Sorting Out Jets 2012 Restricted Free Agents

The Jets major concern this off-season is resigning two top RFAs: Ondrej Pavelec and Evander Kane.
(Photo Courtesy Yahoo! Sports)

 It's not a question of whether the Winnipeg Jets can sign their restricted free agents this off-season, but rather a question of if the negotiations are ongoing and productive.

Not nearly two weeks removed from the Los Angeles Kings Stanley Cup crowning and the Jets and their general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff find themselves in mucky waters when it comes to some of the restricted free agents.

Most notably two RFAs - Evander Kane and Ondrej Pavelec - are the two whom rumours and myths abound to which jersey they are going to wear next winter.

However, Cheveldayoff and the Jets brass have a deadline to meet as July 1st is coming quickly.

Let's sort out the restricted free agent market for the hometown Jets.

Available RFAs: Ondrej Pavelec (G), Paul Postma (D), Arturs Kulda (D), John Negrin (D), Brett Festerling (D), Eric Fehr (F), Michael Forney (F), Evander Kane (F), Spencer Machacek (F), Maxime Macinauer (F), Ben Maxwell (F), Fredrik Pettersson (F)

The Jets only 30 goal scorer was Kane in 2011-12.
(Photo Courtesy Yahoo! Sports)

First and most important, let's sort out the Evander Kane RFA story.

Kane, coming off his first 30 goal season in the NHL, finally showed some of the potential that made him the fourth overall pick in 2009.

He reached career highs in goals (30), assists (27), and points (57), along with a +11 rating and 53 penalty minutes.

The fact that Kane only produced 69 points in his first 139 games in Atlanta, then posting 57 points in his 74 games this season in Winnipeg shows he has finally reached a spot where he can be a big game player.

However, his first season in Winnipeg was not all rainbows and unicorns.

Kane was rumoured to be a continual pest at some night club scenes across the city and was rumoured to have sustained a concussion by getting into a bar fight that had him out for a string of games in early January.

Despite the rumours or truths that abounded about Kane's social life in Winnipeg, the Jets are still keen and committed to locking up their only 30 goal scorer last season to a deal this summer.

Once again the rumours started swirling and were put immediately to rest by Kevin Cheveldayoff after TSN's Darren Dreger announced this week that preliminary talks have started between Kane's agent Craig Oster and the Jets brass. (TSN.ca, 6/20/2012)

Kane's size and speed are deadly for the Jets offense.
(Photo Courtesy Yahoo! Sports)

For a team that had problems scoring at times and a lack of depth up front, Kane's resigning is the most important to the team's offense moving forward.

On the back end, the RFA story of Ondrej Pavelec is even more complicated.

In the Winnipeg Free Press yesterday, Gary Lawless reported that the set price for resigning the Jets young goalie, who will turn 25 in August.

According to Lawless, the KHL offer is slated for one year at a rate above the $5 million mark.

For Pavelec, the range was for a four-year deal in the $4 million range.

For Lawless, the Jets must have had a lower number in mind or the deal would have been signed already. (Russian Offer Puts Space Between Pavs, Jets, Winnipeg Free Press, 6/20/2012)

Pavelec assumed the starters role in 2011-12.
(Photo Courtesy Yahoo! Sports)

The rumours of Pavelec's apparent departure to the Kontinental Hockey League has raged all month long and continues to be the hottest topic for Jets fans and reporters as Pavelec's future with the Jets may be muddier than at first suspected.

His 2011-12 season was a career season in many regards, including games played (68), wins (29), saves (1845), and minutes played (3932).

His 29-28-9 record is - at best - a mediocre record.

Compared statswise to other goalies in the NHL from the past season and Pavelec - the Jets MVP - does not stacked up well at all.

Pavelec ranked 66th in goals against average with his extremely high 2.91 goals against - which put him rankwise behind many backup goalies including Mathieu Garon (2.85), Ray Emery (2.81), Josh Harding (2.62), Jason LaBarbera (2.54), and Martin Biron (2.46) just to name a few.

Is Pavelec then the goalie the Jets want in their net?

