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In this edition of the Winnipeg Jets News & Rumors, we look at the idea of the club bringing in Nazem Kadri as the second-line center solution, Brad Lambert looking for a bigger role in the organization, and Nikolaj Ehlers being named to Denmark’s Olympic qualifying team.
Jets Eyeing Kadri For Center Fix?
In a recent post by Ken Wiebe of The Free Press, he suggested that the Jets are still uncertain about the second-line center position, which is certainly no secret to anybody who has looked at the roster. (from The Free Press, Kadri just what the Jets need, Aug. 15, 2024)
With the current lineup having Vladislav Namestnikov slotting in that role, they will be looking at alternative options, which could include internal options such as Cole Perfetti or Brad Lambert, but Wiebe suggests looking at the Calgary Flames for their solution.
Kadri, who is entering the third year of his seven-year deal with an average annual value (AAV) of $7 million, likely isn’t happy with the rebuilding phase the Flames are heading into. He has been a consistent 20-goal player throughout his career and has proven that he can be pivotal in a second-line center role as he did with the Colorado Avalanche on the path to his first Stanley Cup.
Kadri is 34 years old and is likely looking to get to a team with higher aspirations than the Flames, and with the Jets’ current position, they could be a strong fit together. Kadri does have a no-move clause, which means he would need to accept a trade to Winnipeg, which isn’t always the case. With a free agent signing in Calgary, it is more likely they would be willing to play in Winnipeg than if it was a player who spent their career in the southern USA or another more appealing destination.
Lambert Looking for Top-Six Spot
Over the past few month, we have heard that the Jets organization is looking at some young players to take bigger roles. As mentioned in the Kadri section, Lambert could be one of the players to be looking at the top-six center spot.
Looking back to the 2022 NHL Entry Draft, Lambert was projected as a top-three pick a year prior to the draft, but after an unproductive season in Finland, his stock fell and he landed with the Jets at 30th overall. He was always touted as a very highly skilled forward, and since coming to North America to play, he has proven just how valuable he is. He was dominant in the Western Hockey League (WHL) with the Seattle Thunderbirds in the regular season and playoffs, and in his first full season in the American Hockey League (AHL), he posted 55 points in 64 games. His offensive talents are the biggest strength of his game, and with the right coach, having a ceiling of a player like J.T. Miller could be very reasonable.
At 20 years old, Lambert will be entering his first training camp with a real shot at an NHL position, and it could be on the second line. Darren Bauming wrote about his opportunity and how a lot of signs point toward it being an optimistic time for Lambert, and with the comments made by Kevin Cheveldayoff when free agency kicked off, young players should be excited.
Ehlers Tries Getting Denmark To Olympics
While speculation over whether the Jets will keep Ehlers around or not has quieted down, his name popped back into the news, but this time for a less controversial reason. As the 2026 Winter Olympics start getting things ready, Ehlers has been named to the Danish team who will compete in Group F for a spot in the Olympics in Italy.
Ehlers will be joined by fellow NHL players Frederik Andersen, Mads Sogaard, Jonas Rondbjerg, Lars Eller, and Oliver Bjorkstrand. The Danish team will face off against Great Britain, Japan, and Norway to clinch a spot in the Olympics.
Ehlers has participated in the Olympic Game Qualifying tournament twice before, including in 2021-22 when he led the entire qualification round in scoring with nine points in three games, and back in 2016-17 when he had a pair of points in three games. He has never represented Denmark at the Olympics but helped his team get there in Beijing in 2022. Now that the NHL will be represented in the Olympics again, he will be a lock for the Danish team if they qualify.
