WINNIPEG — Kevin Cheveldayoff figures to be a popular guy in the days leading up to the 2023 NHL Draft in Nashville.
The general manager of the Winnipeg Jets has some high-end assets that might be available for the right price for inquiring teams.
You can be sure Cheveldayoff has already been fielding calls and listening to offers on multiple core pieces that could potentially be on the move.
These aren’t players on the periphery of the roster either; many of them are foundational pillars.
It’s true that 2022 was also expected to be the summer of Cheveldayoff, though that didn’t materialize and the biggest move he ultimately made was bringing Rick Bowness in as the new head coach, rather than implementing a massive overhaul of the roster.
The 2022-23 Jets went through a tale of two seasons that ended abruptly, falling in five games to the Vegas Golden Knights in the opening round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, setting the stage for what figures to be an intriguing off-season.
So, why will things be different for the Jets this time around?
Well, it’s more a matter of logistics that has become the driving force for Cheveldayoff to resist the urge to run it back in what will be his 13th season as the GM.
Goalie Connor Hellebuyck, centre Mark Scheifele, right winger Blake Wheeler, trade-deadline acquisition Nino Niederreiter and defencemen Brenden Dillon and Dylan DeMelo are among the players who can become unrestricted free agents in the summer of 2024.
The saga surrounding centre Pierre-Luc Dubois is nearing its conclusion and the pending restricted free agent is expected to be on the move in the coming days, bringing an end to his tenure after three seasons in the fold.
The future of Dubois has generated plenty of headlines over the past calendar year and not just because of the players he was traded for in 2016 second-overall pick Patrik Laine and 2015 first-rounder Jack Roslovic.
Whether Dubois is going to be acquired by the Montreal Canadiens, end up with the Los Angeles Kings or make his way to a mystery suitor (likely in the Eastern Conference) remains to be seen.
What seems obvious is that Dubois has played his final game with the Jets and the pressure is on Cheveldayoff to extract value from the team he ends up with.
Hellebuyck figures to be the grand prize in what will likely be a captivating goalie market, but trying to work out a suitable return has to be a top priority for Cheveldayoff and the Jets.
The Jets don’t have an obvious successor among the netminders in the system, which heightens the importance of getting the deals done over the next week or so, unless the Jets plan to fill the void in free agency.
Or unless Cheveldayoff decides to start the season with Hellebuyck in the fold with his $6.17-million AAV and attempts to simply buy additional time to convince him to stick around on a massive extension.
Hellebuyck said he was in no rush to make a decision on his future during the Jets year-end availability and it’s unclear if he’d like to play out his contract, seek a trade to a contender as a rental or is ready to think about and ultimately lock down a lucrative, long-term contract with a team willing to deal for him.
That’s what helps add to the suspense when it comes to the question of just how drastic the changes the Jets make might actually be.
The Jets have one pick in the first round, at 18th overall, and five in total, so you can be sure they’d love to add another one in the first round and potentially replace the second-rounder that was dealt to the Washington Capitals in the deal for Dillon in summer 2021.
DRAFT PICKS
Jets pick in first round, third round, twice in fifth round and once in the seventh round.
POTENTIAL ROUND 1 OPTIONS
A skilled forward is the most likely outcome here, unless one of the talented D-men ends up dropping for some unforeseen reason.
For the sake of context, during six drafts dating back to 2017, the Jets have chosen eight forwards and four blue-liners in the first two rounds.
Although the Jets say they don’t choose by passport — a phrase that has been uttered multiple times — they’ve picked four Swedes, three Americans, three Finns, one Russian and Canadian Cole Perfetti during that span.
Given the expected departure of Dubois and potentially Scheifele, one would expect the Jets to be looking closely at centres, but that ignores the uncertainty about the roster two to three weeks from now.
So, if there’s a blue-liner who catches the Jets’ attention or they feel strongly about one of the goalie prospects available, they won’t shy away from going in that direction.
The Jets haven’t been afraid to either go off the board in some of the mock drafts by pundits (Scheifele) while also moving quickly to snap up a player who slips further than most folks expect (Perfetti, Chaz Lucius and Kyle Connor, to name a few).
With all of those factors in mind, Brandon Wheat Kings centre Nate Danielson figures to be a player of interest, if he’s still on the board.
The 18-year-old from Red Deer, Alta., is listed at six-foot-two and 187 pounds, plays a diligent game and was used in all situations by the Wheat Kings, producing 33 goals and 78 points in 68 games in the WHL last season while serving as a co-captain.
Winnipeg Ice forward Zach Benson is coming off a fantastic season, delivering 36 goals and 99 points in 68 regular season games before adding seven goals and 17 points in 15 points during a run to the WHL final.
The Jets haven’t been shy about selecting players from the U.S. National Development Team Program, so centre Oliver Moore could be on the radar, as someone who is a high-end skater and is heading to the University of Minnesota Golden Gophers program this fall.
Centre Otto Stenberg, the captain for Team Sweden at the Under-18 World Championship, is generating plenty of buzz and might not be available at 18, though his well-rounded game and relentless compete level are qualities that carry plenty of appeal.
University of Connecticut forward Matthew Wood (six-foot-four, 193 pounds) looks like a riser after recording 45 goals and 85 points in 46 games in the BCHL as a 16-year-old before he was a point per game player as a freshman last season in the NCAA.
When it comes to a D-man who could potentially be available if he drops unexpectedly, perhaps Tom Willander of Sweden, is there to help bolster the right-side depth in the organization along with 2022 second-rounder (and fellow countryman) Elias Salomonsson.
Willander recently made the decision to join the Boston University Terriers program instead of playing for Rogle of the Swedish Hockey League and is known as a smooth-skating puck-mover with excellent hockey sense.
If the Jets are able to secure a pick later in the first round, targets could include University of Michigan winger Gavin Brindley, Swedish forward David Edstrom or London Knights defenceman Oliver Bonk.
LAST YEAR’S FIRST PICKS
The Jets had two first-rounders in the 2022 NHL Draft in Montreal and they brought a pair of forwards into the system.
At 14th overall, Rutger McGroarty is coming off a solid season with the University of Michigan Wolverines, putting up 18 goals and 39 points in 39 games to go along with a goal and seven points in seven games with Team USA during the World Junior Hockey Championship.
The power forward is heading back to school to spend his sophomore season with the Wolverines, but he will eventually bring a skill set that isn’t plentiful in the Jets organization.
At 30th overall, the Jets added dynamic Finnish forward Brad Lambert, who had a strong first NHL training camp with the Jets, started the season with the Manitoba Moose of the American Hockey League and then flourished in the Western Hockey League as a member of the Seattle Thunderbirds.
While playing against his peers at the junior level, Lambert racked up 17 goals and 38 points in 27 games during the regular season before adding six goals and 26 points in 17 playoff games as the Thunderbirds captured the WHL title and earned a trip to the Memorial Cup – where they lost in the championship final to the Quebec Remparts.
The interesting thing for Lambert was that he shifted from wing to his natural position of centre with the Thunderbirds.
It’s a massive summer ahead for Lambert, who is likely to need additional seasoning in the minors with the Moose, where the Jets will likely see if he can succeed in the middle at the professional level.
ONE BOLD PREDICTION FOR THE DRAFT
The Jets won’t be limited to the 18th-overall selection and will make multiple picks on Day 1 after completing at least one trade of a core piece.
Since colleague Eric Engels already used his bold prediction on the Montreal Canadiens acquiring Dubois from the Jets, my focus shifts to Cheveldayoff making a move to pick up defenceman Colton Parayko from the St. Louis Blues to skate on a pairing alongside Josh Morrissey.