The 2025 NHL Draft is just two days away. Puck drops in Los Angeles Friday night and the Winnipeg Jets are scheduled to make a late selection in the weekends opening round. But for a team that only possesses five picks in the entire draft, trading back to gain more capital might be in their best interest.
There are few things more exciting than welcoming a first round rookie to your organization. Fans and front offices alike fall in love with prospects during this process. But it is important that organizations not let the glamor of the weekend blind them from making smart choices.
Winnipeg currently holds the 28, 92, 156, 188, and 202th picks in the draft. That is 64 picks between their first and second selections. And another 64 picks between their second and third. This is a team in desperate need of draft capital, considering that they don’t control their second round pick in 2026 or 2027 either.
“For the second straight draft, Winnipeg won’t make a first-round selection,” wrote Sportsnet’s Ryan Dixon in his bold prediction section. “The Chicago Blackhawks — slated to pick third and 25th right now — will see another player they still like on the board at No. 28 and flip picks No. 34 and 62 to Winnipeg. The Jets will move down and try to find some more second-round steals like Salomonsson.”
Jets Last Trade Didn’t End Well
Last season, the Jets made a move at the deadline that sent their first overall selection to the Montreal Canadiens in exchange for Sean Monahan. That pick wound up being the 26th overall pick in the 2024 NHL Draft and the Canadiens flipped it to move up five more spots and select Michael Hage, who just finished his freshman year at the University of Michigan.
Monahan had an impressive 34 games with Winnipeg, scoring 13 goals and assisting on 11 more. However, he signed with the Columbus Blue Jackets in the offseason. So essentially the Jets traded a first rounder for a 30 game rental. Not great.
Troubling Draft History Of Late
General manager Kevin Cheveldayoff started his career with Winnipeg piping hot in the draft, with five smash hits in a row.
“The past nine first rounds have been nothing like the first five GM Kevin Cheveldayoff oversaw with the Jets, when they hit on Mark Scheifele at No. 7 in 2011, Jacob Trouba ninth in 2012, Josh Morrissey at lucky No. 13 in 2013, Nik Ehlers ninth in 2014 and Kyle Connor an absolute theft at 17th overall in 2015,” Dixon wrote.
The last first round selection they made was back in 2023, when the team took Colby Barlow 18th overall. His career is too young to write off, but the same cannot be said for former first rounders Ville Heinola and Chaz Lucius. Both players were selected in the first round and both players have dealt with health concerns their entire career.
In 2016 the Jets selected in the coveted second overall position. The player selected was Patrik Laine, and after four seasons he was moved.
All of this to say, there no such thing as a sure thing in the NHL draft. So trading back to acquire more chances to find contributors might not be the worst idea in the world, even if it’s boring.
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