Granted, it is Pavelec's first full season as the unrivalled number one goalie in an NHL crease.

Despite mediocre numbers, Pav is a fan favourite in Winnipeg
(Photo Courtesy Yahoo! Sports)

But for the Jets to sign him and make it worth it, Pavelec has to show he can improve his technique - which at times was sporadic and unorthodox - and his numbers consequently.

After the big two free agents slip off the market, the RFA pool is downplayed a bit more.

Eric Fehr, who was acquired in a trade from the Washington Capitals last summer, was projected to be the hometown hero, who would be the 20 goal scorer on a second or third line.

Fehr's season, however, was tumultuous and sporadic and he never stuck in the lineup for any long period of time.

In 35 games this season, Fehr notched only two goals and one assist a far cry from his 39 points (21 goals, 18 assists) two seasons ago in Washington.

Injuries hampered his season and the poor performance he did put in this season has put a definite hamper on his return to the Jets lineup.

If Fehr is re-signed (which is highly unlikely) it will be to battle for a spot and for an NHL veteran of 265 NHL games, he would rather test the market.

Two other players who made their way in and out of the lineup this season included Ben Maxwell and Spencer Machacek.

Maxwell was traded halfway through the season before being picked back up by the Jets via waivers late in the season.

Originally traded to the Thrashers as part of the Brent Sopel deal in 2011, Maxwell dressed in nine games for the Jets, collecting one goal and adding four assists with a plus three rating.

His prowess for being a playmaker in part of seasons in the the AHL with the Hamilton Bulldogs and more recently St. John's Ice Caps have earned him a right to compete for a job in Winnipeg.

Maxwell will likely be given at least a qualifying offer as the Jets will see if he can continue his gradual development after being a second round pick in 2006.

Spencer Machacek showed promise in limited time.
(Photo Courtesy Yahoo! Sports)

As for Machacek, a third round pick in 2007, he found himself adorned to Jets fans late in the season with his high intensity play and his nose for the net.

In only 13 games with the Jets - primarily in a checking role - Machacek netted two goals and aided on seven along with seven penalty minutes and a plus eight rating.

Machacek's development has been gradual, which is a surprise in the former Atlanta system.  He has played in over 60 games in the AHL the past four seasons and has always collected 48 points or more.

He is a no-brainer to lock up for the Jets.

Two more no-brainers to lock up are defensemen Paul Postma and Arturs Kulda.

Kulda, who brilliantly filled in on defense in the early part of the season, has nine games in a Jets jersey under him, which included a plus three rating.

A seventh round pick in 2006, his style is more to the liking of a defensive defenseman with a good first pass and a smooth skating style.  His 20 points in 63 games in St. John's this season show he is well capable of mixing in some offense time and again.

Paul Postma continues to develop well in the AHL.
(Photo Courtesy Yahoo! Sports)

As for offensive defensemen, Postma may have been a steal in the 2007 draft as he was the 205th pick in the seventh round as well.

His consistent progress to becoming an regular NHL defenseman took greater strides this season as he put up 44 points in 56 games in St. John's and dressed in three games (albeit much time spent on the bench) for the Jets.

His 2011-12 pre-season was also a good sign of things to come as he acquainted himself with Jets fans early alongside 2011 pick Mark Scheifele.

The Jets are extremely deep on defense, and Kulda and Postma are a big part of the Jets future on the blueline.

Others who had a strong showing in St. John's this past season include Maxime Macinauer, who was acquired in the trade for Maxwell, and defenseman Brett Festerling.

Macinauer played in 29 games for the Anaheim Ducks before the trade to the Jets and spent much of his time in St. John's as a checking centre not figuring in on the scoring much.

As for Festerling, he was a rock on the Ice Caps blueline.  In 50 games, he netted 18 points (three goals, 15 assists) and was a plus eight.

He also suited up for five games as a Jet early in the season, posting a minus one rating.

As for Festerling and Macinauer's resigning, it goes along the same paths as the other remaining restricted free agents - it all depends on the Jets need for development.

If there are spots that need to be opened for the likes of a Zach Yuen, Mark Scheifele, or an Ivan Telegin this coming season in St. John's, then the Jets may opt to not resign them.

