Chatter has Mark Scheifele heading out of Winnipeg to much bigger market

The Winnipeg Jets are likely to face important roster decisions this summer, especially if they fail to qualify for the 2022 playoffs in a tight race in the West.

This got New York Post’s Larry Brooks suggesting that Jets star forward Mark Scheifele could be an acquisition for the Rangers as a replacement for Ryan Strome or Andrew Copp if one of them is lost to free agency this upcoming July. Scheifele is signed through 2023-24 with an annual average value of $6.125 million and could be one player looking for a way out of Winnipeg for a change of scenery, while the Jets would get an interesting return to build a stronger future.

There is no doubt that Scheifele would benefit from getting out of Winnipeg, where he’s dealt wit loads of criticism ever since he was suspended for the rest of the 2021 postseason after his questionable hit on Montreal Canadiens’ Jake Evans and his lack of compassion afterwards.

Despite that, he would draw considerable interest in this summer’s trade market if the Jets choose to make significant changes, though Scheifele keeps some control with his 10-team no-trade list.

He might enjoy a bigger market like New York, where the incident might have been quickly forgotten and where he would play with bigger stars leading him into better situations, better chances to score. However, his cap hit could also prove a bit of a sticking point : the offer would need to make sense to the Rangers.

We feel that the Jets are on the brink of a shakeup as the team has
steadily declined since 2017-18 when Winnipeg finished with a franchise-record of 114 points and reached the Western Conference Finals.

On Wednesday morning, the Jets sit out of playoff contention, seven points behind the last Wild Card spot currently held by Dallas Stars. If they cannot turn things around quickly, significant changes will take place this summer and Scheifele could be in a different uniform in 2022-23. A Rangers one???