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TODAY'S BEST
Five NHL stars in danger of regressing in 2025-26
Whether you like it or not, math and luck play a role in hockey. Sometimes players are scoring or stopping the puck at a higher rate than they usually do, and sometimes they’re doing it at a lower rate. Regardless, the bill always comes due, and those percentages swing the other way, unless the player is just that good. Every year, we see some players produce at a rate that is a big outlier versus the rest of their career, and they hardly ever keep it up. So I thought it’d be a good idea to take a look at some players who overperformed their percentages in 2024-25 and will possibly see those results go the other way next year. It’s not a guarantee that every player on this list will get worse, especially when percentages don’t play nearly as much of an impact on regression as it used to. But it’s still important to look at and be aware of them, especially if you’re a fan wanting to manage expectations, or a fantasy hockey player looking for players to avoid in this season’s draft. Before we begin, here are a few honorable mentions: Darcy Kuemper, Los Angeles Kings After Kuemper was dealt to the Los Angeles Kings last summer as a salary cap dump, I don’t think anyone envisioned him turning his season around to the point where he was a Vezina finalist. But, he did just that thanks to a .922 save percentage and a +20.91 goals saved above expected, partially do to a strong Kings defensive system. The bad news: His SV% was .007 higher than his career average. The good news: 2023-24 saw him finish .025 below his career average, so last season was just a positive regression (he was a candidate for that in last year’s positive regression list). So, while he won’t be this good next season, expect him to fall closer to his career mark of .915. Connor McMichael, Washington Capitals McMichael won’t be the only Washington Capitals player you’ll see today, which you should probably expect from the team that led the league in shooting percentage both at 5v5 and at all strengths. McMichael had just a 10.39% on-ice SH% in his career, compared to a 13.1% rate this season, so expect his overall point production to dip a bit more in 2025-26. Considering that there will be plenty of Capitals expected to regress as well, the fact that his point totals were largely helped because of that on-ice SH% (read: his teammate’s unsustainable performances) will make him more vulnerable to regression. Anthony Stolarz, Toronto Maple Leafs Stolarz cracked last year’s edition of this list, as even in his role as a backup for the Florida Panthers, he was putting up phenomenal numbers. He had another fantastic season with a .926 SV% and 25.89 5v5 GSAx while backstopping the Toronto Maple Leafs, and he was a big reason they won the division last season. He still outperformed his career SV% by .008, but with back-to-back seasons with a .925 SV% or higher under his belt now, he’s creeping closer to “this is who he is” territory. Of course, the big question is if he can do it in a season with more than 34 games played. Now, on to the unlucky five. Pierre-Luc Dubois, Washington Capitals 2024-25 Stats: 20 goals, 46 assists, 66 points What’s the outlier?: On-ice SH% was 4.37% higher than career average Kuemper is not the only player from the cap-dump swap between the Kings and Capitals in 2024 to make this list, as Dubois also found himself on the luckier side of puck in 2024-25. While it didn’t earn him any notoriety like Kuemper (he got just a second and fifth place vote for the Selke Trophy), it did allow him to eclipse the 60-point mark for the fourth time in his career, and set personal highs in assists (46) and points (66). He still isn’t worth his $8 million cap hit, but the Capitals managed to salvage some value this season after it looked putrid in 2023-24. Dubois did also get some positive regression from his horrid 2023-24 campaign (which saw him sport an on-ice SH% 2.05% lower than his career rate), but he was definitely luckier in 2024-25 than he was unlucky in 2023-24. That was largely due to the unsustainable offense from the Capitals last season, especially on the second line with McMichael (an honorable mention for this list) and Tom Wilson (who was also considered). We already saw a step back in Dubois’ game in the playoffs (only three assists in 10 games), and expect more of that in 2025-26. Morgan Geekie, Boston Bruins 2024-25 Stats: 33 goals, 24 assists, 57 points What’s the outlier?: SH% was 7.4% higher than career average, on-ice SH% was 2.59% higher Geekie has seen his game take significant strides since joining the Boston Bruins. After a career-high of just nine goals and 28 points prior to his time in Boston, Geekie already showcased that he had more offensive flair with 17 goals and 39 points in a middle-six role in 2023-24, but last season saw that game raised to another level. As the Bruins got worse and sold off more pieces in 2024-25, Geekie found himself alongside superstar David Pastrnak for most of the season, and reaped the reward of 33 goals and 57 points. Of course, it shouldn’t be a surprise that Geekie benefitted from some luck with that performance. His 22% SH% and 12.94% on-ice SH% were much higher than what he’s usually put up in his career, so that’s a strong indication that his performance isn’t sustainable, at least at this level. That said, the Pastrnak factor does weigh on this a little bit. If Geekie is