Which Forwards Should The Jets Target At The Trade Deadline

The Winnipeg Jets are in search of forward help as they approach the trade deadline, but which forwards should they be targeting to help improve their roster?

View the original article to see embedded media.

The Mar. 7 trade deadline is just over a month away, and the Jets have positioned themselves to be buyers. The Jets are currently two points clear of the Washington Capitals in the race for the Presidents’ Trophy and have an eight-point lead on the Dallas Stars for the Pacific Division and Western Conference.

Despite all the success they’ve had this season, they have areas of their roster that they could greatly benefit from upgrading. HC Scott Arniel has used Haydn Fleury, Logan Stanley, Colin Miller, Ville Heinola and Dylan Coghlan on the third defence pairing but hasn’t been able to find the right fit. The Jets have been linked to multiple available defensemen on the trade market but where they may need the most help is on their second line.

With a healthy roster, the Jets’ second line consists of Nikolaj Ehlers, Cole Perfetti and Vladislav Namestnikov. Perfetti has struggled with consistently producing offence but most of those struggles can be attributed to his age. Ehlers has carried the offensive load for most of the season and Namestnikov, while being a very serviceable player, is better suited to be a key contributor in the bottom six at this stage of his career.

The Jets have already watched two possible second-line centres move clubs. J.T. Miller was traded to the New York Rangers and Mikael Granlund was moved to the Stars. With two options off of the board, who else is left for the Jets?

Brock Nelson

Outside of Elias Pettersson, no name holds more value on trade bait boards than Brock Nelson. The 33-year-old has been a lifelong New York Islander, playing a crucial role in their runs to the Eastern Conference finals in the 2019-20 and 2020-21 seasons. The pending UFA was a first-round pick (30th overall) in the 2010 NHL draft and despite a bit of a down year in terms of production, a change of scenery and a different offensive system might revive his point totals. Prior to the 2024-25 season, Nelson has eclipsed the 30-goal mark for three consecutive years but will likely come up a bit short this season as the current pace he’s on will have him end the season with 24 goals and 51 points.

Ryan O’Reilly

O’Reilly doesn’t bring the same goal-scoring effect that Nelson would but he offers more defensively. O’Reilly is among the best face-off men each season, is one of the best stick checkers in the NHL and plays in every scenario. He’s a Stanley Cup champion and a Conn Smythe winner who would instantly elevate the Jets’ roster as he did with the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 2022-23 season. He, like Nelson, has seen a dip in offensive production but some of that can be attributed to his offensive role being diminished with the arrivals of Steven Stamkos and Jonathan Marchessault. What O’Reilly has that Nelson doesn’t, is term on his contract. He has two years left on his $4.5M AAV deal beyond this season.

Dylan Cozens

Cozens is the most fascinating name on trade boards at the moment. The 23-year-old centre is the youngest player who could be available but comes with the biggest risk. The 2019, seventh overall pick signed a seven-year, $7.1M AAV contract after the 2022-23 season where he scored 31 goals and 68 points. His speed and polished all-around game was finally met with the offensive production but since then, Cozens has failed to replicate that season in every aspect of his game. His all-around game is inconsistent and he’s scored just 10 goals and 26 points in 52 games. A change of scenery could work for Cozens as it did for another 2019 first-round pick in Kaapo Kakko. The situations are different due to Kakko joining a Seattle Kraken team where he could receive more ice time and more power play time and Cozens would be joining an already competitive roster, although, that could be what Cozens needs to snap out of his funk.

Brock Boeser

Boeser isn’t a centre like the three previous names mentioned but his goal-scoring ability coupled with Ehlers’ playmaking would be a match made in heaven and wouldn’t require a top-end centre. Boeser has proven that he can carry a heavier offensive load than Perfetti has shown and would take pressure off of Namestnikov. The 27-year-old is a year removed from scoring 40 goals and would drastically improve the Jets’ offence.

Pettersson and Mathew Barzal are two names that have been thrown around but would require a massive haul to trade for. If the Jets are willing to bank on an offensive resurgence after acquiring either forward, then a deal would make sense but both players come with a lot of risk.

Mathew Barzal – an intriguing name I have been told the #NHLJets have some interest in.

The reported return is far too high in my opinion… but time will tell.

As it stands, the 27-year-old has 10 listed teams he would accept a trade to.

He’s on year 2 of an 8-year $73M deal. https://t.co/fOgy2efKhc

— Carter Brooks (@CBrooksie84) January 12, 2025

Stay updated with the most interesting Jets stories, analysis, breaking news and more! Tap the star to add us to your favourites on Google News to never miss a story.