Jets planning major trade to get Laine out of his slump

The Winnipeg Jets don't know what to do with forward Patrik Laine to get him going again. Last night, in his team's 4-3 shootout win over the Boston Bruins, Sportsnet's Chris Johnston revealed that Laine played just 10:55 of ice time, the second-lowest total of his 205-game NHL career.

While giving him more time of the bench to get him out of slump doesn't seem like the right idea, the one plan uncovered by Mike McIntyre of The Winnipeg Free Press sounds promising. 

According to McIntyre, Jets general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff has been active on the trade market in attempts to acquire a depth forward for the team's bottom-six. 

However, the insider believes the top priority should be acquiring a top-six centre to help Laine snap out of his current slump.

TSN Senior Hockey Reporter Frank Seravalli also wrote earlier this week that the Jets "are undoubtedly on a mission to add a bona fide second-line centre" in order to move Bryan Little down to the third line. 

While the Jets might be interested in Matt Duchene of the Ottawa Senators, Seravalli believes the Jets have inquired about centre Derick Brassard of the Pittsburgh Penguins, but the initial asking price was high.

The Jets definitely need to step up in order to maximize their Stanley Cup chances this season and the addition of a boost up front would not only benefit Laine, but the entire roster that was hoping to go back the Western Conference finals last spring. The Jets lost in five contests at the hands of the Vegas Golden Knights, who were beaten by the Washington Capitals in the Stanley Cup final. 

Last season at the trade deadline, the Jets made a splash by acquiring forward Paul Stastny from the St. Louis Blues in order to get their offensive skills going to make it as far as possible. We could get ready to see another splash in the coming weeks in Winnipeg. 

The Jets currently sit in first place of the Central Division with a two-point lead and two games in-hand over the Nashville Predators.