playing with the star winger, then it’s possible that he can continue to perform like this. But if the Bruins look at him as a player that can drive his own line away from Pasta, I’d expect his play to take a step back. Vladislav Namestnikov, Winnipeg Jets 2024-25 Stats: 11 goals, 27 assists, 38 points What’s the outlier?: 47.37% of points were secondary assists Namestnikov has found new life in his NHL career since joining the Winnipeg Jets, as his back-to-back seasons with 37 and 38 points in 2023-24 and 2024-25 are the most productive years of his career since his time riding shotgun with Nikita Kucherov and Steven Stamkos in 2017-18 with the Tampa Bay Lightning. The performance of the Jets’ second line with Namestnikov, Cole Perfetti and Nikolaj Ehlers helped the Jets to their first Presidents’ Trophy last season, and after two seasons with this line together, it’s clearly paid off for Namestnikov. Unfortunately, that chemistry is about to be dismantled. Ehlers left in free agency to sign with the Carolina Hurricanes, and with Jonathan Toews joining the fold, there’s a solid chance that Perfetti and Namestnikov will be split up so that one of the two can center the third line. On top of that, there is a bit more unsustainability behind Namestnikov’s performance in 2024-25, as nearly half of his points were secondary assists, compared to only 35.14% in 2023-24. The loss of Ehlers will likely see the Jets as a whole take a step back, but no player may see it impact their game more than Namestnikov. J.J. Peterka, Utah Mammoth 2024-25 Stats: 27 goals, 41 assists, 68 points What’s the outlier?: On-ice SH% was 2.98% higher than career average If there’s any player on this list I could see proving me wrong and demonstrating that their unsustainable performance is just a new gear to their game, it’s Peterka. He’s clearly the most talented player in this group, with 28- and 27-goal seasons under his belt, and he scored them at a sustainable rate based on what we’ve seen from his career. On top of that, he’s the only player changing teams, with the Utah Mammoth trading for him and betting on his performance with a $7.7 million AAV for five years, so it’s possible that a new environment will allow him to thrive even more. But, there are still some red flags from his 2024-25 season. While his goal totals were sustainable, he did see his assist totals skyrocket after he replaced Jeff Skinner on the Buffalo Sabres’ top line alongside Tage Thompson and Alex Tuch, largely due to 15.1% on-ice SH%. He’s not nearly as much of an aberration compared to other players on this list, and if anything, this may just indicate that he can elevate his playmaking skills when playing with talented players. If that’s the case, that’s something that will come in handy when playing with Clayton Keller, Logan Cooley and Dylan Guenther in Utah. Aliaksei Protas, Washington Capitals 2024-25 Stats: 30 goals, 36 assists, 66 points What’s the outlier?: SH% was 9.5% highest than career average, on-ice SH% was 3.58% higher It shouldn’t be too much of a surprise to see Protas on here considering that he played for the Capitals, but his outlying percentages certainly confirm it. His increase in both SH% and on-ice SH% was one of the larger jumps seen by a player this season, and it should even be clear in his scoring stats that this was the case when he scored 24 more goals and 37 more points than he did in 2023-24. Primarily playing with Alex Ovechkin as he put together an incredible goal-scoring season for his age certainly helped there. So, like the other Capitals on this list, a slight step back from Protas should be expected, at least in terms of the rate that he and his linemates were shooting the puck. It’s possible that his production may still be able to keep up due to the natural development of a 24-year-old, but I’d also be curious to see how his on-ice SH% fares in a season where there isn’t a historic goal chase for one of his linemates. At the very least, his “unsustainable goal total” was likely just a regression from shooting 5.3% in 2023-24. He may not hit 30 goals next year, but he’ll definitely have more than six.
Oregon suspends former five-star WR recruit indefinitely
Oregon wide receiver Jurrion Dickey has struggled to live up to expectations in his first two seasons with the Ducks, and he is now in a terrible position heading into 2025 as well. Dickey has been suspended indefinitely by Oregon, head coach Dan Lanning announced on Tuesday. Lanning also suggested that Dickey may not play for the Ducks again. "We have two team rules; that’s respectful, be on time,” Lanning said, via James Crepea of The Oregonian. “There’s some pieces of that where I felt like he needed a break from us and we needed a break from that so we could focus on what’s in front of us right now. "Wishing him nothing but the best, as far as success and want to see him get back to where he can be a contributor somewhere; that might be here that might be somewhere else.” Dickey was a five-star recruit and rated as one of the top wide receivers in the country when he came out of Menlo-Atherton High School in Atherton, California, in 2023. He suffered an injury in his senior year in high school and redshirted as a freshman at Oregon. Dickey has two catches for 14 years during his time with the Ducks. Oregon went 13-1 in Lanning's third season with the program last season. The Ducks lost to eventual national champion Ohio State in the College Football Playoff quarterfinals.
