Bob Mackenzie started off this Monday morning with a big one for Winnipeg Jets fans when he tweeted this:
So the Jets have told GMs league-wide that they are ‘open for business’ and ready to deal? It’s a curious situation as why now? Why would the Jets come to that conclusion this off season and not last, or the or the one before that after their inaugural season?
Furthermore why even consider moving Evander Kane at this juncture with a new coach and the developing chemistry with Mark Scheifele? Why now?
It’s curious and puzzling, perhaps even troubling. Kevin Cheveldayoff could dangle Kane’s name any time and he would have immediate interest from across the league. That’s the kind of talent Kane is and that won’t change anytime soon. So why now?
Why put up the ‘open’ sign now with players like Wheeler, Little, Bogosian and others locked in with NTC s and long-term deals? What changed that made Chevy feel his team needed such a big overhaul that all players became ‘options’. Bob MacKenzie simply does not make this stuff up to get hits. He’s cautious, calculated and uses the utmost discretion when it comes to trade rumours and the subsequent thinking and logic around them.
This is the troubling part, the aspect that many Jets observers have feared for awhile. That moment when Chevy and the organization realize they made a mistake and have to correct it. Whether it was timing, evaluation, understanding or relations with some players on the team it appears via Bob MacKenzie that change is being considered and coming.
The challenge of change is knowing what is the right change to make. If moving out quality for quantity to fill bigger other holes is the MO then this summer could be very interesting. However, if using the readily available information about the team regarding its strengths and weaknesses happens meaningful tactical moves could be done, ones that address shortcomings without sacrificing strengths.
That’s the great unknown here: the ‘why’.
What we don’t know is how good a poker player Chevy is and right now it’s the World Series of Poker within the NHL for the next few weeks. GMs are wagering, bluffing, and folding before the final card is flipped come the draft and then UFA period. Let’s not forget the compliance buyout period either.
Chevy may have made his first telling move by opting to take Michael Frolik to arbitration. He put agent Alan Walsh in a position to work to get his client a long-term deal, knowing that if Frolik takes a one-year deal he does so at the peril of teams not having the same cap-space at the end of this season as next. The options to cash in could be limited compared to this year even with RFA status. With the Pavelec negotiations (also involving Walsh) Chevy learned a lot about dealing late in the game Walsh and how leverage works. This time if appears he’s being far more proactive and setting the table.
As for the other poker strategies, this news from MacKenzie may be a calculated leak to help keep prices in line on the trade market. More supply equals lower prices and perhaps Chevy is bluffing on the sell side only to help his chances on the buying side.
Whatever the case may be it’s good to see the Jets GM being active and not wasting time as some would say about past off seasons. Perhaps it’s the GM understanding that some of his veteran players are tired of watching time drift by with no change or progression. This was something captain Andrew Ladd said near the trade deadline last season and it raised a few eyebrows.
I’d take notice of that if I were the GM, especially if I want to attract players to my team in the future. Change presents all kinds of risks to consider but in this case for the Jets and GM Kevin Cheveldayoff the perils of not changing may be far more damaging and that’s why we’re hearing the Jets name and players popping up in the rumour mill now.
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