The Winnipeg Jets aren't assured to ship out captain Andrew Ladd ahead of the NHL trade deadline early next week, but it sure seems like the likeliest outcome to a situation that no one could have predicted prior to the start of the season. The Jets were a surprise playoff team last year, grabbing the final wild card spot in the West, and many thought they'd be able to build off that this season. Unfortunately, that hasn't been the case and Jets GM Kevin Cheveldayoff is now firmly in the role of seller ahead of the deadline with Ladd his prime piece of trade bait. The only problem is, Cheveldayoff seems to be asking for the farm and more in return for what would essentially be a rental player.
According to George Richards of the Miami Herald, the Florida Panthers - long one of the teams said to be interested in acquiring Ladd due to his connection with GM Dale Tallon - are "cooling" on the Jets captain because of Cheveldayoff's exorbitant asking price, which, per Richards, includes a first-round NHL Draft pick and a "top prospect."
Ladd, talented and valuable though he may be, is unlikely to bring such a return for a number of reasons. His value is probably down at least a little as the Jets struggle, an issue exacerbated by the fact that prices for rental players across the league are down. He's also across the age 30 threshold, meaning his best NHL days are behind him. And he apparently turned up his nose at a six-year, $36 million contract offer from the Jets, which makes it almost a certainty that he'd be nothing more than a short-term rental.
Ladd has 17 goals and 34 points thus far this season, not stellar totals but combined with his strong locker room personality, enough to make him the most desirable forward on the trade market. But if Cheveldayoff is going to stick to his guns on that asking price, the Panthers may not be the only team he scares away, as potential suitors turn instead to cheaper alternatives like Boston's Loui Eriksson and Montreal's Dale Weise.
The likeliest outcome remains a Ladd trade - the Jets didn't give him a suspiciously-timed maintenance day for no reason - but it may take Cheveldayoff coming down on his asking price to get a deal done.
