The Winnipeg Jets aren’t done adding grit to their lineup. TSN’s Darren Dreger reports that the Jets are acquiring bottom-six forward Brandon Tanev from the Seattle Kraken for a 2027 second-round pick.
After a six-year hiatus with the Kraken and Pittsburgh Penguins, Tanev returns to the organization that signed him as an undrafted collegiate free agent in 2016. The speedy, hard-hitting winger has scored 24 goals and 51 points in 195 games with the Jets from 2016 to 2019, adding a whopping 601 hits to his resume.
It’ll be interesting to see how the Jets utilize Tanev during his second time with the team. Winnipeg already has a relatively deep bottom-six with Nino Niederreiter, Mason Appleton, Morgan Barron, and Alex Iafallo on the wings. Tanev doesn’t have much experience down the middle, so the team will likely shift Barron back to center on the fourth line.
Tanev’s exploits in the NHL are well known. He’s an effective penalty killer who plays with a physical edge. Outside of an impressive 16-goal, 35-point performance in 2022-23, Tanev is likely to score between 20 and 29 points most years. He’s scored nine goals and 17 points in 60 games for the Kraken this season, averaging 13:56 of ice time per game.
At the time of writing, Winnipeg ranked 21st in the NHL in hits given with a total of 1147. Factoring in Luke Schenn’s acquisition, the Jets should have no issues upping their physicality through the final stretch of the regular season and playoffs.
The trade was fairly simple from Seattle’s perspective. As a pending unrestricted free agent, Tanev had value as a trade candidate for a team well outside the playoff picture. With another second-round pick in their arsenal, the Kraken have nine picks in the first two rounds through the 2027 NHL Draft.