The NHL has returned from the 2026 Winter Olympics, and it’s now a sprint toward the NHL Trade Deadline set for March 6th at 2:00 pm CST. Winnipeg is wrapped up in a few trade scenarios, but what might they do at this year’s trade deadline?

Winnipeg Jets general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff isn’t known for making a ton of noise when it comes to the NHL Trade Deadline. In 2025, he made just three trades, acquiring Brandon Tanev from Seattle, Luke Schenn from Pittsburgh, and Chris Driedger from Florida.

In 2024, the team had the disguise of going all in, acquiring Sean Monahan from Montreal, and both Tyler Toffoli and Colin Miller from New Jersey.

I despise the term rebuild or retool, but I understand why the language is used. Teams go through highs and lows, and right now, Winnipeg seems to be caught in a one-off outlier year, but also in a low.

Professional athletes will try to win as many games as possible, even if they’re the last-place team in their respective league, and while Winnipeg isn’t dead last, they’re 11 points outside of a playoff spot.

Psychology says this team won’t quit until the final buzzer sounds in their final game, but Winnipeg hasn’t been able to consistently log complete games, and they often fall flat on their faces multiple times throughout games.

The 2026 NHL Trade Deadline must be about building toward next season, not a hopeful playoff run. However, with a crossroad for needing to bring up youth and find consistent secondary scoring on the Jets roster, what might Winnipeg do to juggle all of these needs?

Is Shane Wright a Possible Fit in Winnipeg?

This has been a top story over the past week, and I understand from Seattle’s perspective wanting to move on from the former fourth overall pick in a down season. In Winnipeg’s case, moving on from Cole Perfetti would not be a great move, given that he performs well with the right linemates.

The mock trade proposal I’ve seen online is a one-for-one deal sending Shane Wright to Winnipeg and Cole Perfetti to Seattle, and both teams end up in the same position after the trade.

Winnipeg should be looking to supplement that second or third line right now, not take away from it with a guy like Perfetti. I’m not saying to give up futures in a deal for Shane Wright either, but it just feels like there’s no margin for error when it comes to this possible trade.

Does Wright get moved at all? Probably not, but with Seattle looking to bring in an impact forward for their top-six, you can never say never.

In Seattle’s case, making that sort of move solidifies their push to make the playoffs. Seattle sits third in the Pacific Division standings, but they’re in a point battle with the Anaheim Ducks.

Circling back to Wright and Winnipeg, I don’t think it’s a fit outside of Wright being a centre option for the Jets going forward. The issue is that the Jets are already thin on wings, and moving on from Perfetti either necessitates a call-up from the Manitoba Moose or leads to something bigger later down the line.

Logan Stanley Might be Moved as a Rental

Where there’s smoke, there’s fire, and this has been a slow burn all season long. Logan Stanley, the Jets’ 6-foot-7 defenseman, is having a massive contract season, and he’s showing no signs of slowing down. Stanley is set to play 81 games this season with Winnipeg, barring any unforeseen circumstances like injury or trades, and he’s projected to hit the 26-point (13G, 13A) mark.

At this rate, Stanley likely finds himself suiting up with a team that’s in the hunt for a Stanley Cup, and he’s most likely going to hit free agency in the summer. You can’t teach the size or physicality that comes with the defensive defenseman, and Stanley’s proven to be an effective number five defender. Add on his $1.25 million cap hit, and this could be a sneaky good addition for teams doing salary cap gymnastics at the deadline.

Winnipeg and Stanley’s camp haven’t had any meaningful contract negotiations, per David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period, and this likely indicates the end of Stanley’s tenure in Winnipeg.

Near the end of the Olympic break, Ken Wiebe of the Winnipeg Free Press noted Logan Stanley’s desire to stay in Winnipeg, a conflicting report given the narrative floated all season long.

With Winnipeg’s current injury issues defensively, does Stanley get moved at all? Generally speaking, I think Stanley is moved for the right package, but his reported desire to stay in Winnipeg could make other moves happen sooner rather than later.

You have to ask, does Stanley stay in the Western Conference, or does he find his way to the Eastern Conference? The trade deadline will dictate what Winnipeg does ultimately, but the top trade destinations for Stanley align with the chatter around Winnipeg’s big defender.

Colorado, Edmonton, Pittsburgh, Tampa Bay and Carolina are five teams that are likely to circle on the availability of Stanley. Detroit was talked about earlier in the fray, and they feel like another team that will be circling on Stanley.

