Jets' Cheveldayoff remains calculated, but sees opportunity as deadline looms

BUFFALO - There were no victory laps or bold statements about pushing all of his collective chips into the centre of the table for an all-in bet.

No self-assured patting on the back or even a hint of an "I told you" directed at the crowd that wondered aloud why Winnipeg Jets general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff wasn’t able to make a bunch of trades involving core pieces last summer after a highly underwhelming season.

As Cheveldayoff spent more than 32 minutes providing his semi-annual state of the union question and answer session with three travelling reporters on Wednesday, he handled the exchange by following a recognizable playbook and one that kept most of his cards close to the proverbial vest.

There was plenty of praise offered to a group that has reached the midway point of the NHL season with a record of 26-14-1 and is battling for top spot in both the Central Division and the Western Conference.

There was also a not-so-subtle reminder that things are about to ramp up quickly, and that the toughest tests are still on the horizon, even if the Jets are getting closer to full health.

But if you were looking for breaking news about possible trade targets or updates on potential contract extensions, you’ve come to the wrong place.

Cheveldayoff quite simply doesn’t do his negotiating in the public spectrum and he’s not about to reveal his possible trade targets to the GMs he will be calling to try and make a deal with during the coming weeks.

That’s not how he operates.

When the topic of potentially having four key pieces - goalie Connor Hellebuyck, centres Mark Scheifele and Pierre-Luc Dubois and veteran right-winger Blake Wheeler - that could potentially become unrestricted free agents at the same time in the summer of 2024 was raised, Cheveldayoff didn’t bother getting swept away by the calls for more urgent actions when it comes to bolstering the roster for a potential run.

“I think you have to just seize the moment. You don’t know where the future is going to go on a lot of different fronts - the cap, contracts, injuries,” said Cheveldayoff. “But one thing about this game is when you have an opportunity, you should try and take it.

“Our focus right now is on the now. Behind the scenes, my staff and I are always looking at the future because as a general manager, you always have to kind of have panoramic vision, you can’t just solely be stuck on the moment right now. Again, there’s lots of things that go on in my world, behind the scenes. But in the front office, in the front of the store here, it’s business as usual and let’s get the job done.”

As the conversation continued, Cheveldayoff did provide a reminder that when the Jets found themselves in similar positions during season’s past, they weren’t afraid to go out and make moves they felt improved the hockey club.

That doesn’t mean the Jets will be shopping in the high-rent district, nor does it mean they’ll be limited to the discount or bargain-basement aisle either.

“The hard part sitting here right now, first and foremost you have to be in that position to do it,” said Cheveldayoff. “I’m hesitant to say things, do things, make proclamations because we’ve done nothing yet. We’re at Game 41 here and there’s a lot of work ahead of us. One thing, we’ve not been afraid to spend money. We’ve not been afraid to spend draft capital. We haven’t had to spend prospect capital.

“But you take a look, if you’re fortunate enough to be in that situation where you think there’s pieces you can add or want to add and are able to add, you look seriously at it. We’ll start our series of meetings here next week on the amateur side, we’ll get through that on the pro side. It’s that time of the year for all teams. You’ll be prepared, but you won’t know what you’re going to be prepared for yet.” 

The Jets have both the prospects and draft pick capital available to them to be shopping in whatever aisle they choose.

The more difficult decision comes down to striking that balance between being cognizant of how teams that have enjoyed some recent success handled the trade deadline, while also identifying why or why not those types of moves might be worth making.

One change from recent years is that the Jets should have a bit more salary cap space to work with, since they’re not currently one of the 17 teams that are in long term injured reserve.

“Certainly, it makes life easier when you’re accruing cap space as opposed to when you have a defined number in LTI. We’re fortunate in that regard,” said Cheveldayoff, whose club currently projects to have the ability to accrue enough space to add up to nearly $7.4 million in AAV as of the Mar. 3 deadline. “We got very close to having to get into LTI when we had the various (seven) guys out. It just gives you different options, but we will see how things play out.” 

The biggest change the Jets made this past offseason was hiring Rick Bowness after a lengthy and exhaustive head coaching search that featured several twists and turns before the final decision was made.

The impact of Bowness and his coaching staff is undeniable and Cheveldayoff joined the chorus of those heaping praise his way.

“Well it’s not shocking to me. One thing Rick is is he’s very authentic,” said Cheveldayoff. “When you do your due diligence and talk to different people about him, what you see is what you get. He’s a very positive person, a very intense person. He communicates well, has a passion for the game that he wears on his sleeve.

“Heck, he’s been behind the bench for 2,600 games in the National Hockey League. It’s just putting that into perspective, and what he’s learned along the way. Yet the first thing he’ll say coming out of his mouth is he’s still got to grow, he’s still got to get better. That’s what drives him. We also had a group of players that wanted to have a guy that would hold them accountable. And was going to be direct with them and honest, all those sorts of things.”

That direct approach has allowed a number of Jets players to get off to outstanding individual starts, including star performances from the likes of goalie Connor Hellebuyck, sniper Kyle Connor, Dubois, Scheifele and defenceman Josh Morrissey.

“I do believe elite athletes always have more to give,” said Chevelayoff. “You talk about these players that achieve greatness, it’s about pushing themselves. It’s about the right buttons being pushed.”

Cheveldayoff also recognized the contributions Wheeler has made both on and off the ice throughout the first half after he was stripped of the captaincy one week prior to training camp.

“He’s been just an unbelievable pro and an unbelievable person,” said Cheveldayoff. “We are not in this situation right now if it’s not for his leadership.”

Whether or not the Jets can keep up this pace during the second half remains to be seen, but they’ve set the foundation for what figures to be a highly-entertaining 41 games - the next one coming on Thursday against the high-scoring Buffalo Sabres.

The other interesting thing about the NHL so far this season is that the Boston Bruins are the only team that’s managed to create significant separation at the top of the standings.

Although the reigning Stanley Cup champion Colorado Avalanche reside in the Western Conference and figure to be a factor before all is said and done, they’ve endured a number of injuries and currently sit just below the playoff line.

The Jets are battling tooth and nail with the Dallas Stars, Vegas Golden Knights, Los Angeles Kings and several other squads trying to push into the upper echelon.

In short, the West looks more wide open than it has in recent years - which could end up being another reason the Jets end up trying to go for it.

“Pushing everyone else aside and all that other noise, I think that mindset has always been there,” said Cheveldayoff. “This group, and what we talked about when we left Banff (was) ‘what are we capable of?’ Let’s keep the outside noise outside and let’s care for each other and play for each other and let’s see what we’re capable of.”