Handshakes and bodyCzechs: Chevy brings back Burmi, feels pain of losing Frolik

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This article was published 02/07/2015 (3781 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

One of their integral forwards walked away and another who abandoned them has walked back in.

That was the mixed-bag day the opening of NHL free agency provided for the Winnipeg Jets.

Right-winger Michael Frolik, the versatile and productive salve for so many Jets’ problems at forward, wound up an unrestricted free agent on Wednesday and it didn’t take long for him to land a five-year, $21.5-million contract with the Calgary Flames.

He made $3.3 million with the Jets last season.

Jets GM Kevin Cheveldayoff tried the philosophical route with his commentary on the matter but seemed none too pleased he was unable to keep Frolik in the fold in Winnipeg.

Eventually, Cheveldayoff sold the result of the day as an opportunity for 23-year-old Alexander Burmistrov, who left the Jets when his entry-level deal was complete in 2013, mainly because he didn’t like then-coach Claude Noel.

Burmistrov, the organization’s first-round pick of 2010, played two years in the KHL in Kazan and returns on a deal that pays him $1.5 million and $1.6 million in the next two seasons.

“I don’t think he really ever wanted to leave the NHL,” Cheveldayoff said. “So what happened in the past happened in the past. We’re two more years mature as an organization and he’s two more years mature as a player.

“Obviously Paul Maurice’s experience in coaching at the international level is only going to benefit this process.”

Maurice had coached in Russia before he came to the Jets and the NHL team continues to make much of a conversation Maurice had with Burmistrov more than a year ago when the two were at the world championship.

The GM was full of compliments for Burmistrov on Wednesday.

“One thing Alex always was was an extremely responsible defensive player, really good on the penalty kill, can really jump into the play, good speed,” Cheveldayoff said. “And he was a little more physical than what people gave him credit for.

“He’s coming in here as an established professional hockey player that has a very, very good pedigree. There’s room for us to continue to grow with him.”

Cheveldayoff is rarely off message and did say Wednesday he didn’t want to give details of how Frolik got away.

Surprisingly, he struggled for a word to characterize what happened, then just moved on in this statement: “I’m not going to give you the intimate details of our negotiations but our offer was very, very good in our minds. We felt it was an offer that was very competitive in respect to what he took, if not in some ways… At the end of the day, the players have the choice to do what they choose to do.

“We wish him all the best. He was a good player for the Jets and we’re excited about bringing in Drew Stafford and we’re excited about bringing in Alex Burmistrov and Adam Pardy’s back in the fold and Matt Halischuk is as well and there may be some opportunity for other things.”

The Jets returned Stafford to their roster on Tuesday, getting a two-year deal done at $8.7 million for the Minnesota native acquired last February in the major deal with Buffalo.

On Wednesday, Winnipeg also returned utility forward Halischuk on a two-way deal with $750,000 for the NHL end, and defenceman Pardy on a one-way, $1-million contract.

Pardy’s signing gives the Jets nine defencemen on one-way contracts, plus top prospect Josh Morrissey and restricted free agent Paul Postma.

Cheveldayoff said blue-liner Grant Clitsome, who missed the second half of last season with his second back surgery, remained a question mark going forward.

The team had three other forwards go to unrestricted free agent status — Jim Slater, Lee Stempniak and Jiri Tlusty — and the GM said he had conversations with none of them or their camps on Wednesday.

“We’re going to take a look around, whether it’s internal or external options,” Cheveldayoff said. “I wouldn’t close the door on anybody but I wouldn’t say anything is imminent.”

On his bigger picture as of Wednesday, Cheveldayoff was clearly promoting the idea the team’s future improvement may well come from its youth and its prospects.

With Burmistrov and Stafford back in the fold, there appear to be at least two openings — maybe more — among the forward group this fall.

“There’s not as many holes as are perceived,” Cheveldayoff said. “I think everyone’s looking for all these flurries of signings on July 1. The fact of the matter is the more stable you are as an organization, the less that you have to maybe jump out and react and the better you feel maybe about some of the younger guys you have coming.

“There are lots of guys three, four, five years ago were the exciting news of today that maybe now are … getting bought out. Those are the type of things where you have to take a step back. The decision that you make today affects you one, two, three, five years from now.”

tim.campbell@freepress.mb.ca