CHICAGO — How serendipitous the Windy City, of all places, is where the Winnipeg Jets can make some hockey history Saturday night.
Chicago is where their general manager, Kevin Cheveldayoff, guided the IHL’s Wolves to a pair of Turner Cup championships as he began cutting his executive teeth in the late 1990s. It’s where he won two Calder Cup titles with the AHL squad in the early 2000s. And it’s where he got his first NHL gig and promptly won a Stanley Cup in 2010.
Now, this is where the Jets can capture a division title and regular-season conference championship, something that’s never been done in either in Winnipeg’s 1.0 or 2.0 era.
Julio Cortez / The Associated Press
Winnipeg goaltender Connor Hellebuyck is just one of Jets GM Kevin Cheveldayoff’s draft picks who is having a career season.
All the Jets need is a single point against the Blackhawks, who sit 31st out of 32 teams in the standings. They’d also lock up the No. 1 seed if the Dallas Stars, who they beat 4-0 on Thursday night to start this road trip, fail to beat the Utah Hockey Club in regulation.
Failing that, the Jets would have two more chances at that point when they host the Edmonton Oilers and Anaheim Ducks to close out their 82-game schedule. Dallas would also help the cause if they don’t beat the Detroit Red Wings and the Nashville Stars on the road in regulation early next week.
“We’re not waiting for things to happen around the league. We have to take care of our business. Let’s win our hockey games,” coach Scott Arniel told the Free Press on Thursday night.
Assuming they get the job done, there will be plenty of praise to go around. Don’t overlook the role of Cheveldayoff in building a roster despite, as one league source recently told us, having “one hand tied behind his back” at times due to the fact so many players balk at trades or signing as free agents when it comes to Winnipeg.
Cheveldayoff’s work, recently and over the course of time, was all over his team’s dominance in Dallas. Trade addition Nino Niederreiter, who was later signed to an extension, opened the scoring. It was set up by two of his best drafted and developed stars, Josh Morrissey and captain Adam Lowry. Trade addition Morgan Barron then made it 2-0.
The stars really took over in the third period. Top winger Kyle Connor, another homegrown success story, scored twice to hit 40 on the year and surpass his career totals in points. Mark Scheifele, Cheveldayoff’s first-draft pick in 2011, set up one of them to also hit a new personal high in offensive production.
Connor Hellebuyck, the all-world goaltender who is a lock to win a third Vezina Trophy and might just be one of the best fifth-round draft picks in NHL history, stopped all 25 shots he faced to break his franchise record for wins and shutouts.
All 32 NHL general managers, a panel of league executives and select print and broadcast media will cast ballots next week for the Jim Gregory Award, which is handed out annually to the best GM in the business. Cheveldayoff should be considered one of the favourites, if not the front-runner.
Some folks may suggest the most recent trade deadline was underwhelming, arguing the Jets should have made a bigger splash. Cheveldayoff may have struck out on several attempts to bring in a second-line centre, but the two players he did obtain have been exactly what this group needed.
Defenceman Luke Schenn had another monster game, dishing out a team-high seven hits as the Jets delivered 44 in total to the Stars, which was their most in any contest this year. Right behind him was the Energizer Bunny a.k.a. Brandon Tanev, who had five hits thrown and also chipped in an assist on Barron’s goal.
“It’s huge in a team for everybody to have an identity and have a role on this team. You plug those guys in and…they make such a big impact on the game,” Connor said.
“It’s everybody contributing. If you score the goal, get an assist or it’s blocking shots, preventing goals is just as big as scoring them at times. We need it. Every line has kind of a different element to cause a problem for the other team. That’s allowed us to be pretty dynamic.”
Cheveldayoff always enjoys returning to Chicago, a place that has meant so much to him professionally and personally. Now, 14 years into his tenure with the Jets and with what appears to be the best chance yet at a championship, this particular visit has a chance to be extra special.
AROUND THE GLASS
Although playoffs will render the ultimate verdict, it’s worth checking up on how some of the moves made by rival GMs around the league are working out so far.
COLORADO
Nobody was busier than Chris MacFarland.
During the course of the season, he overhauled the goalie position, replacing Alexandar Georgiev and Justus Annunen with Mackenzie Blackwood and Scott Wedgewood. The duo helped the Avalanche climb up to fifth overall in the NHL standings — though they will finish third in the Central Division and open the Stanley Cup playoffs on the road.
The Avalanche were involved in the biggest blockbuster, shipping homegrown talent and Stanley Cup champion Mikko Rantanen to the Carolina Hurricanes in a deal that brought back Martin Necas and depth forward Jack Drury.
Necas exploded out of the gate and while he’s cooled off a bit, he’s still produced 11 goals and 26 points in 28 games.
The Avalanche swooped in late and acquired centre Brock Nelson (a target of the Jets) on the night before the deadline arrived and he’s fit in with, chipping in four goals and 11 points in 17 games.
