Winnipeg Jets G Ondrej Pavelec Will Likely Fill First Significant NHL Injury

Winnipeg Jets G Ondrej Pavelec Will Likely Be Traded Following the First Significant Injury Between the Pipes

Winnipeg Jets G Ondrej Pavelec continues to be the topic of trade rumors with a crowded crease that also includes Michael Hutchinson, Connor Hellebuyck, and Eric Comrie.

The 29-year-old Czech netminder has one year remaining on his contract at a $3.9 million dollar cap hit (although he’s due $4.75 million dollars in actual salary).

What if I told you there was likely a very good reason GM Kevin Cheveldayoff is yet to trade their longtime starter? In somewhat of an epiphany working on a related story, suddenly the picture became clear.

The fact is, Winnipeg has something that no other team in the NHL can offer; a short-term quality option to replace a starter.

Let me explain: We’ll use the Los Angeles Kings as our example to make sense of this.

Say that LA sees Jonathan Quick suffer a significant injury in 2016-17 and are forced to turn to Jeff Zatkoff, Peter Budaj, and Jack Campbell. That lone loss between the pipes is enough to derail an entire season. The Kings would be forced to scour the trade market in this scenario.

Obviously, names such as Marc-Andre Fleury or Ben Bishop highlight the list, but those are massive cap hits. Fleury still has a few years of term remaining, while Bishop is exclusively seeking an extension in any deal. These are factors which make Fleury or Bishop difficult for a large number of teams.

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That leaves just one standing: Winnipeg Jets G Ondrej Pavelec. Finding another guy who has won 20 or more games on at least five occasions will prove difficult. Pavelec has shown an ability to carry a heavy workload appearing in 50 or more games in three of the last five seasons, including a career-high 68 games played in 2011-12.

Will he steal you games the way Fleury or Bishop would? Obviously not. But let’s not forget that Winnipeg Jets G Ondrej Pavelec helped carry his team back to its first postseason berth in 2014-15 since returning to Manitoba. He had a 22-16-8 record with a 2.28GAA, .920 save percentage, and a single season career high of five shutouts.

Now, It’s easy to bash on Ondrej Pavelec for mediocre play. To be fair, though, we’re talking about a guy who stuck it out with the Atlanta Thrashers/Winnipeg Jets. Not only were those teams he played for bottom feeders, but among the among the most undisciplined year-after-year – a power play goal against might not hurt skaters plus/minus but it sure does affect a goalie’s statistics.

No, his numbers aren’t anything to brag about and he could best be described as a borderline starter perhaps. I’ll tell you what, though, if it’s my team that loses their starter, Pavelec ranks first on my list with his resume and no commitment beyond 2016-17.

Next: Fantasy Hockey Primer: Projections, 30-Team Analysis

If any of the following starting goaltenders fall victim to a long-term injury, Pavelec could be the answer to staying competitive:

John Gibson, Anaheim Ducks
Mike Smith, Arizona Coyotes
Jonathan Quick, Los Angeles Kings
Carey Price, Montreal Canadiens
Pekka Rinne, Nashville Predators
Martin Jones, San Jose Sharks
Jake Allen, St.Louis Blues
Frederik Andersen, Toronto Maple Leafs
Braden Holtby, Washington Capitals

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