2 Trade Targets For the Winnipeg Jets

It has been a pedestrian first quarter of the season in Winnipeg. The team is currently 13-10-5, good for 5th in the Central and 1 point back of a wildcard spot. Things could be better, but they could be worse too. That said, there are a couple areas where the Jets are currently struggling, namely on the penalty kill and an occasional lack of energy from the top 6. There shouldn't be any panic from Kevin Cheveldayoff just yet, his team still has lots of talent in all three positions, but some tweaking could make them a more legitimate threat heading into the playoff stretch. Here are two trade targets for the Winnipeg Jets that would help with that process.

Kevin Rooney

Not the flashiest name in the league, but Kevin Rooney has quietly been carrying a large chunk of the PK load with the New York Rangers. For a guy with over 71 minutes of shorthanded TOI this season, the Rangers have allowed a powerplay goal exactly 5 times with Rooney on the kill, and while he's not going to be a "go-to" guy for defensive zone faceoffs, he can step in and win an important draw if necessary. With 6 goals and 7 points in 28 games this year, Rooney isn't exactly shooting the lights out with the Rangers, and the Jets shouldn't expect that of him either. As a bottom 6 player, however, he can fill a need on the Jets, and with his $750k salary, he's not going to be hard to fit under the cap, even with the Jets lacking in salary room. Plus, he's a UFA in the summer, so if he doesn't work out there's no long-term commitment here. At 28-years old, Rooney has plenty of tread left on the tires, and he's a low-cost addition that could make a major difference to one of the Jets' biggest issues.

Andreas Johnsson

Despite their start to the season, the New Jersey Devils have fallen off in a big way, and aren't looking like they're quite ready to be pushing for a playoff spot. That should make them sellers in March, and one of their more intriguing pieces is Andreas Johnsson. The former Leaf-turned-Devil has had a good season in New Jersey, with 9 goals and 19 points in 28 games. He's also a +8, which may not stand out on its own, but considering the Devils are sitting at a -17 goal differential, it's more significant. Johnsson can play at both ends of the ice and could bring some speed to the Jets' middle 6 (and possibly their penalty kill as well). Then there's the salary, $3.4 million through next season, but he has a modified no-trade clause that kicks in next July. If the Devils are considering hanging on to RFAs like Jesper Bratt and Pavel Zacha as well as making some signings in the summer, that extra cap space could be invaluable, and Johnsson becomes a lot harder to move once the NTC is in effect. The Jets would have to spend a little higher on this one, both to give the Devils some value back and to make the cap work on their end, but Johnsson is a player that could bring a serious energy boost to the Jets' lineup on an off night.