When considering the MVP of the Winnipeg Jets this season, a few names likely come to mind: Connor Hellebuyck. Josh Morrissey. Mark Scheifele.
Allow us to toss out another potential candidate, one that will likely take you by surprise at first blush: Bryan Little.
Yes, the same Bryan Little who hasn’t suited up since suffering a career-ending injury in November 2019 after a Nikolaj Ehlers shot caught him in the ear, leading to numerous medical issues and complications.
As strange as it may sound, Little has played a pivotal role in building the current edition of the Jets, who head into action Wednesday night against the Nashville Predators with a sizzling 41-18-5 record and arguably the deepest pool of talent ever assembled in Winnipeg.
Paul Vernon / The Associated Press files Bryan Little’s playing days came to a sudden end when he was hit in the head with a shot early in the 2019-20 season.
That likely wouldn’t have been possible were it not for Little’s decision in March 2022 to waive his no-trade clause, allowing Jets general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff to move him (and prospect Nathan Smith) to the Arizona Coyotes in exchange for a 2022 fourth-round draft pick.
It may not have seemed like a big deal at the time, but it has certainly paid off. With a salary cap hit of US$5,291,667 for last season and this one, Winnipeg’s financial flexibility would have been severely limited. Putting Little on long-term injured reserve wasn’t the solution either, as that prevents a team from accruing salary cap space during the campaign.
By getting that money off the books and transferring the full weight of it to the desert dogs, who are in a perpetual state of rebuilding and could afford to take it on without issue, the Jets put themselves in a position to get aggressive.
Hello Nino Niederreiter, Vlad Namestnikov, Sean Monahan, Tyler Toffoli and Colin Miller. Each of those players was acquired near the previous two trade deadlines, with nary a roster player (or prospect) having to go in the other direction because of the banked cap space that was available.
“We wouldn’t have been able to be in the situation that we’re in to accrue cap space if it weren’t for Bryan doing that.”–Kevin Cheveldayoff
It would have been an entirely different story if Little had declined the ask from Cheveldayoff, opting to remain with the franchise that drafted him 12th-overall in 2006 (Atlanta Thrashers). A scalpel would have been required for some roster surgery. That gesture wasn’t lost on the Jets as they sat in a conference room last Friday, putting the finishing touches on the Toffoli and Miller additions.
“(Assistant GM) Larry Simmons and I were talking about it in the greater group with the pro scouts and, actually, I think Mark Chipman was even in there as well at that time,” Cheveldayoff said.
“We wouldn’t have been able to be in the situation that we’re in to accrue cap space if it weren’t for Bryan doing that.”
Ann Heisenfelt / The Associated Press files Bryan Little was drafted by the Atlanta Thrashers in 2006.
For those keeping score, Smith — drafted by the Jets in the third round in 2018 and the incentive for Arizona to do the deal — has yet to prove himself as an NHL player. After putting up two goals and two assists in 10 games with the Coyotes in 2021-22, he’s only had four more NHL games (all last year) and hasn’t recorded a point. The now 25-year-old has spent this year entirely in the AHL, with 24 points (seven goals, 17 assists) in 44 games with the Tucson Roadrunners.
Meanwhile, the fourth-round pick the Jets got back from the Coyotes turned into defenceman Garrett Brown, who had his first year at the University of Denver end after just eight games due to a lower-body injury that required surgery. The son of former NHLer Curtis Brown had four assists.
Cheveldayoff said he was in Barrie a few weeks ago watching 2023 first-rounder Colby Barlow playing with his Ontario Hockey League club when he spotted Little’s name hanging in the rafters as one of the all-time great Colts alumni.
“It brings you back. We still have a picture in the dressing room of the outdoor game goal that he scored. He’s a big part of this organization, and he’s always going to be a big part of this organization,” Cheveldayoff said of Little, who played 843 regular-season games (217 goals, 304 assists) plus an additional 27 playoff contests (four goals, eight assists) with the Thrashers/Jets franchise.
“It brings back what a great Jet he was, for not only for on the ice but off the ice as well.”
Little, who has always valued his privacy, has remained mostly out of sight since leaving Winnipeg. With his contract set to expire at the end of this season and official retirement on the horizon, you can expect the Jets to do something in the future to honour him in a significant way.
“It brings back what a great Jet he was, for not only for on the ice but off the ice as well.”–Kevin Cheveldayoff
On the subject of valuable off-ice contributions, how about the job Simmons has quietly done behind the scenes as Cheveldayoff’s right-hand man? He’s expertly managed the cap this year, and getting the New Jersey Devils to retain 50 per cent of Toffoli’s US$4.25 million contract last week was no small feat.
The Jets, as of right now, have just over US$2 million in available cap space, and that’s with a current roster of 25 skaters. Teams are limited to a maximum of 23 players up until the trade deadline, but can expand after that as long as they remain under the salary limit for the remainder of the regular-season.
That means adding the likes of Toffoli and Miller doesn’t require them to put a couple players on waivers to make room. Nor will it cause any issues with having to pay performance bonuses to Cole Perfetti, which could have spilled over to next year’s cap had they exceeded the ceiling.
Nor will it prevent adding a couple more players down the stretch. One could be a reward to young defenceman Ville Heinola, who would have made the team out of training camp only to break his ankle in the final preseason game and has played 23 games with the Manitoba Moose and waits for an opportunity with the big club. Another could be signing top forward prospect Rutger McGroarty once his college campaign is over, which could happen towards the end of this month depending on how the NCAA playoffs go.
In other words, an already deep roster could get even deeper. That was on display on Monday night when the Jets kicked off a three-game homestand with an impressive 3-0 victory over the Washington Capitals. The top three forward lines were all involved in a goal, and the fourth line had numerous chances including a pair of posts from Perfetti.
“We’ve got a deep team. Guys can play anywhere, fill in obviously at different times. I think that’s a real good, I guess, problem to have,” said Monahan.
Indeed it is, thanks in no small part to Little.
mike.mcintyre@freepress.mb.ca
X: @mikemcintyrewpg
Mike McIntyre
Sports reporter
Mike McIntyre grew up wanting to be a professional wrestler. But when that dream fizzled, he put all his brawn into becoming a professional writer.
Read full biography