Andrew Ladd trade with Blackhawks about development, Jets blogger says

A Winnipeg hockey blogger says Thursday's trade could indicate the Winnipeg Jets are rebuilding their team.

Andrew Ladd was traded to the Chicago Blackhawks prior to the Jets snapping a four-game winless streak with a 6-3 win over the Dallas Stars on Thursday.

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In return the Jets are getting Chicago forward Marko Dano as well as Chicago's first-round pick in the 2016 NHL draft and a conditional pick in the league's 2018 draft.

"If this all comes together the way they're talking, we could have a pretty strong team in the next couple of years," Hockey Blog in Canada writer Trevor Alexander said. "The Jets have always been about that development."

Though Manitobans might feel attached to the first captain of the Jets 2.0, Ladd's departure from Winnipeg doesn't mean there will be empty seats.

"Ultimately, winning will put bums in seats, and if they win, congratulations to the Jets, obviously, and we want to see them do well. If they lose, it's a tough sales point for the marketing team to try to get people to come back," Alexander said.

Ladd — who got 110 goals in 348 games — will only make the Blackhawks stronger, he said. 

"For Chicago, they've pretty much anted up and said, 'We're going to make a run for it. This is our run for the playoffs. Here's the guy we want. Now everybody else has to match us,'" he said.

The Winnipeg team is gaining a talented Joel Armia-type player who played in three World Championships, Alexander said.

"A lot of raw talent, extremely talented when he has the puck. Just needs to put it together now," he said. "Marko Dano is nothing to sort of sneeze at."