Here are a brief look at the remaining RFAs:

John Negrin was acquired from the Calgary Flames organization later in the season and played in 14 games for the Ice Caps collecting three assists, but did not suit up in the playoffs.

A former third round pick in 2007, Negrin has only three games of NHL experience.

Michael Forney bounced between the Ice Caps, the ECHL's Colorado Eagles and was eventually loaned to the Texas Stars of the AHL for the remainder of the season.

In 53 games with the Eagles, Forney had 51 points (20 goals 31 assists) but with the Stars only two points in 11 games and no points in three games in St. John's.

Fredrik Pettersson returned to Swededn in 2011-12 after spending the 2010-11 season with the Chicago Wolves scoring 32 points (11 goals, 21 assists) in 67 games.

A fifth round pick of the Edmonton Oilers in 2005, Pettersson just finished his season in Sweden with Vastra Frolunda HC of the Swedish Elite League posting 40 points (16 goals, 24 assists) in 54 games along with an incredible plus 26 rating.

Jets Return Home After Confidence Building Road Trip

Not only did Bryan Little finally bulge the twine or Ondrej Pavelec collect his first shutout, but the Winnipeg Jets were able to have a winning record on the road trip (3-2-2) and collect eight out of a possible 14 points.

Another positive from the Jets two week road trip are the emergence of Mark Flood as he fills in for the indefinitely injured Tobias Enstrom.

It seems that once Ron Hainsey, Derek Meech, and Randy Jones are back and healthy, Flood may become the seventh defensemen, if the Jets decide to continue with seven with Enstrom on the shelf.

Flood has far outshone the other two defensive call ups - Brett Festerling and Paul Postma - collecting three points (two goals, one assist) and registering a plus two rating in the latter four games of the road trip.

In Buffalo, the Charlottetown, PEI native logged 17:00 minutes of ice time and was up to 19:44 in New Jersey two games prior.

Festerling, on the other hand, has been held pointless in four games, with an even rating and has seen his ice time drop since he logged 19:05 on Long Island to around the 10:00 mark of ice time in the previous two games.

The Jets finally saw some production from their "supposed" top line of Blake Wheeler, Bryan Little, and Andrew Ladd - albeit on the final game of the trip.

But nonetheless, Little finally marked himself onto the scoresheets, now it's Wheeler's turn. Once all three are firing into the net, goals may come easier for the team as they have scored 40 goals to the 51 they have allowed.

Despite the minus eleven differential between goals for and goals against, the Jets have massively improved since the start, which saw them outscored in their first three games by a combined score of 13-5, which accounts for eight of the minus eleven against the Jets.

Improvement in net has been huge to on the road trip as Pavelec recorded very solid numbers as the road trip progressed. And some can say that they saw the huge 6-5 overtime loss on Tuesday coming because of Pavelec's seventh consecutive start.

Throughout the road trip, Pavelec managed to have a 3-2-2 record with a 3.22 goals against average and a 0.916 save percentage.

Take away the blowout win in Philadelphia at the start of the trip, Pavelec is 2-2-2 with a 2.40 goals against average and a 0.929 save percentage.

Looking at the numbers, their number one netminder has been coming into his own, especially during the road swing, and has put the inconsistent play of October behind him.

Now if the Jets defense is healthy and playing well in front of him and the offense is firing on all cylinders heading into the latter part of November, the Jets could be a dark horse team in the Southeast Division and Eastern Conference.

Now the Jets look to improve possibly their worst stat - their home record.

So far this season, the Jets have played an NHL low four games at home.

Time to shake the dust and rust off the MTS Centre as the Jets prepare for a Thursday night meeting with the Florida Panthers - game time is 7:30 PM in downtown Winnipeg.

Good news for the team is, they play 17 of their next 23 games at home, including two stretches - one of five games from October 29th (vs. Ottawa) until December 9th (vs. Carolina) and one of six games from December 13th (vs. Minnesota) until December 23rd (vs. Pittsburgh).

The Jets longest homestand of the season won't be around until late February/early March, when they are at home for eight consecutive games, starting on February 17th against the defending Stanley Cup champion Boston Bruins.

