Italics are RFAs or UFAs.

The Jets acquire their tough as nails, playoff performer 2nd line center in Sam Bennett, along with a right wing prospect who may be ready to crack the lineup for 2024-25.

Connor - Scheifele - Vilardi
Perfetti - Bennett - Appleton/UFA
Niederreiter - Lowry - Samoskevich
Barron - Namestnikov - Iafallo

The Capitals: this is the dicey part of the deal for me, have to assume they will try and make the playoffs again for Ovechkin. Acquire Ehlers for that purpose at the expense of McMichael and a decent prospect. They'll have to move a guy like Jensen to fit things in. Oshie may be off the books if he retires on account of his banged up body, otherwise he plays 3rd line to guide along Miro.

Ovechkin - Strome - Ehlers
Milano - Lapierre - Wilson
Miroschnichenko - Protas - Oshie
Malenstyn - Dowd - Sgarbossa

The Panthers: Also dicey but I'm not sure how to make this trade perfect and even for all... they may look to shed a bit of salary to be able to re-sign Reinhart, Montour, and the other guys they'll need to fill out their roster. While only saving around $2m with this deal, they still save, and get a good young center to replace Bennett, a decent prospect in Dube, and an early 2nd round pick in this year's draft.

Rodrigues - Barkov - Reinhart
Verhaeghe - McMichael - Tkachuk
Luostarinen - Lundell - Sourdif
Lorentz/UFA - Cousins/UFA - Lomberg/UFA
Gadjovich

That is stink value for Ehlers. He is much more valuable than Bennet yet we’re giving up Ehlers and an early second? No way.

What on earth makes you think Ehlers is so much better than Bennett?? Ehlers may get more points, but if you conducted a poll asking who you'd rather have on your team for a playoff run, Bennett takes it no question. No offense, but your response sounds incredibly homery. I know it's difficult to be objective when your team is involved but c'mon, a little taste of reality now and again is helpful.

Edit: you also failed to mention the 1st round pick Samoskevich being involved. Your Jets apparently don't need too much help making the playoffs, but doing anything once they're there requires the right players. Ehlers vs Bennett as playoff performers? It's easy.

People thinking the players on their favorite team are untouchable gods can get tiring sometimes.

I missed the Samoskevitch part. My bad. Given he is solid middle 6 forward this trade almost makes sense. However, I think Winnipeg is either resigning Monahan or putting Brad Lambert on their 2C spot, Winnipeg is more likely to trade Ehlers for a defenseman.

Also, Ehlers value goes far beyond his point production. Over the past 5 years he has been one of the most offensively efficient players in the NHL, around top 10, with elite possession metrics and decent defensive play. He is far more valuable than your average 60 point winger. Bennett’s regular season output would be a huge downgrade. Also, Sam isn’t getting away with much of the stuff he does in Florida in Winnipeg without the Panthers whistle favour.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying Ehlers isn't a great talent, but browsing his playoff stats over the years, they aren't that good, all things considered. Bennett has noticeable edge to his game, and even more so when it counts. Career totals, Bennett not only plays tougher generally, but has .657 points per game in the playoffs, which would be higher had he not ironically put up only 3 points in 10 games the one year he had his best regular season output, Ehlers has .378, and just doesn't have that physical edge, not to harp on the issue. I can't comment on the likelihood of him getting more calls in Winnipeg, I can't see into the future that way. But, 20 fewer regular season points aside, every team that has success in the playoffs has guys that play with that edge, that knocks the other team off their game with either their sheer talent (looking at Wyatt Johnston this year, MacKinnon, Kucherov and Point in the past), or with their grinding game that gets in their opponents' heads (Jamie Benn for Dallas, Sam Bennett and Matty Tkachuk on Florida, Marchand in Boston). It feels like the Jets just lack that once they reach the playoffs, and Monahan isn't going to provide that. Lowry does a decent job in the intangibles department, but it's not quite on the same level to me. If only Big Buff could be resurrected as a young player again.

Lambert is the dark horse I suppose, just because he is always touted here and I don't know anything about his game.

Tbh it’s not a bad trade all in all. I feel the Jets might want a single more impact player in return rather than 2 pieces.

However my bias would never allow me to approve a trade involving Ehlers, he is my favourite player and the moment a team utilizes him properly he’s going to be a 40/50 top line winger if healthy.

So hard to make good, pure hockey trades, usually the teams are too at risk of digging a fresh hole to fill in the original one. I think the Rangers would love him, and he would look amazing with Kreider and Zibanejad, but to get a singular impact player in return would demand, say, a Kreider, which wouldn't make the trade useful for New York. Chytil and Kakko is what I came up with there.

It will be very difficult finding the right team and mix. Parayko would be nice, but that would create a big hole for the Blues, which they would likely have to trade Buchnevich to fill, which makes it moot and pointless, as they want to re-sign Buch anyway.

Value wise that's a pretty good trade for the Jets, but it's unlikely Bennett extends in Winnipeg, so the Jets would probably have to turn it down.

They need someone with more term or team control coming back.