An NHL Draft day like no other

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 04/10/2020 (1446 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The Winnipeg Jets are poised to welcome a high-end prospect into the fold, one who could become a future franchise player for years to come.

Just don’t expect the process of making the 10th-overall pick in the NHL draft Tuesday to look, sound or feel like anything you’ve experienced before

There will be no podium to walk up to and make a grand announcement before a sold-out arena crowd; just a microphone on a laptop computer from a basement bunker.

Rather than the usual on-stage handshakes, jersey presentation and photo-op, a congratulatory Zoom call will have to suffice.

And the mingling and casual conversations with colleagues that can lay the groundwork for future deals will instead be replaced by cellphone banter and text messages.

“It’s an exciting time to look at the board and see a top-10 pick knowing we feel, at least, that there’s a real good player there in that top 10. I think there’s a possibility that it could have multiple different combinations ahead of us.”
– Winnipeg Jets GM Kevin Cheveldayoff

Such is the nature of the NHL’s first-ever virtual draft in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. The first round of 31 selections begins at 6 p.m. CT, and concludes Wednesday with rounds two through seven. 

“The most important person might be the IT person for us,” Jets general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff joked Monday during a video conference with media. 

Still, the unique format hasn’t numbed the anticipation that comes with the annual event, especially for a Jets team that has made plenty of hay over the years in this particular area

“It’s an exciting time to look at the board and see a top-10 pick knowing we feel, at least, that there’s a real good player there in that top 10. I think there’s a possibility that it could have multiple different combinations ahead of us,” said Cheveldayoff, who wasn’t tipping his hand as to which player he has his eye on. 

“We’re going to stick to our philosophy of certainly in the first round here of drafting the best player available. If you don’t do that, I think you can really make some mistakes in that avenue. That being said, as the later rounds of the draft do occur, the spread between the players is something that you kind of need to discuss slightly before your pick.”

“We’re going to stick to our philosophy of certainly in the first round here of drafting the best player available.”
– Kevin Cheveldayoff

Indeed, how the nine picks that come before Winnipeg’s play out will likely factor into their selection in what’s seen as a very deep draft.

It’s just one part of what could be an extremely newsworthy week around here, especially with plenty of trade rumours swirling around winger Patrik Laine, which Cheveldayoff declined to comment on directly. 

Then comes the start of free agency on Friday. The Jets are expected to be active as they try to shore up both their blue line and centre positions.

“We had two organizational situations that had a big impact. Obviously Dustin Byfuglien on the eve of training camp, we had a two-year deal, and all our planning and prognostications were dealing with having him for this coming season as well. So obviously that created a hole that, until you get into this period of time, the summertime or off-season, that you truly can’t try to address, so that’s an area we’re looking to address,” said Cheveldayoff.

“And then obviously, waiting to get a full understanding of where things are at with Bryan (Little). So certainly the centre position is equally important. We have an opportunity to take a look and see if there’s matches out there, whether it’s through the trade market or free agency, and we’re actively looking and planning to be in both of those markets if possible.”

Byfuglien, of course, ended up sitting out the 2019-20 season and then terminated the rest of his contract, which now frees up his US$7.6-million cap hit to be spent elsewhere. And Little suffered head and ear injuries in November that proved to be season-ending and now threaten his career. He would be placed on long-term injured reserve if he can’t continue, opening up his US$5.291-million cap hit. 

“We’re scheduled to have some conversations here soon. I know he’s been looking at different situations but I do not have an update sitting here now,” Cheveldayoff said of Little.

The salary cap is projected to remain flat at US$81.5 million next season, and Cheveldayoff said he expects the Jets to spend to, or near, the ceiling as they have in the past couple seasons. Some of that could be on their own free agents, with players such as defencemen Dylan DeMelo, Nathan Beaulieu and Dmitry Kulikov and forward Cody Eakin set to hit the open market on Friday.

“We would like to bring some (back). Ultimately, you’d love to have the ability to bring everybody that you wanted in, but we’ve had conversations with all our UFAs’ agents at various different degrees and levels and we’ll continue to have those discussions with them as we move forward here. But we’re hopeful that we’ve got an opportunity to bring some of them back,” said Cheveldayoff. 

“You’re trying to add some pieces in here that will give you a good opportunity to move forward. I think we have a real strong core. You look at the talent we do have on the top end of our forward group, it’s very strong. You look at our goaltending situation, obviously it’s very strong.” 

 

mike.mcintyre@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @mikemcintyrewpg