Things are about to get heavy for Jets’ Chevy

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 06/04/2017 (3339 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Coming soon is the Summer of Chevy.

As many Winnipeg Jets fans and media are clamouring for a significant upgrade in goaltending and, to a lesser extent on defence, it seems to be on general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff’s shoulders to move out of his comfort zone.

Operating in a draft-and-develop mode for the majority of his almost seven years on the job has been kind to Chevy so far. However, no Jets player is likely to throw a teammate’s tracksuit into the shower, as in the Evander Kane episode that forced Cheveldayoff to finally trade him. The Jets GM needs to take the confidence he got from that move and turn reactive into proactive.

It’s time to make some moves — and not just because a lot of people are asking for it.

There are reasons for it. I touched on a big one a couple of weeks ago and Free Press columnist Paul Wiecek dug deeper into the salary demands (and more) that are coming soon from the Jets’ young guns.

The older core will be aging as the Jets’ young-gunners are cashing in, so Cheveldayoff needs to take advantage of their extraordinarily high production while they are cheap.

So how does he get there and what happens if it doesn’t work?

The Jets haven’t been active traders in the current 30-team mix, and I’d hate to hinge my hopes on that happening later this summer.

Teams often look to unrestricted free agency to grab players that come at no cost — beyond salary — to the organization.

I hear a lot of people lamenting the Jets will never attract good UFA’s because of the weather — I heartedly disagree with “never.”

Players such as Dustin Byfuglien and Mathieu Perreault (he initially signed as a UFA) say a lot about Winnipeg by signing extensions to contracts. At this point, however, opposing players may take notice, but it’s not enough to get a large group of them interested.

Build a team that everyone thinks is a winner, through management, coaching and players, and they will come. Not everyone will accept a trade when they can block it, but more options will be there for management to consider.

The best way to get there this off-season is by having the Jets make their moves before the unrestricted hunt starts. The expansion draft that will fill the Las Vegas Golden Knights roster provides that opportunity. Cheveldayoff should be totally committed to addressing the Jets’ needs here — it’s an opportunity that doesn’t present itself often.

Golden Knights’ general manager George McPhee has already said it’ll be an auction for any unprotected player on any team. While each team can only lose one player to Vegas, players are obviously valued differently by clubs.

While I don’t suggest the Jets start trading first-round picks, being bold is something that is needed.

Toronto Maple Leafs GM Lou Lamoriello stuck his neck out last summer when he gave up a first-round pick (30th overall from Pittsburgh in the Phil Kessel trade) and a second-rounder to get Frederik Andersen from the Anaheim Ducks, who had been sharing the net with a younger John Gibson.

Lamoriello said the price he paid was secondary due to the calibre of the goaltender he received in return.

I liked Connor Hellebuyck a lot, both in style and statistics as he moved up to the NHL. I saw enough last year to think he could be a decent No. 1 this year. I was wrong, but I’m not giving up on him. He turns just 24 in May.

Still, if I’m a GM who understands it’s time to win, I’m looking for something less than Anderson but someone who has a chance to put Hellebuyck in the backup spot for a while, at the very least. I first look to those unprotected expansion lists to get my guy.

Meanwhile, without significant wheeling and dealing, it’s likely that some good defencemen will be available in the Vegas auction, some who would be second-pairing players on many teams.

With Tobias Enstrom and Tyler Myers coming off injuries it would be prudent to grab a defenceman from Vegas, as well.

Cheveldayoff could get really creative with Vegas — he’ll also be talking to them in an attempt to keep McPhee from selecting players he doesn’t want to lose off his unprotected list.

Protection of his assets is certainly a priority, but looking to add at least one quality upgrade should be on the table at all times.

Moving forward from that, let’s play a game of what if?

What if Cheveldayoff goes out and fills some holes with a few aggressive moves and next year’s team doesn’t make the playoffs? What if the moves aren’t aggressive and he makes a couple of mediocre additions and the team — again — watches the post-season from the sidelines?

What if Cheveldayoff and head coach Paul Maurice are sitting on two- or three-year contract extensions in either situation — how would you feel at that point? Owner Mark Chipman is not known for paying people not to work.

Should things go badly next year, would Chipman decide he needed to hire someone to head up hockey operations and stand back from that side of it?

Lots of questions, and there are no guarantees out there.

It does suggest those contract extensions that are coming, whether we like them or not, should be for just a year.

There’s no reason for Chipman to shackle himself to deals that are not needed. The future is bright, but it’s unsure.

Chosen ninth overall by the NHL’s St. Louis Blues and first overall by the WHA’s Houston Aeros in 1977, Scott Campbell has now been drafted by the Winnipeg Free Press to play a new style of game.

Twitter: @NHL_Campbell