill some pressing needs.

As of now, the most important need for this team is a stay-at-home defenseman—someone who can play shut-down defense in a consistent and dominant manner.

The Jets current roster doesn’t feature any type of shut-down defenseman. In fact, through all of its years, I’m not sure this franchise ever even had a shut-down defenseman.

One thing that this team does have is great offensive-defensemen and stellar two-way defensemen who can play in all three zones. But none of them are considered shut-down players and that’s because none of them are.

Sure the Jets have some stay-at-home defensemen who do a good job in their own zone, but they don’t have that player who can dominantly shut someone down shift after shift.

It’s time the Jets go out and look for one.

The Jets were ranked in the bottom five of the league allowing 2.95 goals per game. A major part on why that statistic exists is because of the lack of defense. It’s simple: you need defense to win games or at least be competitive in this league.

Getting a top-notch defensive-defenseman is the most pressing need going into the draft. It’s a priority that I believe they’ll try and fill with their first-round pick.

But the Jets aren’t perfect and there are other needs they have to fill as well. Things are starting to differ from years past. Throughout the years, the Jets' main need was a top line center. Maybe the need for that still exists, but it’s not anywhere near as close to being the top priority that it was.

Right now as far as forwards go, the Jets' main need is a goal scorer. It’ll be hard to snag a complete goal scorer in the latter rounds, but this need isn’t as pressing as a defensive need.

The Jets have a guy who has potential to score 40+ goals in Evander Kane. They have other players who can develop into top goal scorers. And although it’s not as pressing as other needs, it’s never a bad idea to have too much talent up front.

But right now, the need that matters most is a shut-down defenseman. All eyes will be on drafting one when that time arrives.

The Winnipeg Jets had a great first season back in the NHL at the gate, as they were at 100 percent capacity for every home game.

However, there has been some recent controversy stemming from public officials in Winnipeg allegedly using tax-payer money to help the Jets get to their season-ticket goal.

According to the Winnipeg Sun, the NDP ticket scandal has been unfolding over the last few days. From the Sun: 

The NDP ticketgate scandal continued to unfold Wednesday with revelations that three more Crown corporations bought Winnipeg Jets tickets for their senior brass and cabinet ministers on the public dime.

And one cabinet minister said they did it to help the Jets reach their 13,000-ticket drive goal.

The Sun had a story earlier this week about the NDP using public funds to buy ads at the MTS Center, saying:

MLCC spent $250,000 of public money to buy ads at the MTS Centre during Jets games and to get free tickets for senior officials at the Crown corporation.

The free tickets were snapped up by MLCC board members and by senior officials at the state-owned liquor monopoly.

Some tickets were handed down to MLCC supervisors and store managers.

But the very hottest tickets this season — the Jets home opener Oct. 9 against the Montreal Canadiens — were scooped up entirely by NDP board members so they could personally enjoy one of the hottest sporting events in the city’s history.

The Sun’s story from Wednesday continues with more public companies taking Jets tickets by using public funds, saying:

We’ve since found out the Manitoba Lotteries Corp., Manitoba Public Insurance Corp. and Manitoba Hydro have all spent public dollars to obtain expensive tickets to the NHL games, thanks to the findings of the Canadian Taxpayers’ Federation.

Some tickets have gone to charities and customer draws. But most have been scooped up by senior managers, executives and NDP-appointed board members.

That includes one-time NDP finance minister Vic Schroeder who treated himself and a guest to a Jets game while he was chairman of Manitoba Hydro.

The fact that one cabinet minster said that he had to do this to help push the Jets to their goal of 13,000 season-ticket holders is odd, since the team claimed it sold out its season tickets within 17 minutes. 

From the Winnipeg Free Press:

True North Sports and Entertainment’s ‘Drive to 13,000’ season-ticket campaign lasted less than 72 hours as the last tickets were claimed within 17 minutes of Saturday’s noon opening to the general public. By shortly after 2 p.m., a ticket waiting list had been capped at 8,000 people.

From that piece in the Free Press, Jim Ludlow, President and CEO of True North Sports & Entertainment, said about the rush to purchase tickets:

It’s a testament to everybody in the city and we owe a lot to our fans in the city, this province and across Canada because we had people buying from across Canada.

The rush to purchase season tickets led to the Jets having to cap their season-ticket waiting list at 8,000 people.

If this Ticketgate story is true, and public officials used public money to snatch up season tickets that could have been bought by one of those 8,000 people on the waiting list, then this will be a black eye on the city of Winnipeg. 

The city deserved to have a team once again. However, its diehard fans deserve better than public officials allegedly holding the best seats for themselves along with not using public funds to help the city. 

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