Jets deal not a Fehr one for Caps

The Winnipeg Jets continued to add to their roster this weekend by making a pair of deals. The first deal saw the Jets sending RW Danick Paquette and a 2012 4^th round draft pick to the Washington Capitals for RW Eric Fehr.  Fehr is a former first round pick, selected 18^th overall in 2003 by the Washington Capitals. He is coming off an injury plagued season where he only appeared in 52 games scoring only 10 goals. It wasn’t the follow up to his 21 goal 39 point break out 2009 season that Fehr may have wanted. His best game last year came in the Winter Classic where he scored two goals including the game winner in Pittsburgh against the Pens.

Eric Fehr has the potential to become a very good second line winger which begs the question, why would the Caps take a fringe prospect and a 4^th round pick who may never see a day in the NHL for Fehr? The answer is simple, the salary cap! Washington added a few fresh faces this month in free agency and was pushed over the 64.3 million dollar limit. While teams stocked up on day one of free agency the Jets sat back and waited. There were those who questioned this plan but it’s very obvious to see what TNSE has meant all along with their quiet approach.  Teams are forced to sell low and guys that get lost in the shuffle such as Fehr can be had for less than market value. In other words, no overpayments here on Winnipeg’s side! The only team that has the potential to lose in this deal is Washington. If Fehr becomes the consistent 25 goal scorer and Washington’s secondary scoring struggles then it is pure win for the Jets. Should Fehr miss a ton of time with injury or never get his scoring touch back then it’s a one year experiment and we move on.  With all the depth featured up front in Washington’s lineup, Fehr wasn’t ever given a shot to show what he can do with top minutes. You can bet Winnipeg will give him every opportunity to play top minutes and seize his top 6 spot. This deal also shows the naysayers that digging in to free agency July 1st isn’t the only way to acquire new talent.

Second Trade:

The Jets made a second deal this weekend sending C Angelo Esposito to Florida for LW Kenndal McArdle. This deal saw a pair of former 20^th overall first round selections swapped for each other in a deal that offers both a fresh start. Esposito was once touted as a top 3 prospect for the 2007 draft however, his stock seemed to plummet and he dropped to the end of the first round. He then started experiencing injury issues that limited him to 35 games during his final QMJHL season. Despite the lack of games Esposito still put up 42 points but the injuries didn’t end there. Esposito has only played 69 games over the last two seasons due to serious knee injuries. In Kenndal McArdle the Jets pick up another rugged grinding winger. McArdle is described as a player who shows a lot of heart and leaves it all on the ice. While he doesn’t fair to well in fights he will still drop the gloves to try and gain some momentum for his team. Last season was his best season as he scored 14 goals and 26 points and 106 penalty minutes for the Rochester Americans of the AHL. He has played a total of 33 NHL games scoring one goal and only three points. McArdle will most likely spend most of this season with St. John’s in the AHL but could develop into a decent 3^rd or 4^th line energy player.