Ville Heinola frustrated by not playing in the NHL; Is it time the Jets trade him?
In an interview with The Hockey News, Allain Roy, the agent for Winnipeg Jets prospect Ville Heinola, mentioned that his client is frustrated with being sent to the American Hockey League, once again.
"I think everybody in hockey that has seen him play realizes he's now at that point where he has made an NHL regular expendable," Roy said.
He added, "Ville doesn't deserve a guaranteed spot in the lineup. He deserves a shot to play a run of games to show he can do it."
He added, "Ville doesn't deserve a guaranteed spot in the lineup. He deserves a shot to play a run of games to show he can do it."
Since being selected 20th overall by the Jets in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft, Heinola has only appeared in 25 games, recording ten points (one goal, nine assists) along the way.
Heinola's agent believes that the Jets will need to make some sort of decision regarding the 21-year-old because his development eventually could stagnate or even regress.
"At some point, that decision's going to have to be made because the asset (Heinola) is going to stagnate and start to go backwards," Roy said. "That's going to be the issue. I don't think it's going backwards yet, but definitely, the frustration's setting in, and that's never a good sign."
That begs the question, if the Jets aren't going to give Heinola the opportunity to play in the NHL, despite showing he is capable of playing with Winnipeg full-time, is it time they move on?
Given that he's still only 21 and has plenty of potential in his game, especially offensively, there is no doubt they could get a decent return. If you look at the return of another young frustrated defenceman, Nils Lundkvist, the Rangers were able to snag a first round pick from the Dallas Stars and it's very possible the Jets could do the same.
Do you think it's time the Winnipeg Jets trade Ville Heinola or should they give him the opportunity to play regularly in their line-up? Let us know your thoughts in the poll below.
Source: The Hockey News
| POLL | ||
NOVEMBRE 4 | 148 ANSWERS Ville Heinola frustrated by not playing in the NHL; Is it time the Jets trade him? What should the Jets do with Ville Heinola? | ||
| Call him up | 45 | 30.4 % |
| Trade him | 56 | 37.8 % |
| Keep him in the AHL | 47 | 31.8 % |
| LIST OF POLLS | ||
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