Winnipeg Jets set on losing top nine forward at the Vegas Golden Knights expansion draft.
The Vegas Golden Knights have a healthy selection of players to pick from at the expansion draft. And one of the rosters that will give them some good options are the Winnipeg Jets. The Jets are having another rough go at it this year, as they currently sit six points out of the playoff field. However, Winnipeg should not have to wait much longer for success with their young prospects rapidly developing throughout their system.
Players like Patrik Laine and Mark Scheifele will be the new faces of the franchise. Josh Morrisey projects as a top pairing defenseman. Blake Wheeler continues to be a scoring threat and Nikolaj Ehlers looks to have all the goods also. Good days are coming Winnipeg, I promise.
The good news for Jets fans is they won’t have to worry about Laine, Morrisey, Kyle Connor, Andrew Copp or Ehlers because they’re all going to be exempt from the expansion draft. The bad news is the Jets have other good talent on their roster they’re going to expose.
The scheme that Jets General Manager Kevin Cheveldayoff has to use is the four forwards, four defensemen and one goaltender list. The reason for that is because the Jets can’t afford to lose one of their key top-notch defenseman at the expansion draft.
Winnipeg will undoubtedly pick Connor Hellebuyck as their protected goalie on their list. Hellebuyck’s stats aren’t impressive but he has tons of room to grow as number one NHL goalie. The 23-year-old has a 20-15-3 record with a 2.87 GAA and .907 save percentage. Michael Hutchinson will be the goaltender exposed to the Vegas Golden Knights. I’d look elsewhere for a goalie if I’m Vegas.
The protection list on defense is easy as well. Jacob Trouba, Dustin Byfuglien, Tyler Myers and Tobias Enstrom should all be back by next year defending the Winnipeg blue line. The Jets just can’t afford to move on from their solid defensive squad. If they do, Vegas will have no problem picking up a player like Myers or Enstrom. Another thing to keep note of is Enstrom has a no-movement clause.
Protecting just four forwards gets tricky for the Jets. The obvious picks are Wheeler, Scheifele and Bryan Little. The last forward slot will come down to a boat load of players. Joel Armia, Adam Lowry, Mathieu Perreault and Marko Dano will be candidates for that final spot on the slim Winnipeg protection list.
In my opinion, the player with the most talent and upside should be protected by the Jets and that’s why I’m going with Armia.
Armia shows two-way upside and soft smooth hands. The 23-year old has only seven goals, six assists and 13 points but the Jets still do believe that he can crack their top six and make an impact. Armia needs to improve upon being more consistent in the offensive department especially since he was a highly touted scorer back in Finland.
When the dust settles, the Jets are going to leave a pretty decent forward exposed to the Golden Knights. Vegas could decide to go with another prospect with Dano but consistency is an issue. Adam Lowry uses all of frame at 6’5 210 pounds extremely well and can play both special teams units. Lowry would be a great choice but he also lacks game to game consistency and doesn’t project to be much of an offensive threat.
The player that Vegas Golden Knights General Manager George McPhee will pluck from Winnipeg is an old friend in Mathieu Perreault. When McPhee was the General Manager in Washington, he picked Perreault in the 6th round of the 2006 NHL Draft. Perreault worked for everything that he got, especially as a very small forward at 5’10 and weighing only 188 pounds.
Perreault brings great hockey sense and fantastic playmaking skills to the table. He’s a complete hustle player which I’ve always liked about his game. The 29-year old would slot in very nicely on a 3rd line role. The Quebec native also has extreme quickness and can play any forward position.
The downside for a guy like Perreault is he’ll always have to very come a bigger opposition due to his lack of size. Despite his quickness, he does not have much straight-line skating speed. His cap-hit however at 4.125 for the next four years doesn’t sound very appetizing either. But the Vegas Golden Knights need to reach the cap floor somehow.
Next: What Choices Do The Vegas Golden Knights Have Picking From The Vancouver Canucks?
George McPhee knows exactly what he’s getting if he picks Mathieu Perreault. Perreault would lead by example and be a great locker room leader. I can most certainly see him wearing an “A” on his jersey if he comes to Vegas. This is just the player the Vegas Golden Knights need in the expansion draft.
Golden Knights Prediction: Mathieu Perreault