People knew going into the 2019 offseason that the Winnipeg Jets could be in some trouble on defense with Tyler Myers and Ben Chiarot unrestricted free agents and Jacob Trouba seeking an exorbitant amount of money as a restricted free agent. Few thought they would lose all 3 of them: they did. Now, the most recent news has Jets fans even more concerned with what their defense may look like this season, which starts in just two weeks.
Longtime defensive stalwart Dustin Byfuglien just announced that he is considering retirement during his time away from the Jets' organization this offseason. While 34 years old, Byfuglien is still an important piece for the Jets' blueline, playing tough top 4 minutes against the best forwards for the opponent. If Byfuglien in fact retires, the Jets' defensive core might be the weakest of any team with realistic playoff aspirations this season.
Because of this news coming in mid-September instead of late June or early July around the free agency period, Winnipeg has few options in terms of making an addition to the defense without sacrificing forwards in a trade. It is possible that the Jets decide to part with Nikolaj Ehlers for a solid right-handed defenseman like Justin Faulk of the Carolina Hurricanes or Rasmus Ristolainen of the Buffalo Sabres. If they want to keep Ehlers, they could give up any combination of Andrew Copp, Jack Roslovic, Adam Lowry, and a draft pick.
Winnipeg is in a precarious position with not knowing whether or not Byfuglien will be with them this season, as they currently have just under $15.5 million in cap space, but still have to sign or make some sort of decision on restricted free agent forwards Kyle Connor and the currently disgruntled Patrik Laine. If Byfuglien retires, his cap hit will be voided, giving them more flexibility to make a big trade for someone like Faulk or Ristolainen, and still be able to sign Connor and Laine. If they wanted to get bold, GM Kevin Cheveldayoff could trade Laine for a defenseman plus extra roster players, draft picks, and/or prospects.
Looking back at the Jets' current blueline, assuming they do not have Byfuglien going into the season, it is incredibly weak. Josh Morrissey, their top defenseman, would take on all of the pressure to lead the group. Morrissey's D-partner would likely be either Neal Pionk, their offseason acquisition for Trouba, or inexperienced Sami Niku. Pionk's advanced stats with the Rangers are all negative, which leaves many Jets fans worried that he is not ready for big minutes, which would be amplified without Byfuglien. Veteran Dmitry Kulikov will likely be forced into more minutes, which is concerning because he has largely been a disappointment in Winnipeg so far. Nathan Beaulieu and Tucker Poolman round out their top six, and they will be serviceable in limited minutes.
Other than Morrissey, there are many questions about the Jets' blueline in terms of whether or not they will be able to handle an increased workload. With the possibility of Byfuglien never suiting up with Winnipeg again, along with the situations for Laine and Connor currently, Winnipeg has its work cut out for them going into this season.
