Instant reaction to the Winnipeg Jets’ Trade Deadline day

The Winnipeg Jets trade deadline day is over, and with how aggressive Kevin Cheveldayoff has been in the past, this one was relatively uneventful. 

The Winnipeg Jets made two moves on trade deadline day. Former Winnipeg Jet, Brandon Tanev, is back from the Seattle Kraken in return for a 2027 second-round pick. Luke Schenn is also on his way to Winnipeg for a 2026 second-round pick and a 2027 fourth-round pick. 

Here’s an instant reaction to both of Winnipeg’s moves from Friday and the Jets’ deadline as a whole. 

The Winnipeg Jets acquire Luke Schenn

Their first move of the day was a move to acquire some depth on defence, acquiring Luke Schenn from the Pittsburgh Penguins for a 2026 second-round pick and a 2027 fourth-round pick. 

Schenn is a 6’2, 220lb right-shot defenceman who kills penalties and is incredibly physical, but some scouts say that he struggles to play with pace. He’s got this year and next remaining on his contract at $2.75 million per season. 

Photo Credit: Colby Spence (Illegal Curve)

This is a high price, and similar to Tanev, it is a fine depth move. He fills a penalty-killing role for Winnipeg and is under contract for another season. You can never have too many defencemen in the playoffs, and Schenn will likely be a regular on the Jets’ third pair. 

The Winnipeg Jets acquire Brandon Tanev 

The Jets re-acquired 33-year-old forward Brandon Tanev shortly after. Tanev played 195 regular season games with the Jets over four years and played 22 playoff games during his time as a Jet as well. 

He posted 5 goals and 3 assists in those 22 playoff games with the Jets. 

His analytics have dipped tremendously this season. Having said that, for a depth move, Tanev will bring an element of speed and forechecking ability and will help support what is currently a middle-of-the-pack penalty kill (79.2%, 15th) for the Jets. 

Photo Credit: Colby Spence (Illegal Curve)

The market seemed higher than usual at this year’s trade deadline, and both Schenn and Tanev commanding second-round picks is a prime example of that. The Jets paid a bit of a higher price than I would have expected. Having said that, these are both depth moves that will have an impact down the stretch.  

In the grand scheme of Winnipeg’s deadline…

My Deadline Takeaways

I can’t help but categorize this year’s trade deadline as underwhelming for Winnipeg, given the expectations coming into the day. The Jets had a clear need go unaddressed at second-line centre, left $6.1 million in deadline cap space on the table, and held onto their 2025 first-round pick in a year that they have the inside track at the Presidents’ Trophy. 

The Jets clearly valued their team chemistry, but on a day when the Dallas Stars and Colorado Avalanche got significantly better, the Jets only got slightly better, suddenly the Central Division looks like it is for the taking.

As we’ve come to know through 63 games, the Jets have a very good hockey team and will contend in the Western Conference. They improved their penalty kill and depth and used two second-round picks and a fourth-round pick to do it. Whether or not they did enough to keep up with the Dallas’ and Colorado’s in the Central Division is to be seen, and as we all know, there’s plenty of pressure to enjoy some playoff success this season after back-to-back years of quick round one losses. 

Here’s a look at the Winnipeg Jets’ projected lineup after the trade deadline: 

Forwards

Connor-Scheifele-Vilardi

Ehlers-Namestnikov-Perfetti

Niederreiter-Lowry-Appleton

Iafallo-Kupari-Tanev

Defence

Morrissey-DeMelo

Samberg-Pionk

Stanley-Schenn

Stay tuned to Illegalcurve.com for all the Jets and Moose news through a busy weekend of hockey.