However, Edmonton could make the most sense given that Winnipeg has been reportedly interested in one of their forwards earlier this season.

Does a package including Logan Stanley make a Mangiapane to Winnipeg deal work? That is completely an idea that I’ve seen floated around online, but given the chatter around Stanley possibly being moved for a package including a first-round pick, a trade involving Mangiapane and Stanley is far less likely.

There’s just so much to unpack regarding Stanley, but it creates chatter around Winnipeg’s defensive core and what the plan is long-term. The playoffs exposed the need for an established top-four defenseman, and that goes without knocking on Dylan Samberg, Neal Pionk, or Dylan DeMelo, but once the playoffs roll around, having supplemental help is necessary.

To me, this boils down to whether or not the Winnipeg Jets feel as if Logan Stanley is ready to step into a role bigger than being the club’s number five defenseman. He’s getting a look at the top pairing with DeMelo, and that could be trade deadline positioning, but it could also be a peek into the future of the defensive depth the Jets have.

Is Boone Jenner a Potential Option for Winnipeg?

Here’s a player’s name that was floated earlier this week as a potential trade candidate, but could he honestly provide immediate impact to a roster struggling to find consistent secondary scoring?

Jenner, 32, is not historically a high-scoring forward; he mostly finds himself in the 30-45 point mark, and that necessarily isn’t bad. However, would the Columbus Blue Jackets want to trade away their current captain?

Probably not.

If they chose to go down that route, the Winnipeg Jets should be all over a player like Jenner, but the trade must include a player off the current Jets roster of similar age. This makes the trade a relatively balanced deal that doesn’t take away from either side immediately.

Not only is Jenner a lucrative option for teams looking to add some veteran presence to their lineup, but he’s a centre in a market that demands centres.

That checks one of Winnipeg’s boxes; they need a middle-six impact centre, and Jenner has been impactful ever since joining the Columbus Blue Jackets in the 2013-14 season.

The pending unrestricted free agent isn’t a guarantee to re-sign in Columbus, as is any UFA with their current team, but trading out your captain isn’t an everyday endeavour.

It’s no secret Winnipeg must get younger, and they have to do it fast. Jenner makes them younger if they move the right piece to fit him into the lineup. However, the Jets would have to build a year or two beyond this season with Jenner, and their playoff position, or lack thereof, shows that building at this trade deadline must be strategic.

Luke Schenn is Winnipeg’s Top Trade Priority

This is a trade option for the Winnipeg Jets that came about over the season, and it certainly hasn’t fizzled out.

It goes without saying that moving Luke Schenn is something the Jets will do if he’s unhappy with his position, something he reportedly has been throughout the season.

Moving Schenn gives Winnipeg cap flexibility, and it also allows him another shot at possibly winning another Stanley Cup, but that depends on where he’s traded to.

Right now, Winnipeg can strategically leverage this scenario long-term for attracting other veteran players to Winnipeg. There are plenty of teams looking to add veteran players, especially for the Stanley Cup playoffs, but Schenn’s experience in the league is hard to find, and one has to wonder if that benefits Winnipeg.

Shoring up depth in Winnipeg is a good idea. The approach is to do right by the veteran defender, and it just creates a good long-term image when a franchise does that.

This makes him the top trade priority solely off the last point I made, and that’s not a bad thing.

Since being acquired by Winnipeg, Schenn has been reliable as a number-six defender in Winnipeg, and he’s stepped it up when called upon in big playoff game scenarios. Right now, Winnipeg isn’t in the playoff mix, but if Schenn desires any change of scenery, Winnipeg would be doing right by him by moving him to a team in the hunt for a Stanley Cup.

From a leadership standpoint, Schenn was a great acquisition by Winnipeg, and he brought a level of physicality Winnipeg lacked heading into the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs, but he alone wasn’t going to be the fix for Winnipeg.

At this stage of Schenn’s career, he’s going to be the reliable veteran who plays on the third pairing, which could be a heady move by any team looking for that kind of player.

Right now, Winnipeg must focus on their trade deadline plans and how Schenn plays into that plan is solely based on the teams ready to add him into their lineup.

At the end of the day, Schenn is likely to be the first player in Winnipeg to be moved, and it’s the team doing right by the veteran player, as I stated earlier.

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