With their next few games coming at home, there are a number of very important inter-divisional matchups that could shape the second half of the Jets season.

First up is the Thursday game against Florida, followed by the Tampa Bay Lightning coming to town on November 14th and the Washington Capitals on November 17th.

Two inter-dividional road games follow in Washington (November 23rd) and Carolina (November 25th) followed by two home games against Carolina (December 9th) and Washington (December 15th).

In their next 16 games, the Jets play a Southeast Division opponent seven times.


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Tall Order Coming With Young Jets Defense

With their best defenseman so far this season out of the lineup indefinitely, the Winnipeg Jets and their young defensive core have a large and meaningful task ahead of them.

And Tobias Enstrom's broken collarbone isn't the only thing that is keeping the young core busy either.

Injuries to Ron Hainsey, who is slated to return before the new year at latest, and subsequent day-to-day injuries to Randy Jones and Mark Stuart (who managed to get into the lineup and play 18:10 of ice time last night) have put the onus on the young defense of the AHL's St. John's Ice Caps to fill the roles needed.

And filled these roles they have.

After calling up both Brett Festerling and Mark Flood when Jones and Enstrom were not available, both have made the most their opportunities in the NHL.

Flood had his first career goal and a two-point night against the New Jersey Devils and has so far had a +1 rating through three games in Winnipeg.

Flood has also seen his stock rise at the same time, with his minutes improving over 15:00 of ice time after his two point performance in New Jersey - where he played a career high 19:44.

Festerling, on the other hand, has seen his stock drop a bit. After playing 19:05 of ice time against the New York Islanders, his ice time went down to 15:37 with a -2 performance against New Jersey and it plummeted last night to only 7:45 of ice time in New York.

Paul Postma, the other emergency call up for the Devils game when Stuart couldn't go, played 13:37 in New Jersey, only to have three shifts in New York last night with the return of Stuart.

Experience is key and for the Jets, these three defensemen have proven that they can step in and make an easy transition.

Though the next call ups may see the names of Zach Redmond given a try or another Mark Flood call up, but the Jets defensive depth has proven to be a key cog in the Jets machine, despite the 1-1-1 record with the call ups in the lineup.

Most importantly, Flood has seen his stock rise higher than ever in his career. After spending last season in Winnipeg with the Moose for an entire season, it seems he has learned both sides of the puck and will be counted on to add to the Jets defensive depth.

If another team comes knocking on the door for defensemen, Mark Flood will not be the first to go.

Game #14: Jets @ Rangers

Sunday night marks the sixth of seven road games during an Eastern trip for the Winnipeg Jets (5-6-2) as they visit Madison Square Gardens and the New York Rangers (6-3-3).

The Jets and Rangers meet for the second time this season - the last meeting a 2-1 win for the Rangers at the MTS Centre on October 24th.

The Jets will likely be without defenseman Mark Stuart again and possibly Randy Jones, but the likelihood of Nik Antropov playing is higher than the other two.

Antropov was a late scratch last night after warmup.

The Jets will still have Brett Festerling, Mark Flood, and Paul Postma on the road trip and all three are ready to go if Stuart and Jones are not able to go.

Tobias Enstrom has officially been placed on the IR.

Ondrej Pavelec will get yet another start on the trip - his 12th of the season.

Game time is 6:00 PM CT and is available on TSN Jets and TSN 1290.


Photo Courtesy of Yahoo! Sports & Getty Images

Jets Shutout Islanders on the Island 3-0

Ondrej Pavelec stopped 34 shots and the Winnipeg Jets and their starting goalie captured their first shutout of the season as the Jets blanked the New York Islanders 3-0 Thursday night.

Evander Kane continued his great play, scoring his fifth of the season at 4:21 of the first period on a great second and third effort which resulted in the puck finally eluding Islanders goalie Rick DiPietro.

Kane's goal would hold up as the only goal until Johnny Oduya would score his first goal on a shot from the right side that careened off an Islanders defender and behind DiPietro for a 2-0 Jets lead at 16:04.

Alexander Burmistrov would ice the game with an empty netter at 17:44.