With the addition of Nelson, the Avalanche changed the complexion of their men down the middle in moving Casey Mittelstadt to the Boston Bruins for Charlie Coyle, who brings more of a 200-foot game along with some secondary scoring.
The Avalanche made some other depth moves as well, picking up forward Jimmy Vesey and defenceman Ryan Lindgren from the New York Rangers and fellow blue-liner Erik Johnson from the Philadelphia Flyers.
DALLAS
Jim Nill made two trades that filled specific needs, adding versatile forward Mikael Granlund and defenceman Cody Ceci from the San Jose Sharks and then adding Rantanen from the Hurricanes.
Rantanen has looked more like himself, delivering five goals and 15 points in 17 games while fitting in on the top line, Granlund has seven goals and 21 points in 28 games while Ceci brings much needed experience to the right side of the Stars’ D corps that needed a boost.
MINNESOTA
Bill Guerin brought in forward Gustav Nyquist for the second time in three seasons and the winger hasn’t quite hit his stride, with one goal and six points in 19 games. He’s just one season removed from scoring 23 goals with the Nashville Predators and has 77 games of playoff experience on his resume.
LOS ANGELES
Rob Blake added winger Andrei Kuzmenko from the Philadelphia Flyers (after he’d been sent there by the Calgary Flames) and he currently finds himself on the top line with Anze Kopitar and Adrian Kempe. Kuzmenko has five goals and 14 points in 18 games and has meshed well on a team that hasn’t been able to score enough in the past three playoff series with the Edmonton Oilers.
EDMONTON
Stan Bowman added some grit with forwards Trent Frederic and Max Jones from the Boston Bruins and some help on the back end in getting Jake Walman from the Sharks. Frederic has been limited to one game as he works his way back from injury, while Walman has supplied some offence (one goal, eight points in 15 games) to go with his puck-moving ability.
VEGAS
Kelly McCrimmon also went with a subtle approach, bringing in a pair of experienced wingers: getting Original Misfit Reilly Smith from the Rangers and signing Stanley Cup champion Brandon Saad after his contract with the St. Louis Blues was mutually terminated.
Smith has three goals and nine points in 18 games, while Saad has five goals and 11 points in 28 games — though their playoff experience should also come in handy when Game 83 arrives.
TORONTO
Brad Treliving attacked specific needs in bringing in defenceman Brandon Carlo from the Boston Bruins and forward Scott Laughton from the Philadelphia Flyers.
Adding a Top-4 D-man and centre depth was critical for the Maple Leafs, who are in position to win the Atlantic Division with a strong finish.
Laughton hasn’t found his offensive mojo yet (with just one goal and two points in 16 games), but he and Carlo (who has been paired with Morgan Rielly) make the Maple Leafs tougher to play against.
TAMPA BAY
Julien BriseBois took a significant swing in adding forwards Yanni Gourde and Oliver Bjorkstrand from the Seattle Kraken.
In his return to the Lightning, Gourde has a goal and 11 points in 17 games to go with his high-energy style, while Bjorkstrand has five goals and nine points in 17 games for a forward group that needed to get deeper.
FLORIDA
Bill Zito made a pre-emptive strike to acquire defenceman Seth Jones for goalie Spencer Knight, a move that became even more important after his team lost Aaron Ekblad to a PED suspension.
Zito added goaltending depth in Vitek Vanecek from the Sharks and then made a late deal for Bruins captain Brad Marchand that figures to pay dividends once the playoffs begin. Marchand was injured at the time of the trade and he’s working his way back up to speed, with a goal and three points since his return.
The Panthers also brought in centre Nico Sturm, who once attended Jets’ development camp and broke into the NHL with the Minnesota Wild. His championship pedigree with the Avalanche in 2022 and defensive acumen should come in handy when the stakes get higher.
OTTAWA
Steve Staois made a couple of important moves up front, bringing in centre Dylan Cozens from the Buffalo Sabres for Josh Norris and getting winger Fabian Zetterlund from the Sharks. Cozens, who clearly needed a change of scenery, has three goals and 10 points in 17 games.
Zetterlund is still finding his way (one goal, three points in 16 games) but he could supply some secondary scoring once the post-season arrives.
CAROLINA
Putting a bow on the Rantanen trade tree, Eric Tulsky added feisty forward Logan Stankoven from the Stars and he’s been as advertised. Stankoven has four goals and seven points in 15 games and is more of a stylistic fit — while also featuring plenty of offensive upside.
The Hurricanes made an under-the-radar move in bringing in centre Mark Jankowski from the Nashville Predators and he’s already supplied seven goals in 15 games.
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Mike McIntyre
Reporter
Mike McIntyre grew up wanting to be a professional wrestler. But when that dream fizzled, he put all his brawn into becoming a professional writer.
Ken Wiebe
Reporter
Raised in the booming metropolis of Altona, Man., Ken Wiebe grew up wanting to play in the NHL, but after realizing his hands were more adept at typing than scoring, he shifted his attention to cover his favourite sport as a writer.
