15°c Light rain
WINNIPEG JETS
Record: 24 – 21 – 3
Winnipeg Free Press - PRINT EDITION
Chevy open to draft manoeuvres
Kevin Cheveldayoff
Related Items
WINNIPEG Jets GM Kevin Cheveldayoff said Monday he's open to moving his first-round pick in the June entry draft.
"One thing I will not do is mortgage the future but if I can accelerate the future, I will gladly do that," Cheveldayoff said on a season-ending radio program with the team's own broadcasters.
Winnipeg, heading into tonight's draft lottery, has the ninth pick in the June draft in Pittsburgh.
Cheveldayoff said also that he won't make a trade in the coming weeks just to make one, saying he wasn't simply a trade junkie.
The GM also said you won't hear excuses for the team's terrible start to its first season in Winnipeg -- 5-9-3 in the first 17 -- even though the club's exhibition schedule was discombobulated because of the relocation from Atlanta to Winnipeg. The Jets basically inherited Atlanta's travel-intense schedule.
"I'm not in the business of excuses," Cheveldayoff said. "And to Claude's (coach Claude Noel's) credit, no one ever used it as an excuse."
Cheveldayoff has promised that the 2012 exhibition schedule will be far more favourable to Winnipeg's geography.
Also asked Monday about the organization's overall depth this season, the GM wasn't sugar-coating anything.
"Adequate," Cheveldayoff said.
The GM said he didn't want to be caught being too positive on the matter since the team did not make the playoffs, but he did point out that for a stretch of the season, the club had $20 million out of its $52-million worth of salary out of the lineup with injuries.
"We stayed in it (the playoff race), though," he added.
As for next season, Cheveldayoff said AHL first-team all-star defenceman Paul Postma of the St. John's IceCaps has earned a chance for a serious look at cracking the lineup next fall.
"We were hoping to bring him up to play some games once we were mathematically out of the playoffs, but he was nursing an injury," Cheveldayoff said. "But our plan in the beginning was to let him go there and play a lot."
Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition April 10, 2012 D3
More Winnipeg Jets
- Back to Top
- Return to Winnipeg Jets
Poll
Most Popular Winnipeg Jets
- Ready for prime time
- Jets cut ties to ECHL club
- Jets sign defenceman
- Colts drop Game 7 in OHL final
- Winnipeg Jets among most expensive pro teams to watch
- Kane's days are numbered in 'Peg
- Buff just 'sitting around a lot' now
- Chevy's choice: Stick with Noel or pursue Vigneault
- Scheifele’s dominance makes Jets look wise
- Jets in recovery mode
- Ready for prime time
- Jets cut ties to ECHL club
- Winnipeg Jets among most expensive pro teams to watch
- Colts drop Game 7 in OHL final
- Scheifele’s dominance makes Jets look wise
- Chevy's choice: Stick with Noel or pursue Vigneault
- Kane's days are numbered in 'Peg
- Jets sign defenceman
- Jets have Olli on board
- The Great Canadian Hockey Quiz
- Enough of Buff: Get rid of him
- For first time, Jets GM Cheveldayoff is poised to put stamp on the franchise
- Chevy's choice: Stick with Noel or pursue Vigneault
- Young prospects will get every opportunity to stick with the big club: Cheveldayoff
- It's broke - Fix it
- Jets' playoff hopes dealt fatal blow
- This end-of-season scenario old, and Jets fans and players know it
- Win against Montreal Jets' last hope in playoff push
- Jets edge Sabres
- Caps just too much for Jets
- Enough of Buff: Get rid of him
- Winnipeg Jets among most expensive pro teams to watch
- It's broke - Fix it
- Summer could be a sizzler
- Chevy's choice: Stick with Noel or pursue Vigneault
- Saturday's game had it all -- what a blast
- Jets edge Sabres
- For first time, Jets GM Cheveldayoff is poised to put stamp on the franchise
- Current Jets tackle trivia test — and so can you
- Jets down two more key players
Ads by Google
You can comment on most stories on winnipegfreepress.com. You can also agree or disagree with other comments. All you need to do is register and/or login and you can join the conversation and give your feedback.
Have Your Say
New to commenting? Check out our Frequently Asked Questions.
The Winnipeg Free Press does not necessarily endorse any of the views posted. By submitting your comment, you agree to our Terms and Conditions. These terms were revised effective April 16, 2010.