Winnipeg Jets general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff is pretty adept at holding his cards close to his vest. His poker face in local circles is notorious for keeping fans, media and even his players wondering about his plans.
And to be fair, in a passionate hockey market like ours, there’s probably no other shrewd way of doing business in deflecting rumours and innuendo.
So it wasn’t without surprise that his brief summit on 680 CJOB before his club’s last game in Utah provided a great conversation, but very little in understanding the team’s path to potential improvement at, or prior to, the NHL’s trade deadline.
Cheveldayoff — the only GM the franchise in Winnipeg has ever known — understands and excels at the game’s administration. He has never been afraid to push his chips in, roll the dice and take a gamble on making his team better.
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And with his Jets leading their division and flirting with top spot overall, this year will probably be no different for him as an active player in the annual sweepstakes the trade deadline creates. One would suggest that based on Cheveldayoff’s stack of chips – in this case, cap space, draft picks and prospects – jumping through the wide-open window to win with an upgrade here or there would be astute.
That is why most believe Cheveldayoff will almost certainly make a deal leading up to March 7 to improve his team, either up front, on the back end or both. And how that looks remains to seen, whether it’s a big name like centre Brock Nelson, for instance, or an important depth piece to help the penalty kill or provide toughness.
Now, Chevldayoff’s coyness the other day does leave a lot to speculation, but he did say sometimes the trades that do happen are the ones you’ve never even talked about.
But for the next six weeks, trade talk will dominate the conversation around his team and we know that Cheveldayoff will be working to play the right cards to improve his club without — to us at least — ever tipping his hand.
