NHL insider reveals Winnipeg Jets plan for the 2025 NHL trade deadline
NHL insider Frank Seravalli revealed today that the Winnipeg Jets are looking to add a very important forward at the trade deadline this year.
The Jets have been one of the top teams in the NHL all season long this year.
However, they still have one glaring hole in their lineup, and that would be at center.
To be specific, they are weak on their second line with Vladislav Namestnikov currently filling that role.
As NHL insider Frank Seravalli points out, the Jets could stand to upgrade on him.
"The upgrade here could come at the center position. Vladislav Namestnikov has been a more-than-fine contributor, but certainly isn't in the upper echelon of No. 2 centers in the league - buoyed by the fact that the Jets have one of the best in the No. 3 hole with Adam Lowry."
As Seravalli noted, Vladislav Namestnikov has been playing that role for the Jets this season.
However, he is not quite the caliber of player a Stanley Cup contender would want playing in a second-line role.
The 32-year-old has just 9 goals and 20 points through 43 games this season, basically a 40-point pace.
Typically, teams would want closer to 60 points out of their second-line forwards.
Making this matter particularly pressing right now is the fact that Namestnikov missed the team's game last night.
He most likely is out day-to-day after making a tough shot block, but losing him even temporarily does expose how thin the team is at center.
Adam Lowry is great in a third-line role, and in fact, he has actually outscored Namestnikov with 25 points so far this season, but playing him in a second-line role is not ideal either.
One of the top centers available on Seravalli's trade target board is the young Sabres Dylan Cozens.
Cozens and the Jets could be a match made in heaven. Like Namestnikov he has only scored around half a point per game this season, but it was just two years ago when he scored 31 goals.
Unlike Namestnikov, he has been playing on a poor Sabres team with much worse teammates around him, so his scoring struggles can be excused to an extent.
Furthermore, he is still just 23 years old. As such, he could be a fit for the Jets both now and into the future, which is perfect since they are a team that struggles to acquire free-agent talent.
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