Schenn & Tanev Trades Highlight Underwhelming Deadline for Jets

Tanev, 33, is a speedy depth winger who began his career in Winnipeg before making stops with the Pittsburgh Penguins and Seattle Kraken. In the years away from the Jets, his game has dipped significantly, and now he only really profiles as that energetic fourth-line speedy penalty killer or 13th-forward type. The Jets already have those types of players who can skate really quickly but don’t necessarily do much outside of that speed.

Given the actual need of the forward group, Tanev’s addition doesn’t really make sense in terms of addressing any concerns of that group. If he was a supplemental move in addition to a big splash to address the center depth, it would be easier to make sense of, but paying a second-round pick for a 33-year-old Tanev seems to be missing the mark a bit.

Schenn Adds Depth but Doesn’t Fit the Jets’ Needs

In addition to the Tanev add, the Jets also added some depth on the back end. Luke Schenn, a 35-year-old journeyman defenseman is joining the Jets, who will be the ninth team he has played for in his career. Known as more of a tough, stay-at-home defender for most of his career, he has slowed down in recent years after winning a pair of Stanley Cups with the Tampa Bay Lightning.

It’s not so much the fact that the Jets added Schenn because in a depth role with specific types of partners, he can likely still be effective in those sheltered minutes. The problem that appears to be brewing is that as a right-handed defender who plays on the right side, he’ll be replacing Colin Miller on that third pairing. Miller has been solid in his minutes this season, and taking him out doesn’t really solve any problems.

Perhaps the most glaring issue isn’t the replacement of Miller, but the stylistic fit next to Logan Stanley on that third pairing. Now, there is a remote possibility that the Jets may use Schenn as someone who can bear the load of being that “size factor” on the pairing and give Stanley a few nights off, but that doesn’t seem to align with what we’ve seen this season.

What appears to be happening, then, is Schenn being paired with Stanley on that pairing, making that duo an immediate target for opposing teams. The biggest issue in last season’s first-round disaster was how easily the Jets were outskated by a much faster Avalanche team. By potentially pairing Stanley and Schenn together, they will make up one of the slowest pairings in the entire NHL.

Ideally, the Jets needed to add someone with size but who could also skate in transition. I had mentioned in an article earlier this week that Rasmus Ristolainen made sense, but unless prices went down, it appeared that scared teams off.

I understand the sentiment of acquiring someone to increase toughness before the playoffs, but bringing in another big, slow defender isn’t going to make the Jets any harder to play against. It’s only going to make it easier for a team with speed to find a hole to exploit.

With how well Miller had played to this point in the season, it would have made more sense to just stand pat in that situation if an impact, big, puck mover wasn’t available. Instead, the acquisition of Schenn could be a detriment to that defensive core down the stretch.

The Central Gets Better

Perhaps this would be less of a conversation if the rest of the division had a quiet week and the status quo remained. That just didn’t happen. The pair of Schenn and Tanev provide value in their depth and experience, but is that enough given the action that happened around the division?

The Avalanche solidified their forward group by adding both Nelson and Charlie Coyle, adding to an already dangerous team. Possibly forgotten given the early movement, but Martin Necas, who was acquired for Mikko Rantanen has been outstanding for the Avalanche since coming over from the Carolina Hurricanes.

The Dallas Stars also made a huge splash, acquiring Rantanen from the Hurricanes and subsequently signing him to an eight-year extension worth $12 million per season. He’s joining a team that is already second in the Western Conference who are eventually going to be welcoming back Tyler Seguin and Miro Heiskanen to their lineup after extended injury absences.

The Central Division is going to be an absolute dogfight down the stretch, and that will almost certainly carry into the playoffs. The Jets essentially need to do just one thing to make their life a tad easier, and that’s finish first. Finish first, and it’s more than likely that the Stars and Avalanche will be forced to beat up on each other in the first round.

To make it clear, as hard as I’ve been on these two depth deals, I’m not doubting that the Jets are still having an amazing season. They’ve proven time and time again that they’re the class of the league, and it’s going to take a lot to change that. It felt like the team was saying just that when after the deadline passed, they went and demolished the New Jersey Devils 6-1. If there was a definition of a “statement game” in the dictionary, maybe that’s what you’d see.

I’m hesitant to call the deadline inconsequential for the Jets because I think it’s just one of those moments where the belief in the team is so strong that it was more of a “this is our year” statement from management. That said, it wouldn’t have negated that sentiment if they went out and made a splash to solidify themselves as that true cup contender, rewarding the team for positioning themselves so well.

The Jets had their next three first-round picks, over $12 million in deadline cap space, and a wealth of prospects that aren’t “untouchable” by any means. With all of that at their disposal, is there a chance that leaving the deadline with $6 million and all of your picks still intact is a mistake? We’ll only know the answer to that once this season ends.

It’s About Results

We’re just under a year removed from watching one of the best seasons in franchise history end abruptly, and two years removed from another quick exit from the postseason. It’s not some outlandish idea to find that difference maker in positions of need to try and avoid the same fate.

As good as this team has been in 2024-25, external perspectives still view the Jets as a team that fizzles out in the playoffs. Is this the group, almost entirely unchanged from the start of the season, who will buck that trend? Or will there be a cloud of disappointment that has people asking what else could have been done?

Luckily, I can’t see the future, so for all we know the Jets prove the doubters wrong and make a run. It wouldn’t surprise me at all, given the fact they’ve spent most of their season in first place and are in contention for the President’s Trophy for the first time since 2017-18.

There’s a belief in the group, clearly, but is this team different from the last two seasons? One thing is for certain, this trade season didn’t sway them in one direction or the other. Whether that’s a good thing or not will be proven once the stakes get higher.