This weekend you might be watching curling, skiing, and the women’s hockey tournament in Milan, but Jets general manager Kevin Chevy Cheveldayoff will be busy working the phones. The Winnipeg outfit he has assembled just isn’t good enough to compete despite many of the pieces being part of a Presidents’ Trophy run last year. Wednesday’s blowout loss at the Canada Life Centre all but sealed the team’s fate to golfing in May instead of competing to hoist Lord Stanley’s Chalice. Chevy has been quiet on the roster management front but the hockey media certainly hasn’t.
Some Choices Are Easier Than Others
With Artemi Panarin off the table and settling in with the Los Angeles Kings, general managers around the league can start looking for more role pieces to fill holes in their rosters instead of shopping for splash trades. According to The Athletic's big trade board, Luke Schenn sits atop the Jets’ available players. A coveted right-shot defenceman, Schenn will be an unrestricted free agent this year with a cap hit of $2.75M this season. He brings a veteran presence and size to the blue line, but his liability in the defensive zone this year means Chevy needs to move him on.
Next up is Logan Stanley. This is a tougher one for Jetsland to swallow given how long he’s been with the organization and his potential that seems to finally be coming to fruition. But realistically, Stanley is a third-pair defenceman whose value has never been higher. With 9 goals and a very affordable $775,000 cap hit in the final year of his deal, Stanley is in for a big pay day soon. That pay day should not come from the Winnipeg Jets. If Chevy wants to turn this team around quickly he’s got to get some return for Stanley now.
Another unrestricted free agent this coming offseason is Gus Nyquist. While he adds some speed to the lineup, he isn’t a strong finisher and doesn’t have a goal to his name yet this season. Head coach Scott Arniel has tried to use him in different ways to get a spark in the last month, including the first line, fourth line, and the power play and it hasn't panned out. Demand may not be very high for his $3.25M contract but Chevy should be looking at any option to get are least some draft capital back for him.
One Of The Tough Decisions Is On Jonathan Toews
The hometown kid. The 3 time Stanley Cup champion. The aging superstar looking for one more chance to make a run. Jonathan Toews has been a good soldier for the Jets this season. The expectation was he would add some veteran leadership and cup winning experience to a team that needed something to push them beyond the second round. Despite an impressive run after the holidays, including a 4 game goal streak, Toews has not contributed at the level he, the front office, nor the fans expected. At times he’s looked off the pace. In Dallas last week he drew two hooking penalties as he was just getting beaten by faster skaters. Elliotte Friedman brought up the thought of an extension for the veteran in Winnipeg. It would not be surprising to see Toews in the NHL next year. Should that be in a Jets uniform? Chevy should see if there’s a market but there likely won’t be a lot of demand given his season so far. With some rest it’s likely he’ll have another burst of good games but it hasn’t proven to be sustainable with the congested nature of this year’s schedule. If there’s no interest, another year with the Jets shouldn’t be off the table but his role needs to be more defined and in the bottom six.
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