On Saturday, the Winnipeg Jets and Logan Stanley agreed to terms on a one-year, $1 million contract for the 2023-24 season. Stanley was a restricted free agent (RFA) coming off a 19-game season cut short due to injury and the emergence of Dylan Samberg.
Stanley will have to clear waivers if he is sent down to the Manitoba Moose of the American Hockey League (AHL). The same goes for 25-year-old defender Kyle Capobianco, who appeared in 14 games for the Jets last season.
That makes nine waiver-eligible defencemen under contract on the Jets’ roster, including AHL All-Star Declan Chisholm, who is still unsigned as an RFA.
The Jets are Nearing Another Johnathan Kovacevic Situation
Jets fans will remember last year’s training camp when Johnathan Kovacevic was placed on waivers for the purpose of sending him down to the Moose. The Montreal Canadiens took a chance on the now 26-year-old defender, and he went on to post strong defensive results for them during an abysmal 2022-23 campaign. With his contract coming in at just $766,667 for the next two seasons, the Canadiens will get real value from him, if he can replicate last season.
Now, I know who cares if the Jets lost a league-minimum-salary defenceman? But it was less about who they lost and rather that they lost him. They drafted Kovacevic in the third round of 2017 and developed him in the AHL for four full seasons before letting him walk to another franchise for nothing. That’s the issue, and the fact that he was impressive in those limited minutes, which earned him another contract, rubs plenty of salt in the wound.
Chisholm, as mentioned, was a 2023 AHL All-Star. If the Jets think they can “sneak” him through waivers during training camp, they are sadly mistaken and will have to witness a repeat from last season. A rebuilding team that is lacking defensive depth will scoop him up and give him minutes, and he may also thrive and earn himself a new contract.
Stanley, who has played with the Jets for the past three seasons, is likely to be claimed as well, wasting the many years that the Jets have dedicated to his development, and a former first-round pick at that.
Logan Stanley, Declan Chisholm, Kyle Capobianco, or a Trade?
There are two outcomes to this situation. First, waive a young defenceman in hopes that they remain unclaimed, which is highly unlikely. In this case, the Jets would need to decide which one has more long-term value to the team. Given their respective seasons and that Chisholm is younger, I think he has more value.
Related: 10 Questions Prior to Winnipeg Jets Training Camp
If the organization is uncomfortable with losing one of them for nothing, they could explore a trade. They wouldn’t have to move one of these two defenders. They could clear space by moving one of their depth defencemen. The defensive logjam has been well-documented as a “good issue.” However, if they begin to lose developed assets for nothing, that issue quickly turns negative.
However, this scenario doesn’t account for extreme possibilities, such as Ville Heinola playing so well in training camp that he wins a roster spot. While unlikely, if it happens, then two defenders would have to clear waivers to be sent down. This is one of the biggest stories heading into training camp. Will one of these defenders win a job, or will the organization and coaching staff make the decision based on external factors (age, draft capital, etc.)?
The Jets seems to be in “win-now” mode, as going into this upcoming season Mark Scheifele and Connor Hellebuyck are without an extension. While these depth defenders likely don’t make a significant impact on the back-end this season, the Jets may be comfortable losing them to waivers for nothing.
Heinola will no longer be eligible for waivers next season, so not only have they experienced this situation before, and are experiencing it this season, but they may face it a third time if they are unable to find NHL time for him. The young, cheaper, up-and-coming defenders will need time to grow in an NHL environment, and with the way the Jets are constructed, that opportunity is simply not available. Training camp will be the first indicator of which defender has the jump on an NHL roster spot.
