Catch-22 with No. 33

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This article was published 07/03/2015 (4171 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

NASHVILLE — It’s one thing to form the group and produce the first hit. It’s another to keep the band together.

Winnipeg Jets GM Kevin Cheveldayoff has stacked up prospects and brought effective young players into the NHL. Keeping them all sounds great, but it is improbable.

The task is hard enough for a GM with means to spend to the cap each season. But for Cheveldayoff, who must work within an internal budget, it’s even more difficult.

Cheveldayoff will have decisions to make, and key among them will be what he does with his blue-line.

Dustin Byfuglien, Tyler Myers and Jacob Trouba make for an enviable group of right-shot defencemen, but can the Jets afford to pay all three and give all three the ice time they require?

Myers and Trouba may or may not be aware, but their play over the next couple of weeks could determine which path the Jets will be taking concerning the future of Byfuglien.

Myers wasn’t just an upgrade to the Winnipeg Jets blue-line when he was acquired in a February trade, he also became an insurance policy should Byfuglien prove too expensive to retain at the end of next season.

The Jets announced Friday morning Byfuglien will miss at least the next two weeks with an upper-body injury. Myers and Trouba will see their roles increase, and how they handle the heavier workload will provide Cheveldayoff with a window into how a future without Byfuglien might look.

Food for thought: Over the last five games, including the last against Ottawa when Byfuglien was injured, both Myers and Trouba logged more minutes in each match than No. 33.

Myers is signed to a cash-friendly, long-term contract and Trouba still has another year left on his entry-level pact and is at least five years away from UFA status. They aren’t going anywhere. The 29-year-old Byfuglien, however, is eligible for unrestricted free agency in July of 2016 and presumably, he’s going to want big money and term to remain in a Jets uniform.

Dion Phaneuf is the same age as Byfuglien and not as productive a player. He signed a seven-year deal worth $49 million last year. P.K. Subban is 25 and he signed an eight-year deal worth $72 million last year. Agents work off comparables and Byfuglien’s representatives will use these numbers to build a case for what they want for their player.

Byfuglien has arguably been Winnipeg’s most important player this season. But he’ll be 31 when his current deal wraps up and Cheveldayoff will have to weigh a lot of factors when determining whether to give Byfuglien what he wants.

The options are varied, and some will be unpopular.

Re-signing Byfuglien will allow the Jets to retain a unique force in the NHL. A player who can play both forward and defence and provide offence as well as an unparalleled physical presence. Byfuglien is a remarkable player.

But he’s aging and Cheveldayoff won’t want to be paying top dollar for a player with sliding numbers and increasing injury time. Maybe Byfuglien plays at a high level until he’s 37. Or maybe it’s 35 or 33. That’s the gamble.

All the while Cheveldayoff is pondering what to do with his all-star defenceman, he’ll also be spending money on other players. Andrew Ladd is heading towards the end of his deal, while Trouba and Mark Scheifele are headed for raises. Michael Frolik heads a class of eight players eligible for UFA status this summer.

It’s a never-ending juggling act. Each time Cheveldayoff gives a player more, he eats away at a pie that is limited.

If Cheveldayoff determines he can’t, or won’t, be able to keep Byfuglien beyond next season, he’ll have to consider trading him to try and get a return.

This scenario gets thornier with the passing of time. If Cheveldayoff can’t come to terms on an extension with Byfuglien this summer, a game of chicken will commence.

Imagine getting to the trade deadline next season with the Jets in a playoff spot and Byfuglien contributing but still not re-signed? Cheveldayoff just went through this with Frolik, but with Byfuglien, the stakes would be much higher. What could Byfuglien fetch on the draft floor this June? What will his worth be at the deadline next March? One might argue his value has never been higher and if the Jets are to move their lone all-star, it should happen this summer.

All these things must be bouncing around in Cheveldayoff’s head.

Byfuglien is a rare player and this has been his most impactful season with the Jets. But is this the apex of his career? Slipping numbers and health are inevitable. But when will the beginning of the end arrive?

Myers and Trouba are insurance. But will they provide enough return for the Jets to live in the style they’ve become accustomed to under Byfuglien’s roof?

Cheveldayoff is about to get a little taste. We’ll know if it’s to his liking or not by the way he proceeds.

gary.lawless@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @garylawless