Is it the calm before the storm? Or is the silence so deafening right now that it’s a harbinger of what’s to come on or before Canada Day?
In just under three weeks, the NHL will be in full off-season mode, a new Stanley Cup champion crowned, the annual entry draft complete, and the ability for unrestricted free agents to sign with a team of their choice — and for that matter, the teams themselves an opportunity to court them — fully underway.
But in between now and then, teams with UFAs still have an opportunity to re-sign those players on expiring contracts. In the case of the Winnipeg Jets, there are seven players in need of new agreements prior to July 1, otherwise they’ll almost assuredly be plying their trade in other markets next fall.
In particular, the status of defencemen Dylan DeMelo and Brenden Dillon and centreman Sean Monahan are of primary interest. As we understand it, all three have been tabled contract extensions, meaning the Jets would like to retain them, but thus far nobody has signed, and one questions whether anyone is talking as the July deadline nears.
For the trio in question, all of which are uniquely valuable to the team, you wonder if the ship has sailed and a heading to free agency now the charted course at this stage of the game.
After all, with the salary cap going up by $4.5 million and all three into their 30s by the time next season starts, they may feel that chasing the money somewhere else this close an open market might be the shrewdest move to make at this point of their careers.
Now, could an 11th hour deal be struck with one, two or all three players for the Jets to retain their services? Of course! But as the business of hockey quickly moves toward July 1, and with eerie hush surrounding all sides, optimism is starting to wane.
But again, this could be the calm before a storm of signings prior to July 1, or as it currently stands leading up to Canada Day, a continuation of the deafening sound of silence.
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