According to several reports, the Winnipeg Jets have acquired centre Paul Stastny from the Vegas Golden Knights.
Source confirms the #NHLJets have completed the deal with #VegasBorn to acquire C Paul Stastny
— Ken Wiebe (@WiebesWorld) October 9, 2020
Golden Knights Trade Stastny to Jets
NHL Free Agency started off with a bang as the Jets made the deal with Golden Knights. This deal was in the works for a while, but both teams were able to finalize the deal Friday morning. As part of the deal, the Golden Knights will receive a 4th round pick and defenceman Carl Dahlstrom.
Pending a trade call, the VGK have traded Paul Statsny to Wpg for a 4th in 2022 and Carl Dahlstrom
— Darren Dreger (@DarrenDreger) October 9, 2020
What Stastny Adds to the Jets
In Stastny, the Jets will get back a player who played just 19 games with them in the 2017-18 season before leaving for Vegas in free agency. He put up four goals and nine assists for 13 points in his short stint with the team.
Stastny is an established veteran, who will be able to provide much-needed centre depth to the Jets. After Mark Scheifele, Winnipeg is very slim down the middle, so adding Stastny addresses a major organizational need. While Stastny certainly helps the Jets down the middle, he might not be exactly what they’re looking for. What the Jets really desperately need is a legitimate second-line centre. Currently, they’ve had Blake Wheeler filling this role, but he’s naturally a wing. Stastny might have met the criteria in his younger days, but at 34, he seems to be more of a third-line centre at this point in his career.
Over the 2019-20 season, Stastny put up 17 goals and 21 assists for 38 points in 71 games played. This put him on pace to score a total of about 44 points over a full 82 game season. While these numbers are solid, Stastny would be much more valuable as a high-scoring third-line centre than a low scoring second line one.
Even though Stastny might be better suited on the third-line, Winnipeg’s winger core could definitely help him increase his production so if he had to be on the second line they could make it work. Having the opportunity to potentially play with guys like Kyle Connor, Patrik Laine, or Nikolaj Ehlers would only benefit him.
What Dahlstrom Brings To Vegas
Dahlstrom was a defenceman added during the 2019-20 season to help them plug holes on the back end. With so many injuries, Dahlstrom found himself in the lineup. He is more of a bottom pairing guy and will find himself in the lineup because of injuries or if a player needs a night off. He only played in 15 games with the Jets last season recording one point.
With the Golden Knights clearing $6.5 million in cap space, the Golden Knights are looking to make a splash when free agency begins.
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