Winnipeg Jets General Manager Kevin Cheveldayoff is clearly having a great week.
It began with selecting Saginaw Center Cole Perfetti with the 10th overall pick in the NHL entry draft on Tuesday night. Observers believe Perfetti will emerge as one of the best players of the 2020 draft class.
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‘I’ve dreamed of this day’: Winnipeg Jets take centre Cole Perfetti in 1st round of NHL Draft
It continued with the signing of pending UFA defenceman Dylan DeMelo to a four-year contract for $12 million. That will very likely reunite DeMelo with Josh Morrissey on the team’s No. 1 defence pairing.
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Winnipeg Jets sign pending UFA defenceman Dylan DeMelo
And speaking of reunions, Cheveldayoff is on the verge of completing a trade ahead of the start of Free Agency to bring back Paul Statsny, who was such a big part of the Jets 2018 playoff run.
It’s expected the transaction will involve draft picks because the Golden Knights need to shed Statsny’s US$6.5 million salary to position themselves for taking a run at Alex Pietrangelo, if the St. Louis captain hits the open market.
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Statsny was first acquired by Winnipeg from St. Louis at the trade deadline of the 2017-18 season and went on to score four goals and total 13 points in 19 games.
He would follow that up with six goals and 9 assists for 15 points in 17 playoff games, playing primarily on a line with Patrik Laine and Nikolaj Ehlers.
The Jets are probably counting on the chemistry that was so evident during that playoff run to be re-ignited when the puck eventually drops for the 2020-21 season.
