Jets have long way to go, lots of games to play, determined GM says

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This article was published 28/11/2017 (2845 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

If he’s getting any satisfaction from his team’s astonishing start in 2017-18, Jets general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff isn’t letting on.

Fiercely determined might be the best way to describe Cheveldayoff’s mindset.

“I’d hate to sit here and tell you, ‘It’s good, it’s the quarter point (of the season) and we’re handing out all the awards,'” he said as his club took a well-deserved day away from the rink Tuesday before flying to Denver for Wednesday’s game against the Colorado Avalanche. “Let’s see what happens, because it couldn’t be farther from the truth. It’s basically hard to get there and it’s harder to stay there.”

Where the Jets are now is unprecedented.

After five post-season misses in six seasons since relocating from Atlanta, Winnipeg has bolted out of the gate with a 15-6-3 record. On Monday night, the Jets clobbered the Minnesota Wild 7-2 but even inhaling the rarefied air of second place in the NHL’s Western Conference didn’t alter Cheveldayoff’s mantra.

“You can’t be (satisfied),” he said. “It’s the nature of the game, it’s competition every night. I tell you what, (on Wednesday) the Colorado Avalanche are going to try to beat us. There’s no monopoly on winning. Whether you win the Stanley Cup or not, you’ve still got to go through the gauntlet of the season and you have to earn the right to get to the next level, and you run the gauntlet again.”

Cheveldayoff resisted any talk of the Jets’ current state being the new normal, emphasizing the importance of the players staying on task and earning the status of an elite team.

“We talk about it here all the time,” he said. “We say it, the players say it to me. You’re really trying to take it game by game… you seriously have to perform the next game. It’s that kind of mentality, really. It’s all well and good that whatever you’ve done, you’ve done. It’s really what you need to do, moving forward. That’s really the approach you take all the time… it’s the same approach you take every year.”

The Jets GM responded to questions on a variety of topics. Here’s a sampling:

• A multiyear contract extension given to head coach Paul Maurice in the off-season was portrayed in some quarters as misguided. Cheveldayoff had a different view.

“I never got heat at all,” said Cheveldayoff. “I walked upstairs, talked to (executive chairman) Mark Chipman (who) said, ‘If you want to do it, do it.’ That’s the only heat I deal with.

“I get stopped on the street and people talk all the time and say, ‘Great job getting the coach done.’ Yeah, there’s a faction of people (opposed) sure, but again, the person I listen to is myself and upstairs.”

• Cheveldayoff said the decision to make Connor Hellebuyck the club’s No. 1 goaltender in an often-trying 2016-17 has paid off. Hellebuyck has blossomed this fall, boasting a .927 save percentage, 2.31 goals-against average and a 13-2-2 record. He has shaved almost a third of a goal allowed per game and boosted his save percentage by 13 points.

Cheveldayoff doesn’t sound as though he’s surprised by the 24-year-old’s transformation.

“I go back to the decision we made two years ago, when we said we’re going to give Connor this opportunity, because if we don’t, then… this would be his first year,” he said.

“Like any athlete, he used the summer to continue to try to improve on things… and you get that opportunity to play again today. That, in essence, is pro sports and pro athletes… Anyone who has kids or deals with young people, until they make those decisions, you can tell them all you want but it’s experience that everybody needs to go through or learn to make those decisions.”

• Cheveldayoff said the moves he made to protect his core of veterans in the run-up to the NHL expansion draft was a response to the wishes of the players.

“Honestly, it goes back to the conversation I had with Toby Enstrom during that time,” he said. “When you hear players in the room speak passionately about it, those are things… you just don’t take lightly.”

• Cheveldayoff was asked if Dustin Byfuglien is a better defenceman now that he’s averaging 24:05 of ice time per game as opposed to the 27:26 he logged to lead the league last season.

“Everyone want to distil things down to the individuals when it suits them,” he said. “Whether it makes for good conversation or good stories, these players want to win. There will be nights where Buff’s going to play 27 (minutes) again and nights when he’s going to play 22. Whether it’s (Jacob) Trouba, whether it’s (Tyler) Myers or whether it’s Buff, the fact is that we can say all three of those names along with (Dmitry) Kulikov and (Josh) Morrissey. Unfortunately, Toby’s hurt but (Ben) Chiarot’s stepped up and Tucker Poolman’s waiting. I’d rather be talking about that than you asking me when one of them is going to be available again.”

• Signing veteran free agent Matt Hendricks to a one-year deal also looks like a good fit for the youthful Jets, even though it was a controversial hire at the time.

“When we signed him, obviously we had an eye (to) hoping our faceoffs would improve and hoping our penalty killing would improve and obviously he brings some leadership in the room,” said Cheveldayoff. “He got hurt early in the season and never got that impact right away but again, you don’t just sit here and say it’s all going to come together. There’s a process of meshing and coming together as a team and that certainly part of integrating any individual. Whether it’s Kulikov or (goaltender Steve) Mason or Hendy.”

• Cheveldayoff cut off any speculation about goaltender Michael Hutchinson as a potential trade chip. Hutchinson is currently performing well with the AHL’s Manitoba Moose.

“It certainly hasn’t been my style and it’s not going to be my style moving forward,” he said. “Michael, obviously, is part of our organization and we’ll continue to do what’s in the best interests of the organization.”

• Don’t expect Cheveldayoff to stand pat in personnel but said he was pleased with the crop of reinforcements being tutored by Moose head coach Pascal Vincent. The organization appears to have solid depth but injuries can change that outlook quickly.

“Once it gets tested, your depth becomes your reality and you need to continue to look for depth,” he said. “We’ve integrated a lot of young players into the Moose this year — I think Pascal’s done a fantastic job. (Jack) Roslovic and (Brendan) Lemieux, both are second-year pros but those guys have really come on and played. Nic Petan is there as well right now. It’s great to see a player like Mason Appleton step right in and start to contribute. Sami Niku as well. Unfortunately, Nelson Nogier got hurt at the beginning of the year and we were looking for him to take big strides so, we’re looking at those players as our depth. The more they continue to grow… that’s just going to help them be better NHL players when the time is right.”

mike.sawatzky@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @sawa14