Kane would finish the night with a goal and an assist - which puts him at eight points in eleven games this season, with all of those points coming in the last six games.

It was Kane's third multi-point night of the season.

Johnny Oduya was also figuring into the scoring with a goal and an assist as he was thrust into more action with the absence of Tobias Enstrom.

Oduya had 22:07 of ice time last night. His points in the game were his first since October 13th against Chicago. He finished a season-high +2.

Kyle Wellwood continued his consistent play with his fourth assist of the season. He now has nine points (five goals, four assists) in twelve games.

Nik Antropov, Burmistrov, and Kane all finished with +3 ratings, while Dustin Byfuglien and Oduya finished as +2.

Byfuglien played a team high 23:40 of ice time, while Zach Bogosian played 22:54, Oduya 22:07, and Brett Festerling 19:05.

Randy Jones had played a team high 18:55 before taking a slapshot off the leg early in the third period.

Mark Flood played 13:41.

Bryan Little won 12 of 18 faceoffs, Burmistrov three of three, Antropov two of six, and Jim Slater five of fourteen.

Jets are back in action Saturday night against the New Jersey Devils.


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Game #12: Jets @ Islanders

Long Island will be the site as the Jets (4-6-1) visit the New York Islanders (3-4-2) and their starting goalie and ex-San Jose Shark netmidner Evgeni Nabokov.

Nabokov was the center of controversy last season as the Islanders picked the exiled Russian goalie off waivers from the Detroit Red Wings only to have him not play due to him having no desire to play for the lowly Islanders.

However, Nabokov is back in the NHL this season with the Islanders and so far is 1-2-0 with a 2.23 goals against average and a .927 save percentage.

With numbers like those with only a 1-2-0 record - it shows how badly the Islanders need scoring and have struggled this season.

The Isles are the lowest scoring team in the NHL with only 18 goals this season through nine games. The next closest teams in goals for are the Calgary Flames, Detroit Red Wings, Minnesota Wild, and New Jersey Devils - who all have 23 goals in ten or more games.

Leading the way for the Isles is franchise player John Tavares as well as Matt Moulson, Mark Streit, and ex-Manitoba Moose star Michael Grabner.

For the Jets, their defensive core is still underdoing some injury woes as Tobias Enstrom flew back to Winnipeg after taking a vicious hit by Panthers forward Jack Skille on Monday.

He will not rejoin the Jets on the remainder of the road trip.

Enstrom has six points (one goal, five assists) in eleven games thus far this season.

Also out for the Jets on defense are Ron Hainsey, Derek Meech, and possibly Mark Stuart - who is day-to-day with an upper body issue.

Stuart is being re-evaluated and is not a likely possibility to be in the lineup come game time at Nassau Coliseum.

The Jets re-called defensemen Brett Festerling and Mark Flood from the AHL's St. John's Ice Caps this week to plug the holes on their defense.

It is expected that both will be in the lineup for the Jets tonight on Long Island.

Among the hottest Jets in the lineup is Evander Kane, who has six points (four goals, two assists) in his last five games after starting the season off without a point in his first five games.

Alexander Burmistrov had his six game point streak snapped in Tampa Bay last Saturday and wasn't able to start a new point streak on Monday in Sunrise.

The young Russian forward has nine points (three goals, six assists) in eleven games.

On this road trip, starting goalie Ondrej Pavelec is 2-1-0 so far with a 4.00 goals against average and a .909 save percentage.

Pavelec is 1-1 in his last two starts in Florida with a 1.92 goals against average and a .946 save percentage. He has stopped 101 of his last 112 shots in the last three games.

Game time is 6:00 PM CT and is available on TSN-Jets and TSN1290.

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Jets Defensive Injuries Cues First AHL Re-Call

While Tobias Enstrom is back in Winnipeg amidst the Jets longest road trip of the season, the Jets have gone to the bullpen to help their ailing defensive core.

With Ron Hainsey and Derek Meech already on the shelf for a while now, there is the potential that Mark Stuart will not suit up Thursday night in Long Island due to an undisclosed upper body injury.

