The Winnipeg Jets don’t have a long history of signing players to Professional Tryout Contracts (PTOs) but they can be a great, no-risk way of testing out players who might fit into a team’s lineup. Although the majority of players on PTOs don’t end up making the teams they try out for, once in a while, clubs find a guy they think can contribute nicely in the short term for an affordable price and sign him.
Related: Jets’ Best and Worst Case Scenarios For 2024-25 Season
Having players who can chip in for cheap is important in the salary cap era, and the Jets found one in 2021-22 when they inked Evgeny Svechnikov to a one-year deal after inviting him to camp on a PTO and being impressed by him in preseason. He produced 19 points in a bottom-six role before moving on.
The Jets’ organization sees itself in win-now mode despite losing in the first round in each of the past two seasons and have good depth and a number prospects in their deepening pool who may be ready for expanded roles, so it’s unknown if they’ll invite anyone to camp on PTOs. Nonetheless, it’s worth taking a minute to look at a few potential candidates new head coach Scott Arniel could get some value out of.
Dominik Kubalik
Kubalik is a player looking for a reset after a challenging 2023-24. The Czechian left winger had a career-low 15 points (11 goals, four assists) in his lone season for the Ottawa Senators after being traded from the Detroit Red Wings as part of the Alex DeBrincat deal. The 29 year old has a long track record as a consistent offensive producer, however, in both Europe and the NHL.
Originally drafted in 2012 by the Los Angeles Kings (seventh round, 191st overall) out of the Ontario Hockey League, Kubalik returned to Europe and spent his early 20s playing in Czechia and Switzerland before coming back to North America to play for the Chicago Blackhawks for the 2019-20 season. He put up 46 points that season (including 30 goals,) 38 points in the shortened 2020-21, and 32 points in 2021-22 before the Blackhawks allowed him to walk into unrestricted free agency. In his lone season with the Red Wings, who signed him to a two-year deal in the 2022 offseason, he put up 45 points before his aforementioned struggles with the Senators.
In 357-career games, Kubalik has produced at a .492 point-per-game clip. While he likely won’t be a 30-goal scorer again, that rate is nothing to sneeze at for a player who’d be used in a bottom-six role. His career CORSI and Fenwick numbers are both north of 50 per cent, interesting considering he has played for non-playoff teams for four-straight seasons.
Steven Lorentz
Lorentz is looking for a new team after winning the Stanley Cup with the Florida Panthers last season; they let him walk into unrestricted free agency after acquiring him and the final season of his contract in a trade with the San Jose Sharks last summer. The 28-year-old two-way centre and left winger was a healthy scratch for much of the first part of the season, but battled his way back into the lineup and became a fourth-line mainstay in the second half and in their run to the Stanley Cup. In 38 regular-season games, the lefthander had three points (one goal, two assists) while averaging 8:47 of ice time and added another three (two goals, one assist) in 16 postseason games.
While those aren’t flashy offensive numbers by any stretch, additional centre depth is never a bad thing, especially for a team like the Jets that lost a top-six talent in Sean Monahan and has unproven players vying for the second-line spot he vacated. The 6-foot-4, 206-pound Lorentz has a physical edge to his game, racking up 317 hits in his four-season NHL career. He is also an experienced penalty killer who could be a welcome addition to a Jets’ club that only killed 77.13 per cent of its penalties last season and is looking to improve under new assistant coach Dean Chynoweth, who Arniel has tasked with revamping the PK regime.
Related: Get to Know Winnipeg Jets’ New Assistant Coaches Payne & Chynoweth
Originally drafted by the Carolina Hurricanes in 2015 (seventh round, 186th overall) Lorentz has 43 points (21 goals, 22 assists) between the Hurricanes, Sharks, and Panthers in 230-career NHL games and has won 48.7 per cent of his career faceoffs. Although he plays a heavy game, he stays out of the box, with only 42-career penalty minutes to his name.
Kailer Yamamoto
Going from a hulking player to a small (some would say undersized) one, Yamamoto is another player the Jets could take a look at. In his lone season with the Seattle Kraken, who took a step back and missed the playoffs last season after advancing to the second round in 2022-23, the 5-foot-8 right winger had a disappointing eight goals and eight assists for 16 points in 59 games.
However, the 25 year old is capable of much more, making him a compelling “buy low” candidate. Originally drafted by the Edmonton Oilers 22nd overall in 2017 after putting up 99 points with the Western Hockey League’s Spokane Chiefs, Yamamoto — a speedy guy with good playmaking skills — has recorded as many as 20 goals and 41 points in a season (he set both marks in 2021-22 with the Oilers.)
With 134 points in 303 games, his 0.442 point-per-game clip is similar to Kubalik’s and he’s in a similar situation — in need of a fresh start after a down campaign.
No PTO Player Is Perfect, But Potential Value Exists
As we can see, none of the three PTO candidates are perfect players — if they were, they wouldn’t be unsigned at this point in the offseason — and none would make or break the Jets’ fortunes in 2024-25, but all carry potential upside that could be unlocked if they’re put in the right situations. Whether it’s one of these three or someone else, the Jets would be well-served to invite one or more players to training camp on PTOs. If they don’t work out, it’s no harm, no foul, but if one does, it’ll only strengthen the team’s depth as it continues to try and contend.