Cheveldayoff says Jets have plenty of runway to cover yet
Winnipeg GM happy with results, but sees work still to be done to reach goal
If you expected Kevin Cheveldayoff to make headlines or bold proclamations during his annual close-to-the-midpoint of the season state of the union address, you haven’t been paying attention.
The general manager of the Winnipeg Jets spent nearly 18 minutes with a pair of travelling newspaper beat writers to discuss his team, and Cheveldayoff kept the shock waves to a minimum while addressing a number of topics — including whether he might have to deal with the prospect of an offer sheet this summer.
It’s been a topic of conversation this week because Toronto Maple Leafs GM Kyle Dubas made it clear in interviews he was ready to combat anything that could surface.
Not surprisingly, Cheveldayoff shared the same sentiment when the subject was broached.
“You know the rules of the CBA very well and certainly, it’s a tool that’s within the CBA and you plan accordingly,” said Cheveldayoff, whose club continues a three-game road trip with a game against the San Jose Sharks on Thursday. “From our standpoint, we’re proceeding as business as usual. From a perspective of making sure you’re in good shape to match anything, you always do your due diligence, so you’re in good shape to do that.”
Cheveldayoff got through the potential salary cap landmines last summer, but there are further challenges ahead, as it pertains to checks and balances.
The Jets have a lot of business to get done between now and training camp next fall, as the crop of restricted free agents includes defencemen Jacob Trouba and Joe Morrow, forwards Patrik Laine, Kyle Connor and Andrew Copp, and backup goalie Laurent Brossoit.
You can be certain all of those players would be looking for raises — and some of the substantial variety.
As for the unrestricted free agents, defencemen Tyler Myers and Ben Chiarot and forward Brandon Tanev all fall under that category.
With a projected salary cap of US$83 million, Cheveldayoff could look to strike a deal or two before the season is over, but the bulk of the heavy lifting is expected to take place during the off-season.
“Certainly, the business side of the game never stops. There’s always different things you’re taking into account,” said Cheveldayoff. “With respect to negotiations, we’ve never really got into it with any player that we’ve had over the course of the different years, with (regards) to talking about where things are at. At the end of the day, when there are announcements to be made, we make them. And the work that’s being done remains behind the scenes.”
One pre-emptive strike Cheveldayoff took care of last year was signing Jets captain Blake Wheeler to a five-year contract extension that kicks in next fall.
That eliminated any uncertainty regarding Wheeler‘s future going into this season — an important move when you consider the cloud that seemed to hang over the Jets a few years ago when Andrew Ladd was playing out the final season of his deal.
All Wheeler has done this year is put up five goals and 39 assists for 44 points in 34 games — leaving him on pace to eclipse the 91 points he produced to set a career high last season.
“Well, I guarantee you the tone of the question would be a lot different if we didn’t have him signed. Your question would be much different than what you just asked me with respect to him,” Cheveldayoff said. “We were excited the day we signed him, and we’re even more excited now. Obviously, he’s the leader of this team, he’s the captain of this team. His on-ice play speaks for itself. His off-ice leadership is something we get the benefit of seeing. How he’s helped this team to drive itself, and there’s one thing that he wants more than anything and that’s to win a championship. That certainly rubs off on the group.”
Another league-wide issue generating some buzz again this season is the thought that the NHL should abandon its divisional playoff format and go back to seeding teams one through eight.
Just last season, the second-ranked Jets met the topranked Nashville Predators in the second round of the playoffs in a series that lived up to the advance billing, going the distance.
Would Cheveldayoff like to see things go back to the way they once were?
“It’s something that I think I’m comfortable with the way the format is right now,” said Cheveldayoff. “For me, I’m more focused on making the playoffs. There are challenges that go into it. Going back to one of the original comments I made about why do you play the 82 games, it’s tough to make the playoffs. It’s tough to win and really tough to make the playoffs. So certainly that’s what the format we have right now underscores.”
Coming off a trip to the Western Conference final and returning the majority of the core pieces, the Jets entered the season with higher expectations than in any previous season.
As they approach the midway point of the season, the Jets have managed to remain among the ranks of legitimate Stanley Cup contenders and are battling for top spot in the West.
Through 34 games, the Jets are on pace to surpass the franchise record for both wins (52) and points (114) — though the road ahead isn’t about to get easier.
“Internally, the guys have done a good job of just focusing on the day-to-day challenges. There have been a lot of them,” said Cheveldayoff. “In some ways, it’s hard to believe that (34) games have passed and in some ways, you realize there’s still lots of real estate ahead of us.
“We have to make the playoffs and you have to approach each and every game with that mentality.”