The first dominoes have fallen for the Winnipeg Jets.
What’s left to come remains to be seen.
With the clock ticking before Friday’s arrival of the 2 p.m. CT NHL trade deadline, the Jets are sending defencemen Logan Stanley and Luke Schenn to the Buffalo Sabres in a trade for forward Isak Rosen, pending unrestricted defenceman Jacob Bryson and a second round draft pick in 2027 and a fourth round pick in 2026.
The Winnipeg Jets traded Logan Stanley to the Buffalo Sabres Thursday. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)
The Jets will also retain 50 per cent of Schenn’s salary-cap hit of US $2.75 million.
Rosen looks like the centrepiece of the deal, as a player who was chosen 14th overall by the Sabres in the 2021 NHL Draft.
He’s a three-time 20-plus goal scorer with the Rochester Americans of the American Hockey League and has three goals and eight points in 31 NHL games.
Both Stanley and Schenn were among the 10 pending unrestricted free agents on the active roster and speculation was high that they would be on the move.
Stanley and Schenn were both scratched on Thursday for roster related reasons before the Jets earned a 4-1 victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning.
The Jets and Stanley were engaged this week in contract negotiations, but the two sides were never close on a number that would have extended his time here.
Stanley, 27, was chosen 18th overall by the Jets in the 2016 NHL Draft and he’s already produced career-highs in goals (nine) and points (19) in 59 games this season.
Buffalo Sabres forward Isak Rosen is one of the pieces coming back to the Jets in the multi-player deal. (AP Photo/Jeffrey T. Barnes)
“That’s where the emotional side, the relationship side starts to come out. Now you have to say goodbye to a good friend, someone you’ve gone to work with and battled with over the years,” Jets captain Adam Lowry said after the morning skate. “It is a challenging time, obviously. From a fan aspect it’s super exciting, you’re hoping your team adds. You’re seeing all the player movement around the league. From a personal side it’s tough. You have guys uprooting their families. There’s a lot of things that go on behind the scenes.”
Schenn, who was acquired last March for second and fourth round picks, had one goal and seven points in 46 games with the Jets this season.
The right-handed shooting blue-liner has two Stanley Cups on his resume and would bring ample experience and hard-nosed play to a team in Buffalo that hasn’t made the playoffs since 2010.
The Jets, who have collected points in five consecutive games coming out of the Olympic break (3-0-2), are now seven points behind the Seattle Kraken in the chase for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference.
Bracing for what was on the horizon hasn’t been easy for the Jets, who haven’t been in selling mode for quite some time.
“It’s not fun. That’s the business,” said Jets centre Mark Scheifele. “Obviously, I don’t think I’ve been through that in a long time. Something I had to do was refocus before the game.”
There will be a sense of relief once the deadline passes and the Jets know who will be sticking around.
The Jets will retain 50 per cent of Luke Schenn’s salary of US $2.75 million. (AP Photo/Joe Puetz)
“I mean, listen, it’s hard,” said Jets forward Gustav Nyquist, who scored his first goal of the season on Thursday. “I’ve been through it now three times that I’ve been traded. This week is tough. You want to be on the team, or where you’re looking to add people, and it’s part of the business.”
The Jets, who are 25-26-10, are back in action on Saturday as they continue an eight-game homestand against the Vancouver Canucks.
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On Winnipeg Jets game days, hockey writers Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe send news, notes and quotes from the morning skate, as well as injury updates and lineup decisions. Arrives a few hours prior to puck drop.
Ken Wiebe is a sports reporter for the Free Press, with an emphasis on the Winnipeg Jets. He has covered hockey and provided analysis in this market since 2000 for the Winnipeg Sun, The Athletic, Sportsnet.ca and TSN. Ken was a summer intern at the Free Press in 1999 and returned to the Free Press in a full-time capacity in September of 2023. Read more about Ken.
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