Get to Know Jets’ Trade Deadline Additions Bryson & Rosen

Rosen, who stands 6-feet and weighs 185 pounds, projects as future top-six forward with a lot of speed, something the Jets sorely lack.

“He’s a quick, knifing winger with an NHL release who risked becoming a bit of a AAAAer in Buffalo,” The Athletic’s Scott Wheeler posted in the wake of a trade. “(He) will have more of an opportunity in Winnipeg to become 20-goal (second power-play) type.”

Rosen is exactly the type of player the Jets, who are the oldest team in the NHL and certainly have looked it this season, could benefit from having in their lineup as they retool. While he was surpassed by some other forward prospects in Buffalo such as Zachary Benson and Noah Ostlund, he should get plenty of opportunity down the stretch for a Jets club that is not likely to make the playoffs.

Rosen is on the third and final year of his entry-level contract and will be a restricted free agent this summer. He is not eligible to be an unrestricted free agent until 2030, which is always positive for a small-market team like the Jets who like to acquire either players with term or players who cannot test the open market for a good while.

Bryson a Potential Rental Defenseman

Bryson, meanwhile, is a player who may or may not be in the Jets’ long-term plans.

The left-shot defenseman, 28 years old, has played a similar number of games to the now-departed Stanley — 289 to Stanley’s 261 — and is less than a year older. One big difference, however, is his size: he stands 5-foot-9 and weighs 177 pounds compared to Stanley’s 6-foot-7, 231-pound frame.

Size is often overrated on the blue line — in the modern NHL, the best defenseman are good puck movers and fast, not necessarily big — but Bryson has generally struggled possession wise, with his career CORSI and Fenwick numbers well below 50 per cent (however, his metrics this season are in line with Stanley’s and better than Schenn’s). He isn’t a prolific point producer by any means with two goals and three assists for five points in 35 games this season and 48 points in his career.

Bryson, drafted 99th overall by the Sabres in 2017, may be considered a “throw-in” compared to Rosen and the draft picks, but the Jets sorely need some short-term help on the blue line with Stanley and Schenn gone and Neal Pionk and Colin Miller both week to week with injuries.

At the very least, Bryson won’t be a downgrade over Stanley or Schenn for the rest of this season and there’s a chance the change of scenery will do him good. Considering he’s on an expiring one-year contract and will be an unrestricted free agent this summer, the Jets’ final 21 games will be somewhat of an audition for him, with his performance dictating whether the organization decides to let him walk in the offseason or re-sign him.

Jets Continue Homestand Saturday

The Jets are back in action Saturday against the Canucks in the third game of an eight-game home stand. They have collected points in all five of their games out of the Winter Olympic break (3-0-2) but remain seven points back of the second Western Conference wild-card spot.