Chevy heavy with optimism

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This article was published 20/09/2023 (747 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

They might be headed toward the great unknown with much uncertainty swirling around several star players. But Winnipeg Jets general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff insists he’s focused on living in the moment when it comes to his hockey club as it enters a defining NHL season.

“It’s an interesting time right now,” he said Wednesday, while meeting with the media at the start of training camp. “We’ll see how it all plays out. That aside, I know those are all talking points and things that everyone is kind of concerned about, but at the end of the day we’re here to play the game and we’re here to win.”

It’s a point Cheveldayoff continued to hammer home throughout his 20-minute media availability.

No. 1 goaltender Connor Hellebuyck and top centre Mark Scheifele will be unrestricted free agents after this season, and there’s no indication long-term extensions for either are in the works.

A trade involving either of the two stars, or both, this past summer did not materialize.

Cheveldayoff said he continues to have talks with the players and their agents but there is no deadline in place.

“The finality of ‘Can you get an extension or can’t you get an extension?’ I think is still to be worked out,” he said. “But as far as the players’ commitment to Winnipeg here, everyone’s committed to playing here, everyone’s committed to winning here.”

Could it go all the way to the March 8 trade deadline, with Winnipeg’s proximity to a playoff spot playing a deciding role? Would they really go beyond that and risk losing one, or both, for nothing in return?

“I wouldn’t rule out anything at this point in time,” said Cheveldayoff. “And I hope we’re in that situation where those tough decisions have to be made. It is about winning.”

Forward Nino Niederreiter, defencemen Brenden Dillon and Dylan DeMelo and backup goaltender Laurent Brossoit are also in the final year of their deals.

“How we approach the future of this team, again, that will be looked at as we continue to move forward,” said Cheveldayoff. “The main focus that everyone should be concerned about here is we’re here to try and win.”

Jets coach Rick Bowness thinks the foggy futures of so many valuable skaters won’t be a distraction.

“Listen, they’re pros. They’re 30 years old. They’re not kids. They understand the business side of this game,” he said.

“(You) don’t ever take the business side out of this fantastic sport that we play out of the equation. But they’re pros and they’ve been around. They’ve seen other guys in these situations and we’re counting on them handling it like a pro. They’re Winnipeg Jets and we’re just going to leave it at that.”

Contract uncertainty aside, Cheveldayoff believes there is plenty to be excited about when it comes to the current makeup of the club and a clear “win now” mandate from management.

“That’s what this group, I think, is really going to be focused on,” he said.

“You have to make the playoffs first. That’s the single most important thing that everyone needs to keep in their mind. They need to play a certain way in order to earn that right. Once you get there, you have to pay the price, you have to do the things, you have to take it one step further to try and achieve your ultimate goal. We didn’t do that. I think everyone to a man knows that the process starts now.”

Cheveldayoff made a solid off-season move, turning a disgruntled Pierre-Luc Dubois — who wasn’t going to sign in Winnipeg long term — into three players (Gabe Vilardi, Alex Iafallo and Rasmus Kupari), which has given the Jets arguably its deepest forward group yet.

“With that, there’s lots of competition, which is good. You don’t know when injuries are going to happen, you don’t know how it’s all going to play out. You can’t look into your crystal ball and even think beyond today as far as how things might play out. I’m excited for that, I’m excited to see things play out in training camp,” said the GM.

Winnipeg started off strong last year and faded down the stretch, finishing the 2022-23 campaign with a 46-33-3 record. That was good for fourth place in the Central Division and enough to claim the second wildcard playoff spot. After beating the Vegas Golden Knights on the road in Game 1, the Jets lost four consecutive contests to the eventual Stanley Cup champions.

Cheveldayoff said he had no problem with Bowness calling out his players after the final game of the year, or for several of them pushing back publicly in the media.

“Emotions are running extremely high at that point in time, certainly right after a game where you’re eliminated. The level of disappointment really can’t be measured,” said Cheveldayoff.

“The moment that a player starts accepting that or starts not being upset or angry that they lost, then that person or player should start thinking about maybe a different profession. So I love the fact that there’s emotion from the coach, I love the fact that there’s emotion from the players.”

He hopes that emotion can now be channelled in a positive way at the start of this most important season, with new captain Adam Lowry leading by example.

“There’s that continuation for some guys to prove that they belong and the continuation for some of the veteran guys to show we didn’t get the job done last year that we wanted to and that we want to take those next steps,” said Cheveldayoff.

mike.mcintyre@freepress.mb.ca

X: @mikemcintyrewpg