NHL Rumors: Winnipeg Jets Almost Traded Mark Scheifele

The Winnipeg Jets are looking for a bounce-back season after a very disappointing 2021-22 campaign. Sounds like their roster was very close to being blown up as reports have surfaced stating center Mark Scheifele was almost traded.

According to Murat Ates of The Athletic, if the Jets signed Pierre-Luc Dubois to a long-term contract extension, Scheifele was a prime candidate to be traded:

If the Jets had Dubois locked up long-term, there is a chance that they would have shopped star scorer Mark Scheifele. Scheifele looked disengaged defensively last season and sounded deeply frustrated when the season was over. He’s also set to become a 31-year-old UFA in 2024 and a pricey one at that, given that he’s scored at least a point per game in each of his last six seasons.

Dubois has since had his name tied to the Montreal Canadiens. That's certainly not a forgone conclusion at this point as it apparently was a lot of noise from his agent and the fact he's a restricted free agent complicates things. 

© Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports
Scheifele on the other hand is looking to improve on his 29-goal season from a year ago and the team would love to see him round out his game and become more of an impact 200-foot player.

Photo credit:  Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports