Note: On Sunday the Jets placed Nate Schmidt on unconditional waivers for purposes of a buyout and on Monday we learned that he had cleared waivers and would be bought out by Winnipeg.
Note II: Also on Monday it was the start of NHL Free Agency which is a time of addition and subtraction for NHL clubs. Yesterday was pretty unprecedented as far as I can recall with almost all (9 of 10) of the Jets UFAs signing deals. Of the nine who signed just Colin Miller re-signed with Winnipeg inking a two-year deal later in the afternoon. The team also signed a pair of goalies including Eric Comrie to a two-year deal and Kaapo Kahkonen to a one-year deal. Otherwise it was an exodus from the Jets and Moose which saw these eight depart including: Tyler Toffoli | Laurent Brossoit | Brenden Dillon | Sean Monahan | Collin Delia | Jeff Malott | Jeffrey Viel | Kyle Capobianco.
Note III: During a lull in the late afternoon Jets GM Kevin Cheveldayoff spoke with us in the Matt Frost Media Centre to reflect on the moves his club had made, the signings that didn’t happen, the opportunity for young players and much more.
Note IV: We expect to get the Development Camp roster and schedule today. The expectation is it will run from Wednesday, July 3rd to Sunday, July 7th with the guys hitting the ice for the first time on Thursday. Once it is official we will post the full roster and schedule.
Jets news:
NHL.com: Cheveldayoff sees opportunity for Jets’ young players. I thought the most significant quote from his media availability was this one “… if I’m a young player in the Jets organization today I’m pretty excited about the opportunities that are in front of me and I’m working pretty hard in the offseason to make sure I can take full advantage.” To me that seems directed at guys like Cole Perfetti, Ville Heinola and maybe even Brad Lambert.
Winnipeg Sun: Jets add goaltenders, depth at defence on first day of NHL free agency. Not a busy day in Jetsland but Scott recaps it for you.
Winnipeg Free Press: Jets add goaltenders, depth at defence on first day of NHL free agency. (Paywall). Mike gives you insight into a busy day in the NHL and a less busy one inside Canada Life but what little was happening he documented.
The Athletic Winnipeg: What the Winnipeg Jets’ quiet free agency signals about their roster outlook. (Paywall). While Winnipeg isn’t overly loud on free agency it seems like the noise from the exodus was rather deafening.
Jets video:
TSN: Jets open the door for their young players to step up into prominent roles. TSN’s John Lu breaks down the Jets buying out defenceman Nate Schmidt, what general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff wasn’t able to do on the first day of Free Agency, and how the door is opened for the young players in their system.
TSN: What should we expect from the Jets next season? The Jets brought back Eric Comrie to backup Connor Hellebuyck but haven’t made any other signings with free agency opening up. The TSN Hockey panel takes a closer look at Winnipeg and their outlook for next season.
Jets audio:
Illegal Curve Hockey: Chat with Eric Comrie. The 2013 2nd rounder of Winnipeg is back with his old team…again. We had a chance to chat with him on Monday afternoon as he reflected on returning to the Jets organization.