The so called “dog days of the summer” continue on as we all await more Winnipeg Jets news this off-season. It’s still a few more weeks before players all report to their teams, but for now we can continue to look ahead to some unknown aspects of the 2024-25 season. One of the more unique and intriguing parts of NHL trainings camps are the “PTO” (Professional tryout) deals that are signed before camp begins.

If you’re unfamiliar with what PTO deals are all about, well, they’re basically a way to give a free agent or an unsigned veteran player a chance at finding a new team for the upcoming season. These deals are generally signed just before training camps and last through the NHL pre-season, and they are limited to a total of 25 games. You often will see players on these deals get released from their PTO, meaning that they are back to being in “free agent” status. Every so often though, you’ll see a player on a PTO make a name for themselves in the pre-season, and that PTO will turn into a longer deal (usually for that season), which makes for a great story on opening night.

It’s impossible to predict if the Jets have their eyes on any of the remaining free agents or veteran players for a PTO, but there are definitely some solid options out there. Now that we’re in mid-August, teams typically don’t sign any of the remaining free agents, but rather wait until the training camp / pre-season begins. Here are 4 options (in no particular order) for players that the Jets should take a look at, as the off-season winds down, to sign one of those unique and sometimes worth while PTO deals. Remember, these are technically all “hypothetical” options here, because even IF the Jets did sign one of these guys to PTOs, they still would have to prove themselves before actually making the Jets roster.

I know that Klingberg hasn’t had the best of seasons after leaving the Dallas Stars, but I feel he’s still worthy of being a viable NHL defender. Perhaps I’m just looking back and reminiscing what “prime Klingberg” was like with the Dallas Stars earlier in his career, but his offensive-minded play style would actually fit this Jets roster. The past 2 seasons Klingberg didn’t play too much, but if Klingberg gets a shot with the right team this season, he can prove that he can be the once great offensive defenceman that he was with the Stars not so long ago.

A player who I’m more surprised to see unsigned this summer is the Panthers’ winger from Belleville, Ontario. After playing for 5 different teams earlier in his career, Cousins seemed to find a good spot in the lineup with the Florida Panthers. Cousins played most of last season and about half of the playoff games during the Panthers Stanley Cup run, and he always seemed to understand his role as a bottom 6 forward. The Jets already have a few players that play a similar style to Cousins, but it wouldn’t hurt to see how Cousins could fit on say the Jets 4th line. Cousins is 31 years old, and could be a popular pick for a PTO if he remains unsigned the rest of this off-season.

This 34-year old winger from Spokane, Washington has remained underrated throughout his NHL career. Despite his size, this undrafted gem was quite incredible while playing for an elite Tampa Bay Lightning team. The last 3 seasons Johnson played on a rebuilding Blackhawks team, but still found ways to be fairly productive in a relatively important spot in the lineup. The Jets could use Johnson as an all-around utility player, who could add some scoring touch to the bottom 6, all while providing experience for any younger players who might crack the Jets roster this upcoming season.

A somewhat similar player to Johnson that I felt needed to be included on this list is this 34-year old Kitchener, Ontario resident. While Hoffman may no longer be a 25+ goal scorer like he was during his time with the Ottawa Senators and Florida Panthers, he still provides a very solid bottom 6 utility role. Hoffman has played on some not so good teams over the past 4 seasons, so I suspect that he would like to join a team that at least has playoff expectations for the 2024-25 season. With the right linemates, Hoffman could regain some of his old scoring touch, all while providing an overall two-way play style on the Jets bottom 6 forwards group.

I was considering including a goalie on this list, purely because I think it’s extra cool to see a goalie on a PTO, but the Jets are all but set in goal with Connor Hellebuyck, Kaapo Kahkonen and Eric Comrie. PTO deals are a great chance to see if a player can “revive” their career, and it wouldn’t be too surprising if the Jets signed at least 1 for the upcoming training camp and pre-season. Even if a player is signed to a PTO who has little to no chance at making the team, that player can still serve as valuable competition for younger players who are also competing for a roster spot with the Jets this upcoming season. PTO season is upon us, and it’ll be fun to see which players around the league will get this unique opportunity to try and stand out for their new teams before the 2024-25 season begins.