To trade or not to trade

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 31/01/2015 (3961 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Stroll through the Winnipeg Jets clubhouse on any given day and, invariably, the same observations keep emerging.

This looks to be a collection of good dudes that really seem to get along — although that is impossible to truly measure unless you are with a squad 24/7. It is solid mix of grizzled vets and hungry kids all pushing toward the same goal: the playoffs.

Even though the wheels came off this week with the club going 0-for-Pennsylvania, there is still very much a sense this outfit is headed to its first post-season berth since 2007.

“We like what we have in here, our camaraderie,” said defenceman Mark Stuart. “Everybody has bought in and you don’t realize how important that is.

“Any team that I’ve been on that’s been successful or made the playoffs has been that way… especially in the second half of the season. It’s about team, all the stats and that crap go out the window.”

That said, there are some meaty questions that have already been asked and will be repeatedly leading up to the NHL’s trade deadline on March 2:

— What do the Jets need to acquire to upgrade their roster?

— Will GM Kevin Cheveldayoff be able to make a legit player-for-player trade ? (Does Eric Tangradi for Petr Budaj really count?)

— There’s also this: Should the Jets really do anything, given their strict adherence to the long-term blueprint of drafting and developing and understanding that — even with a playoff berth — they are Stanley Cup long shots at best?

Good questions, all of them. But if you pose any of them to the men in the room, the answer will be virtually unanimous — be careful messing with what they have.

“If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it… that’s what they say, right?” said Blake Wheeler this week. “I’m all for maximizing our ability to go all the way. Obviously, everyone is. But that’s a delicate balance sometimes, and managing that is way above my pay grade.

“What I like is we just understand what everyone does, what everyone’s role is, and we have guys who are willing to maximize that role every night. Sometimes it’s less about the amount of talent you have in a room and more about the willingness to just work every night to the benefit of the team.”

The Jets have an emerging star in goal in Michael Hutchinson and a number of net prospects in the system.

Their defensive corps, now healthy, is as deep as it’s been in years and has three NHLers munching popcorn in the press box.

The general consensus is the Jets could use another forward for their top nine, likely a right-winger to replace Chris Thorburn alongside Evander Kane and Adam Lowry, even though that trio was the club’s best line in Pittsburgh and Philly.

Could moving a defenceman upgrade their forward crew? Well, sure. Names like Sean Bergenheim in Florida and Toronto’s Daniel Winnik, for example, have all be linked to the Jets in rumour-type stories this week.

The other issue at play here, at least in the big picture, is whether a player with term left on his contract would block the path of one of the prospects next year. Will Nik Ehlers be ready? Are Michigan Wolverines observers right when they gush about Andrew Copp being pro-ready? Does Josh Morrissey make the big club next fall, giving the roster even more depth on the blue-line?

SSLqWe like what we have in here, our camaraderie. Everybody has bought in and you don’t realize how important that is’

— Jets blue-liner Mark Stuart

Again, all intriguing questions to discuss. But those wearing Jets jerseys right now aren’t thinking about any of this. They’re thinking about the Dallas Stars today, then Calgary and Vancouver early next week.

They have to live in the moment, and with a corps that features players in their prime right now — Dustin Byfuglien, Andrew Ladd, Bryan Little, Toby Enstrom, Blake Wheeler, Michael Frolik, Mathieu Perreault et. al — they want to take their shot right now.

“When you get an opportunity you can’t say, ‘Well, we’re close but we’ll try again next year,’ ” said Wheeler. “You never know how many cracks you’re going to get at this. It’s been four or five years since I’ve been in the playoffs and at the time it felt like I was going to be in it every year. You never know when you are going to get that chance. You can’t sit around and wait.”

You know what? Management has to live in the moment, too. Swinging for the fences now doesn’t have to mean giving up high draft picks or emptying the cupboard of those prospects already shining in the system.

So that is the challenge Kevin Cheveldayoff & Co. will face in the next few weeks: Sticking to their blueprint while still chasing the playoffs.

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“You never want to see anybody leave,” said Stuart. “But as players we know that stuff is out of our hands. We just try the best we can and go from there. We have faith in management. That’s their job and they’re good at it.

“It’s our job to put a good product on the ice and play well. If they think we need something, or if they think things are good as they are, that’s fine. They’re smart guys and they know what they’re doing.

“The best thing the guys in this room can do is keep winning and playing well.”

ed.tait@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @WFPEdTait