Knowing Stuart's defensive style - the shot blocking, hard nosed type - a game off would do his body good in recovering for the remainder of the Jets seven game road trip.

Having four of their top seven defenseman out of the lineup now, the Jets have their first AHL call ups from the rock in Newfoundland - Brett Festerling and Mark Flood.

Flood is the first ex-Manitoba Moose to return to Winnipeg in the NHL.

The former sixth round pick of the Montreal Canadiens in 2003 has played in eleven games for the Jets affiliate Ice Caps, collecting one goal and six assists, along with a +4 rating.

Festerling has also played in eleven games, with four points (one goal, three assists) with a +1 rating.

The Jets defensive core that may start in Long Island now stands with Dustin Byfuglien, Zach Bogosian, Johnny Oduya, Randy Jones, Festerling, and Flood.

Stuart is listed as day-to-day and is possibly a game time decision.

Head coach Claude Noel said that there is a possibility that Hainsey would be back by the weekend or after the weekend when asked about his veteran defenseman.

Enstrom will likely miss the remainder of the road trip, but Noel did disclose that his injury was not concussion related.


Sources:
TSN1290.ca

Photos Courtesy of Yahoo! Sports & Getty Images

Jets Release Four Prior to Final Pre-Season Tilt

The Winnipeg Jets have slimmed down their roster by another four players Friday afternoon.

Forward Carl Klingberg was sent directly to the St. John's Ice Caps, while Brett Festerling (pictured right with Zach Bogosian) and Spencer Machacek were both placed on waivers with the intention of being reassigned to St. John's.

If they both pass through waivers they will report to St. John's.

The fourth player was David Koci, who was released after the Jets opted to not sign Koci to a contract.

Still on the main roster for their game against the Predators are Jason Gregoire, Janne Pesonen, Derek Meech, Paul Postma, Troy Bodie, Kenndal McArdle, and Mark Scheifele.

The Jets are expected to make some more cuts before October 9th, with multiple players still battling for limited roster spots.

Jets Lock Up Wheeler and Six Others

The Jets locked up forward Blake Wheeler to a two-year, $5.1 million deal.

The Jets also signed RFAs Riley Holzfapel, Ben Maxwell, Arturs Kulda, Brett Festerling, Spencer Machacek, and newly acquired Kendal McCardle.

Jets Sign RFA Festerling

The Jets have signed RFA defenseman Brett Festerling to a one-year, two-way contract.

Festerling came over in a trade with Montreal in February.

Jets Have Made Qualifying Offers To Seven

The Jets have made qualifying offers to the following players, meaning they can match any offer sheets that may come from other teams.

Zach Bogosian and Blake Wheeler as well as defensemen Arturs Kulda and Brett Festerling, winger Spencer Machacek, and centres Ben Maxwell and Riley Holzapfel.


http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/breakingnews/Jets-made-qualifying-offer-to-Bogosian-124653169.html

Jets Free Agents Still Out There

Blake Wheeler, RFA
44 points (18 goals, 26 assists) in 81 games with Atlanta & Boston

Zach Bogosian, RFA
17 points (5 goals, 12 assists) in 71 games with Atlanta

Rob Schremp, RFA
26 points (13 goals, 13 assists) in 63 games with NY Islanders & Atlanta

Ben Maxwell, RFA
2 points (1 goal, 1 assist) in 12 games with Atlanta

Noah Welch, UFA
2 games with Altanta

Other UFAs: F Eric Boulton, F Jason Krog, D Freddy Meyer, F Jared Ross, F Rob Schremp, D Jaime Sifers

Other RFAs: F Akim Aliu, D Brett Festerling, F Riley Holzapfel, F Andrew Kozek, D Arturs Kulda, F Spencer Machacek, F Ian McKenzie


With the signing of Andrew Ladd, Wheeler and Bogosian remain the top two names on the Jets free agent list. The likelihood of Schremp coming back lies heavily in his character and since he was a big name player coming into his NHL career, will Kevin Cheveldayoff be interested in a show-boat like player who has shown a downside of defensive play?

If the Jets decided to part ways with Anthony Stewart, look for Schremp to follow suit.