Time running out for Chevy to salvage Jets’ season

OTTAWA — Kevin Cheveldayoff finds himself squarely between a rock and a hard place in his quest for a life preserver.

The general manager of the Winnipeg Jets isn’t necessarily on borrowed time, but he fully understands time is of the essence for the team he assembled for the 2025-26 season.

As the Jets prepare to face the Ottawa Senators on Saturday to close out a three-game road trip, they’ve dropped eight consecutive games (0-5-3) and reside in the basement of the NHL in points and points percentage.

In one calendar year, the Jets have gone from the cream of the crop to dead last among the 32 teams.

This isn’t about pointing the finger at one person in the search for someone to blame for this confusing development, but as the chief architect of the franchise, Cheveldayoff recognizes his role and responsibilities in the rapid decline for a hockey team that entered the current season as a legitimate Western Conference contender.

That’s why action must be taken.

After capturing the first Presidents’ Trophy in franchise history and putting together the best record in 14 seasons, expectations were sky high and when training camp opened in September, players openly discussed the importance of taking the next step as an organization and finding a way to push forward after dealing with the disappointment of a second-round exit at the hands of the Dallas Stars.

Lessons were supposed to be learned and progress was expected to be made, but after coming out of the gate with a 9-3 record, the Jets have dropped precipitously, winning six of the past 27 games (and one of the past 11).

Instead of competing for another Central Division title, the Jets aren’t even in the same area code as the Colorado Avalanche, Dallas Stars or Minnesota Wild.

Entering Friday’s action, the Jets were seven points out of a playoff spot and would need to leapfrog seven teams to sneak into the second wild-card spot.

Considering how the Jets have found new ways to lose in tight games during a stretch where they’ve lost eight games by a total of nine goals, it’s hard to envision a scenario in which Winnipeg can morph into the Buffalo Sabres and rattle off 10 consecutive victories to get themselves back into the race.

As the Jets quickly approach the midway point of the season, Cheveldayoff is left to ponder his next move — or more likely, series of moves.

Reversing course and punting on the season would be an unexpected U-turn for the Jets, but being the oldest team in the league hasn’t brought the desired results.

That doesn’t mean a fire sale is on the horizon, but efforts must be made to change the mix of this group during the coming days and weeks.

We’re not just talking about waiving an underperforming veteran or trading someone on the periphery of the roster either.

Something bolder is required.

No, this doesn’t mean moving one of the core 4 of Connor Hellebuyck, Mark Scheifele, Josh Morrissey or Kyle Connor.

That’s not going to make the Jets a better team in either the short or long term.

Jets captain Adam Lowry is also in the no-fly zone after signing his extension recently.

Cheveldayoff has a long history of being patient and he’s used that quality to make deals that often worked out well, such as the one for Gabe Vilardi, who scored his 18th goal in Thursday’s 6-5 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Vilardi has blossomed into a top-line right-winger after being used mostly in a middle-six role with the Los Angeles Kings and now it’s up to Cheveldayoff and his pro scouts to find another player or two like him.

Someone who may be languishing with another team, but simply needs a different set of eyes to shift him into a role where he could excel under a head coach that shows faith in him.

Making a deal like that is easier said than done with most NHL teams believing they are still in the race, but the Jets can’t afford to wait until free agency in the summer of 2026 to address their needs.

After seeing Jake DeBrusk sit out as a healthy scratch for the Vancouver Canucks earlier this week, you could easily see him as a fit in Winnipeg, given his size, skating ability and track record of delivering as a secondary scorer.

DeBrusk, who has trade protection, is under contract at US$5.5 million for five more seasons after this one, so acquiring him would be beneficial on many fronts.

There are currently too many veterans in the Jets’ lineup who aren’t performing at the level that was expected of them.

A quick fix isn’t likely in the offing, not with the Jets lacking draft capital for 2026 and 2027 after shipping out second- and fourth-round picks last season in deadline deals for Luke Schenn and Brandon Tanev.

Recouping some of those draft picks is likely going to be part of the plan of attack, as it should be.

Despite the urge to add an impact player immediately, there is no possible way the Jets can afford to move their 2026 first-rounder at this stage of the proceedings.

That pick — provided it is in the top three — could be franchise altering and the key to pressing fast forward on this retooling process.

The injection of someone such as Gavin McKenna, Ivar Stenberg or Keaton Verhoeff would provide an immediate jolt next fall, just like it did when the Jets moved up to second overall in the 2016 NHL Draft and chose Patrik Laine.

Even that wouldn’t be a cure all.

Other players still need to be brought in to augment the current roster.

In the meantime, opening up space for top defence prospect Elias Salomonsson should be a priority for Cheveldayoff.

While there were some expected growing pains during his first taste of NHL action, he exhibited some important qualities and the sooner the Jets find room for him in the regular rotation, the better off they will be.

Getting him somewhere in the neighbourhood of 30-to-35 NHL games of experience would be beneficial for next season.

As for the forward group, finding a new home for Brad Lambert in a trade is an immediate option, though the Jets would likely be getting back someone in a similar situation who is looking to benefit from a change of scenery.

Calling up someone such as Walker Duehr also makes sense when you consider that he’s a strong skater who could help the Jets’ forecheck, which is one of the areas they’ve struggled with this season.

It’s true Duehr had issues with inconsistency in his two previous NHL stops (Calgary Flames, San Jose Sharks), but he’s already delivered nine goals and 18 points for the Manitoba Moose going into Friday’s action.

For a Jets team looking for secondary scoring, giving Duehr a look – even if it’s a cameo – makes a whole lot of sense.

Just how deep the moves go will ultimately be up to the players and how they perform during this sprint to the Olympic break.

The current season is already going to be difficult to salvage, but for several players on the roster, how they perform during this five-week block could ultimately determine whether they will be viewed as part of the solution or part of the problem.

winnipegfreepress.com/kenwiebe