Commanders have major hang-up preventing them from paying Terry McLaurin what he's due
It’s been two weeks since Washington Commanders star wide receiver Terry McLaurin publicly revealed his trade request, and a resolution doesn’t appear to be in sight. Thanks to ESPN’s John Keim, we’re starting to get more insight into how the Commanders are approaching negotiations…and how they run counter to their star wide receiver’s financial desires. As we’ve assumed all along, the Commanders are wary of giving McLaurin a lucrative contract that would extend well into the player’s 30s. As Keim notes, the Commanders “rely heavily on analytics,” and those numbers aren’t particularly kind to receivers on the wrong side of 30. They may be onto something. Per ESPN Research, over the past five years, only three receivers 31 years or older have played at least 10 games and averaged 70-plus receiving yards per game (that number jumps to six players if you adjust for 60-plus receiving yards). Further, the team can simply point to the NFL landscape, as other teams are also clearly wary of paying aging wideouts. Among the 24 active wide receivers who are attached to the most guaranteed money, only Tyreek Hill was older than 30 when the deal was signed. McLaurin has continually pointed to his lack of mileage despite his age; he barely played during his first two years at Ohio State, meaning he may not have the same wear and tear as similar players his age. McLaurin is also naturally pointing to the stat sheet, as the receiver has continually produced despite uncertain QB play, uncertain ownership and a handful of different coaching staffs. Per Keim, the Commanders don’t want to pay McLaurin based on his past performance, with the front office preferring to shape any future contracts based on his projections for age-31-plus seasons. The organization also doesn’t want to set a new precedent by paying McLaurin, as it could convince future veterans to push for lucrative deals in their 30s. While McLaurin has taken the drastic measure of requesting a trade out of Washington, the organization is still convinced they have leverage in this showdown. After all, the player is still under contract for the 2025 campaign, meaning McLaurin will have to forfeit game checks if he sits out games. The team could even choose to slap him with the franchise tag next offseason (which could come in north of $30M), meaning they’re in full control of the player’s fate moving forward. The team is also skeptical that another suitor is going to willingly pay McLaurin the type of money he’s seeking. Per Keim, there’s doubts around the league about whether another team would be willing to meet the receiver’s demands. Even if a clear suitor does emerge, Keim makes it clear that Washington’s front office won’t give the star away without receiving a haul. We heard recently that McLaurin wasn’t necessarily seeking a deal that matched fellow 2019 draftee D.K. Metcalf‘s deal with the Steelers. However, Keim says Metcalf’s contract has generally served as a guide for McLaurin, but it’s uncertain whether the Commanders wideout is looking to match the AAV ($33M) or total guarantees ($60M). Ultimately, one source believes the Commanders may agree to pay McLaurin a contract that will pay $28M per year. Of course, it’s uncertain if the player would even accept that offer. If that hypothetical maximum offer doesn’t end in a signing, a divorce may be the logical next step.
Portland Trail Blazers to be sold to Hurricanes owner and pickleball enthusiast
A group led by billionaire Tom Dundon, the owner of the NHL’s Carolina Hurricanes, has reached a tentative agreement to buy the Trail Blazers from Paul Allen‘s estate, sources tell Scott Soshnick and Eben Novy-Williams of Sportico. Blue Owl Capital co-president Marc Zahr and co-CEO of Collective Global Sheel Tyle are among the other investors who are part of Dundon’s group, according to Soshnick and Novy-Williams, who say the buyers intend to keep the team in Portland. The Blazers will be valued at more than $4 billion in the sale, reports Shams Charania of ESPN. The Trail Blazers announced their plans to sell the franchise back in May. Allen, the longtime Blazers owner who purchased the franchise for $70M in 1988, died on Oct. 15, 2018, resulting in control of the team being transferred to his sister Jody Allen, the trustee and executor of his estate. The plan following Paul Allen’s death was for ownership of the Blazers to eventually change hands as part of an estate sale, which is the process that’s playing out now. The investment bank Allen Co. (no relation) and the law firm Hogan Lovells were selected to lead the sale of the team. As Soshnick and Novy-Williams note, while the valuation of the Blazers in this tentative deal isn’t yet known, a trust generally has a fiduciary duty in an estate sale to maximize the value of its assets and to sell to the highest qualified bidder. When Sportico last updated its NBA franchise valuations in December 2024, the site estimated the Blazers’ worth to be $3.6 billion. New owners have agreed to buy the Celtics ($6.1 billion valuation) and Lakers ($10 billion valuation) since then. All estate proceeds as a result of the Blazers sale will be directed toward philanthropy, per the late Allen’s wishes. In addition to owning the NHL’s Hurricanes, Dundon has invested heavily in pickleball — he’s the majority owner of the PPA Tour and Major League Pickleball. Dundon, who is also the chairman and managing partner of the Dallas-based investment firm Dundon Capital Partners, will serve as the Blazers’ new governor if and when the sale is officially approved by the NBA, per Sportico’s report.
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