Will he, or won’t he?
All eyes in this market are on Kevin Cheveldayoff and whether the Winnipeg GM will pull the trigger on a significant deal ahead of Friday afternoon’s NHL trading deadline.
Twelve months ago, the Winnipeg Jets were pretty much where they find themselves today: A team with aspirations to go all the way. So they were definitely a buyer approaching and at the deadline.
But unlike a year ago, the need for Cheveldayoff to boost his top six forward ranks isn’t as urgent. In my opinion, a healthy Gabe Vilardi and a more complete version of Cole Perfetti are the two biggest reasons for that.
In the spring of 2024, the Jets brass wasn’t sure about Vilardi’s availability as a result of a second consequential injury of the season that sidelined him for pretty much the month of March.
That, coupled with Perfetti’s second-half struggles left Cheveldayoff with no option but to do some big game hunting for Sean Monahan and Tyler Toffoli.
No doubt a Brock Nelson or a Brayden Schenn would benefit the league-leading Jets for the stretch run this time around. But that would fall more into the category of a luxury as opposed to a necessity.
And it also allows Jets management to prioritize beefing up the blue line … if the right deal comes along.
There is a strong argument to be made for Cheveldayoff to go all-in for a second straight deadline. As CJOB’s hockey expert and insider John Shannon asked on Saturday’s pre-game show, if not now — for a team leading the NHL at the three-quarter pole of what has been a magical season — then when?
From that perspective, the Winnipeg Jets’ end goal for 2 p.m. Friday would seem to be crystal clear. If only it was that simple.
