Winnipeg Jets: 3 defensemen they should trade for

The Winnipeg Jets find themselves in an uncomfortable situation with the news of Dustin Byfuglien contemplating retirement during his absence from the team. If they need to replace him, here are some trade option.

The surprising news about Dustin Byfuglien pondering his future brings to the forefront the question, “What is the answer post-Byfuglien?” Considering the Winnipeg Jets have already lost defensemen Tyler Myers and Jacob Trouba, the loss of Byfuglien would be irreparable to the defensive side of the puck for Winnipeg.

Byfuglien retiring was something the Jets were considering at some point in time, but certainly not this season. With his announcement that he’s considering it, the Jets have to start thinking trade. A trade seems to be the only solution to fill the potentially huge void left by three top-six defensemen leaving at the same time.

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I have come up with three candidates that the Jets should be going after and going after hard. Winnipeg has loads of offensive talent, but as the Toronto Maple Leafs continue to prove, offense isn’t the only ingredient to winning a championship. Without defense, you cannot win. Let’s take a look at my top three candidates now.

Alex Pietrangelo

The St. Louis Blues captain is in the final year of his contract fresh from winning a Stanley Cup. Alex Pietrangelo has been a thorn in the side of Winnipeg for years playing for the Blues and as much as Winnipeg fans hate him, they will love him on their squad.

He will cost most of the three candidates I am suggesting, but he may be the most worth the price. He’s a Norris Trophy candidate and a leader.

Pietrangelo knows the pressures of playing in a city yearning for a cup. He just did the unthinkable captaining the Blues to their first-ever title. If I’m Winnipeg, I’m picking up the phone and asking the hard questions. Pressing and dangling the names of Patrick Laine, Jack Roslovic, and Nikolaj Ehlers.

Rasmus Ristolainen

Rasmus Ristolainen doesn’t come with the resume of Pietrangelo, but he does deploy a similar styled game as Byfuglien with his physicality. Ristolainen has been at the top of trade rumors for many an offseason and one would think that if Big Buff calls it quits then Ristolainen could be on his way to Winnipeg.

Ristolainen has been one of the leaders of the Buffalo Sabres for the past few seasons and although they haven’t produced very good results team-wise, individually Risto has turned some heads and garnered attention from his peers and GMs around the league. Again, Winnipeg has the offense to deal for a top 4 defenseman and with Big Buff nearing the end the time is now to make the move.

Torey Krug

Boston Bruins defenseman Torey Krug is another great defenseman in the works of negotiating a contract extension with Boston. They just inked Charlie McAvoy to a three deal and are going to begin turning their attention to Krug.

Krug has been a 50 point defenseman for the last few years and has proven that even though smaller, he’s as big as they come and as tough as they come in the NHL. He amassed 18 points in the 2018-19 playoffs and we all know about the massive hit he put on Robert Thomas of the Blues in the finals.

Krug, like Byfuglien, has loads of powerplay time and he’s quarterbacked that powerplay with the likes of Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand, who like Blake Wheeler and Mark Scheifele, can score almost at will. The transition for Krug would be pretty simple.

The only downside to Krug is his size. Unlike Ristolainen and Pietrangelo, Krug is a small defenseman. He certainly will leave something to be desired in the size category, but in today’s NHL guys like Krug and Jared Spurgeon are proving that size isn’t everything on defense.

I’ve enjoyed watching the Winnipeg Jets climb into NHL relevance. I like their style and they have loads of offense to make the games exciting. I just hope that the front office doesn’t waste the best of that offensive talent doing what Toronto has done so far and that’s suit them up in front of a mediocre defense. Make a trade and make a run. Byfuglien isn’t going to be here much longer if at all.