Finding answers Chevy’s top priority

It’s back to the drawing board for Kevin Cheveldayoff.

The only general manager the 2.0 version of the Winnipeg Jets has known once again finds himself in next-year country far earlier than he would have hoped or imagined.

While the future of head coach Rick Bowness is somewhat up in the air, with the Jets holding a team option for a third season, there is no doubt that Cheveldayoff is going to be back for a 14th season.

In many ways, one could make the argument Cheveldayoff just completed one of the best 12-month stretches since taking the job, but that amounted to a grand total of one playoff win this spring.

We all know the GM isn’t on the ice and can’t have an impact on execution, though it’s his job to construct a roster that can win not only in the regular season but also in the playoffs.

To this point, that hasn’t transpired, which is why Cheveldayoff will continue to be among those doing some serious soul-searching after the dust settles and players head home.

“The word that comes to mind is incomplete,” said Cheveldayoff, who spoke for nearly 33 minutes Wednesday and conceded the search for answers was nowhere near complete.

That’s not to take away from the long line of decisions that were made, but incomplete is an apt description for what transpired as the Jets were eliminated in five games by a Colorado Avalanche team that resembled the one that captured the Stanley Cup in 2022.

To review, Cheveldayoff dealt disgruntled centre Pierre-Luc Dubois to the Los Angeles Kings at the NHL Draft for a package that included forwards Gabriel Vilardi, Alex Iafallo, and Rasmus Kupari and a second-round pick in 2024, which will be 37th overall.

The Jets stabilized the backup goalie position by bringing back Laurent Brossoit and brought back versatile forward Vladislav Namestnikov on a two-year deal.

In August, the Jets made the difficult decision to buy out the final season of former captain Blake Wheeler’s contract.

Just before the season began, Cheveldayoff got goalie Connor Hellebuyck and centre Mark Scheifele to sign identical seven-year deals, eliminating the question marks about the future of each franchise cornerstone.

Nino Niederreiter was the latest pending UFA to extend, inking a three-year deal.

Before the NHL trade deadline arrived, the Jets made a series of moves to bolster an already deep lineup, including the pre-emptive strike for Sean Monahan to shore up the second-line centre spot.

Adding the championship pedigree of proven goal scorer Tyler Toffoli didn’t yield the dividends that were expected, but the move was lauded at the time and made sense on a number of levels.

Defenceman Colin Miller was brought in to add depth. He was limited to five games in the regular season and one in the playoffs, which was his best game in a Jets uniform.

All of those moves played a valuable role in helping the Jets tie a franchise record for wins (52) in a regular season and a once-porous defensive group capture the Jennings Trophy for allowing the fewest goals in the regular season.

The next step for Cheveldayoff is to build a roster that can take a significant step forward when the lights are shining brightest.

Since that didn’t lead directly to playoff success, the next step for Cheveldayoff is to build a roster that can take a significant step forward when the lights are shining brightest.

For all of the steps forward, the Jets have won only three playoff series since the franchise returned in 2011 and two of those came in 2018 when they reached the Western Conference final.

The Avalanche will be a power for some time, the Dallas Stars have done an exceptional job of integrating young, skilled talent and blending that with a veteran group that is hungry.

The Nashville Predators found a playoff spot and the four other teams in the Central Division are all working to get better.

For the Jets to stop spinning their wheels, there are some very important decisions on the horizon.

There are players to sign and others to make decisions on, including winger Nikolaj Ehlers, who has one more season left on his seven-year contract before he can become an unrestricted free agent in the summer of 2025.

Ehlers’ playoff point totals haven’t matched his regular season output and he probably represents the Jets most valuable trade chip if the two sides can’t come together on a contract extension.

Determining his future could represent another franchise-altering move.

Mixed into the long string of hits for Cheveldayoff was a clear miss: losing mobile blue-liner Declan Chisholm on waivers to the Minnesota Wild.

Chisholm wouldn’t solve all of the issues for the Jets back end, but he showed with the Wild that he can be a full-time NHLer who helps run the second power play.

Those are qualities the Jets could use, though they may find those internally from Ville Heinola next fall.

Another miss for Cheveldayoff was not adding someone like Chris Tanev or Sean Walker to bolster the defence corps in a top-four role.

Of course the price tag would have been high, and some salary-cap gymnastics would have been required, but throughout the five-game series with the Avalanche, it was clear the Jets’ defence could have used a further boost to become a position of strength.

That’s probably one of the lessons Cheveldayoff will take from this season.

Cheveldayoff knows he can’t get a mulligan on the trade deadline.

He took some serious swings to address some needs, just like a GM should when his team views itself as a contender.

All Cheveldayoff can focus on now is making the tough decisions that will influence the way the roster looks this fall. That doesn’t mean blowing it up, but further improvements are needed.

All Cheveldayoff can focus on now is making the tough decisions that will influence the way the roster looks this fall.

That doesn’t mean blowing it up, but further improvements are needed.

“For us, obviously there are going to be changes,” said Cheveldayoff. “Whether it’s trading picks or trading different things or making hard buyouts. Nothing’s been off the table. That’s not saying anything is imminent.”

All options will be explored and when it comes to ranking off-season priorities, it’s all relative, but it’s not a short list — it rarely is.

In order for the Jets to be better when the chips are down, they must upgrade the defence — even if they’re able to secure the services of Brenden Dillon and Dylan DeMelo, who are among the list of pending unrestricted free agents.

The Jets must bring back Monahan — or a reasonable facsimile — on a multiyear deal.

A Band-Aid solution isn’t the answer, while Brad Lambert has made great strides at centre, it’s still not known if he can handle the position at the NHL or might have more success on the wing.

The Jets must integrate some youth, such as Lambert or defenceman Elias Salomonsson, who helped his team capture an SHL championship.

The Jets must also find a capable backup goalie in the vein of Brossoit, someone who can ensure Hellebuyck stays within the 56-to-60-game range.

On top of all of that, the Jets need to add speed, size and sandpaper if they want to win multiple rounds, let alone have the opportunity to sip from Lord Stanley’s mug.

“Until you’re the team standing there at the end, you’ve done nothing,” said Cheveldayoff. “The onus is on everybody within the organization to be that 10 per cent better.”

ken.wiebe@freepress.mb.ca

X: @WiebesWorld