3 Winnipeg Jets Who Won’t Be Back Next Season

The Winnipeg Jets continue to be an interesting team. For the first half of the season they were a powerhouse and looked like a lock to make the playoffs. As their play over the past couple of months has really dropped off, there are definitely more questions than answers right now. The first is the amount of defence the team has and who they will have to trade or get rid of. The other is the first name we will discuss. So let’s take a look at three Jets who won’t be back next season.

Pierre-Luc Dubois

It is no secret that Pierre-Luc Dubois eventually wants to end up in Montreal and play for the Canadiens. It’s looking more and more likely that it is going to happen in the offseason as Dubois is a restricted free agent after the season and the Jets will only have one more year of team control before he will become an unrestricted free agent. This means the clock is ticking to either get the young center signed or move him because losing him for nothing isn’t an option.

Head coach Rick Bowness has reportedly been doing everything in his power to keep Dubois in Winnipeg. The team appears caught in the middle right now. They have some great middle-aged talent and a strong core, but not many of them are locked into long-term deals. Only Josh Morrisey and Kyle Connor are signed past 2024-25 in regards to the top talent. This may play a part, but also the desire to play for his hometown team. The situation appears to be heading that way as he’s already forced himself out of Columbus in his young career. The best bet is that the Jets use the offseason to make the necessary adjustments to their lineup and trade Dubois to Montreal now.

Logan Stanley

It was reported that Logan Stanley had asked for a trade during this season. Logically speaking, this makes sense for him as he has gotten into just 17 games for the Jets this season. He has just one goal and three points while logging 13:30 of ice time per game. At best he is a seventh defenceman, but Ville Heinola is also on his way and looking for a spot in the lineup.

Related: 3 Golden Knights Who Won’t Be Back Next Season

Stanley hasn’t been a key defenceman for the Jets during his three seasons and hasn’t shown much potential. He’s big and physical, but is also a RFA at the end of the season and there’s not much use in giving him a qualifying offer. Including Stanley, the Jets have seven left-shot defencemen who are NHL-ready, including Dylan Samberg and Heinola who the team will choose over Stanley at this point.

Nate Schmidt

I spoke about the many defencemen the Jets have in the section above. While Stanley should be gone after the season, so should Nate Schmidt. He has lost favour in Winnipeg and his playing time and production has really taken a hit this season. The tough thing is he will not be easy to move.

Schmidt has a cap hit of $5.95 million AAV for two more years with a 10-team modified no-trade clause. In front of him on the left side is Josh Morrisey and Brendan Dillon, both signed through next season, while Samberg has been slotted in on the left side on the third pair with Schmidt. The 31-year-old has just 16 points this season after hitting the 30-point mark in four of the past five seasons. His role has changed and if the Jets are going to push to try and move one of their defencemen signed for next season, it’s going to be Schmidt.