It’s been almost three years since Patrik Laine and Jack Roslovic were dealt to the Columbus Blue Jackets, and that trade certainly factors into one of the Winnipeg Jets’ best 30 game starts in the 2.0 era of the franchise.
There are a couple of reasons I thought about this: the recent performances of Gabe Vilardi, and the visit by the Montreal Canadiens coming up Monday evening.
For the better part of a year, the smart money was on Pierre Luc Dubois winding up in the bleu, blanc et rouge of Les Canadiens.
We’ll never know with certainty, but it’s a good bet that the return from the Habs wouldn’t have worked in favour of the Jets as much as the haul from the Los Angeles (LA) Kings — especially of late.
Watching Vilardi make magic with Mark Scheifele and Nikolaj Ehlers has been nothing short of spectacular.
A prime example was a game winning goal that capped an incredible comeback in Anaheim, Calif., just over a week ago in the aftermath of the stunning Kyle Connor injury.
The five-goal, 11-point, plus 15 explosion by the Jets reconfigured top line last Wednesday in LA, followed up by Vilardi opening the scoring, and a critical response goal early in the third period of Saturday’s 6-2 victory over Colorado.
Oh, and by the way, Alex Iafallo — another important piece of the deal for Dubois — fired in a beauty of a backhand, which turned out to be the game winner.
The book is still open on Rasmus Kupari who is recovering from a shoulder injury.
The cherry on top could be the 2024 second rounder, which general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff could potentially turn into an immediate asset ahead of the March 8 trading deadline, or decide to keep for the draft, in late June in Vegas.
Laine and Dubois could still help balance the scales for Columbus and the Kings, respectively.
In the here and now, the wheeling and dealing of those two players has helped transformed the Jets into the kind of “hard to play against, never say die, and still entertaining” team Winnipeg hockey fans have been yearning for.