After making it to the Western Conference finals in2018,the Winnipeg Jets took a step in the wrong direction last year.

Head coach Paul Maurice's squad was eliminated in six games in the opening round by the eventual Stanley Cup champion St. Louis Blues, despite finishing second in the Central Division.It was a disappointing result for a team that many had pegged for a deep playoff run.

The Jets 2019 offseason has been defined by the players who have left Henry Ruggs III Men Jersey via trade and free agency and two key restricted free agents who remain unsigned in Patrik Laine and Kyle Connor. On paper, Winnipeg lost far more than it gained over the summer while its division rivals bolstered their rosters with big signings and blockbuster deals. Their time at the top of the Central Division might be coming to an abrupt end.

Grading the offseason: | | | | |

Offseason goals

General manager Kevin Cheveldayoff had a lot to do this offseason. He had to find a tradepartner and bring in a haul for first-pair defenseman Jacob Trouba, make decisions on a few key unrestricted free agents and most importantly re-sign Patrik Laine and Kyle Connor. No one was expecting Winnipeg to be a big player in free agency because of their cap constraintsbut a secondary goal for Winnipeg this summer was finding some valuable depth down the middle and on the blue line.

Patrik Laine's third goal in as many games gives the a lead in St. Louis

Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) Offseason acquisitions

Anthony Bitetto (D), Gabriel Bourque (F),Andrei Chibisov (F), Mark Letestu (F)Neal Pionk (D)

Offseason departures

Alex Broadhurst Michael Strahan Jersey (F), Ben Chiarot (D), Marko Dano (F),Kevin Hayes (F), Matt Hendricks (F), Bogdan Kiselvich (D) Par Lindholm (F), Joe Morrow (D), Tyler Myers (D), Cameron Schilling (D) Brandon Tanev (F),Jacob Trouba (D)

Free agency/trades

Of course, the defining move of the Jets offseason was the blockbuster deal that sent Jacob Trouba to the New York Rangers in exchange for 24-year-old defenseman Neal Pionk and the 20th pick of the 2019 draft.

Cheveldayoff did well to re-acquire Winnipeg'sfirst-round pick (originally sent to the Rangers in exchange for Kevin Hayes) and a body to help replace Trouba on the blue line, but theres no doubt that Pionk is a downgrade. Unfortunately, the GM found Ryan Fitzpatrick Women Jersey himself between a rock and a hard place as Trouba was unwilling to sign a long-term deal and there were only so many teams who had the cap space to extend him.

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The Jets went on to extend Pionk to a bridge deal with an average annual valueof $3 million andre-signedAndrew Copp ()and Nathan Beaulieu, who wasacquired from the Buffalo Sabres at the trade deadline. The only noteworthy new face that Cheveldayoff added in free agency was winger Andrei Chibisov ona one-year deal. The big Ru sianhad 20 points in 50 gameswith Metallurg Magnitogorsk (KHL) last year.

Knowing they'd be hard-pre sed to re-sign Kevin Hayes,for a fifth-round pick in the 2019 draft a full month before free agency opened. It proved to be a shrewd move as the Flyers had overpaid to have him commit to a seven-year deal. Getting something instead of nothing for Hayes was definitely a win, even if the return was e sentially a lottery ticket.

Cheveldayoff also let UFAs Tyler Myers, Brandon Tanev and Ben Chiarot go; they all signed deals with their respective new clubs thatWinnipeg could not counter with. However, the only Jets contracts now being discu sed are the two that remain unsigned Patrik Laine and Kyle Connor.

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Despite the fact that Laine had a severely disappointing season, he finished tied for fourth in team scoring and buried at least 30 goals for the third time in his young career. Connor, on the other hand, finished second on the Jets in goals (34) and third behind captain Blake Wheeler and superstar center Mark Scheifele.

, the Jets have just over $16 million in cap space. to come in at an AAV around $7 million on a seven-year deal and Connor for $6.8 million per a six-year contract.But both players are going to want more than that and might not budge until Toronto resolves the Mitch Marner contract. Its also worth noting that the Jets have a well-established history of being stingy with signing bonuses. With a potential lockout on the horizon, Laine and Connor Eric Kendricks Youth Jersey are going to want as much guaranteed money as po sible.

2019 draft

With the 20th pick, the Jets selected Finnish defender Ville Heinola whowas ranked fourthamong European skaters by NHL Central Scouting. Awell-rounded, albeit undersized, left-handed defenseman who is already showing maturity beyond his years, Heinola signed his ELC on July 15; however, his contract includes so there's a good chance hell continue to develop in Liiga this year Joe Flacco Jersey .

Farm system rankings:

The Jets took two more Nordic players with their next two picks:Swedish defender Simon Lundmarl (51) and Finnish winger Henri Nikkanen (113). In Round 5, they took forward Harrison Blaisdell, who will play his college hockey at the University of North Dakota,and U-Ma s Lowell goalkeeper Harrison Neaton. Coming away from the draft with only five prospects is just the cost of doing busine s for Cup contenders that make deals on deadline day.

The Jets have a promising pipeline of young d-men, that has definitely been bolstered by the additions of Heinola and Lundmark, but theres not much there for forwards and goaltenders. Winger Kristian Vesalainen (24th overall, 2017 Draft) is widely considered to be Winnipegs best forward prospect, but there is a wide gap between him and the second-tier in the system.

Ville Heinola scores! 1-0 Luoto and Sue s with the Kendall Fuller Men Jersey helpers.

JetsNation (@NHLJetsNation) Offseason grade: C+

Cheveldayoffs biggest wins this offseason are likely the deals that he didnt sign with Myers, Tanev and Chiarot. Although, that's d-men from the teams first, second and third pair thatare gone which could impact a normally solid defensive team. Depth forward Tanev and rental Hayes are also out of the picture with Wheeler and Dustin Byfuglien another year older. And of course, with Laine and Connor waiting for deals,Its not a good look.

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2019-20 Season Prediction

If the Jets get Laine and Connor's contracts resolved soon, they should have all the talent needed to make the playoffs for a third consecutive season. However, the Jets will probably be going as a wild card team because of how stacked the Central is. TheBlues are the team to beat until proven otherwise and theStars, Predators and Avalanche all got better on paper over the summer the Jets did not.

Winnipegs big gunsand above-av