Joined: Jul. 2021
Posts: 1,053
Likes: 550
I’m a little surprised that people are saying this is such a big win for Winnipeg. It’s not a bad return, and it could work out really well for them, but a few things have tempered my enthusiasm:
1) Expectations were low, but this was a sign and trade, so the return should be better than if Dubois was unsigned or eligible to become a UFA in a year, because there is no uncertainty for LA. They know they’re getting a long-term asset and exactly how much cap hit it’s going to cost them.
2) The only player the Jets got who’s signed is Iaffalo. He’s a useful player, and he’ll help them, but at $4M cap hit, it’s likely that LA needed to throw him in to clear cap space for Dubois. He was probably a neutral asset at best (i.e., they wouldn’t have had to pay to get rid of him, but they wouldn’t have got much for him in a separate trade either).
3) The key piece for Winnipeg is Vilardi, but there’s a lot of uncertainty around him. He’s only played one full NHL season – the short covid season – but perhaps more importantly, he’s an unsigned RFA with arbitration rights coming off his best season. That’s exactly what Dubois was! They don’t know what it’s going to cost to sign him or how long they’ll be able to keep him around.
4) Kupari is also unsigned. He hasn’t shown much at the NHL level so far, and he doesn’t have arbitration rights, so I don’t think they need to worry about having to give him a big raise, but he’s no longer waivers exempt, so he’ll have to develop quickly at the NHL level or they could lose him for nothing if they try to send him down.
I also disagree with the claims that LA got fleeced. They got the player they wanted with long-term cost certainty without giving up any major assets. You may not like the player or agree with the signing, but in terms of what it took to acquire him, I think they did fine.