So it begins, the final pieces of what will make the leadership and guidance of the Jets complete, the contract extensions of Maurice and Cheveldayoff. It’s not surprising really, this is the same time of year that Chevy’s last extension was announced, the same for former head coach Claude Noel. Even less surprising is that the Jets stood with who they have known or better said who took them to the dance, if you can say they have even been to one.
Therein lies the divide amongst Jets fans- is this tandem of GM and Coach worthy of extensions based on their track record?
The GM
Some would give him full marks for his tenure so far. He signed the necessary players in the short offseason after his initial draft. Remember that draft, the one where Sean Couturier fell into his hands but he took a relatively unknown name in Mark Scheifele. Speaking of whom by the way, the same GM also signed him to a very reasonable 6.25 million per year for eight years compared to this years crop of comparable players in Draisaitl and Johansen.
In years after he managed to sign Little, Wheeler and Bogosian to smart deals while also being able to make the latter an asset that could still be traded when his fit in Winnipeg was questionable. In that same time he also made a move to rid the Jets of Evander Kane while getting a large return although since then some could question the value of that return.
When the Jets challenged for a playoff spot he made three moves that could be seen as instrumental to the team finally making a playoff appearance by trading for Tlusty, Stafford, and Stempniak. Before those moves were made he managed to land Michael Frolik from Chicago in a cap adjustment move.
But everything that Chevy has done is not always grand. Sure he has built one of the largest scouring departments in the NHL but how much has he needed it given his frequent higher draft positions? What about the prospect pool that some rave about with such envy and admiration? It’s hardly translating into success for the farm team the Manitoba Moose since they made an appearance in the Calder Cup final.
Chevy has held firm to veterans that many would have given up on long ago such as Thorburn, Stuart, and Pavelec. He was unable to keep effective and popular Frolik in Winnipeg and hindsight revealed he walked away from a 4 year deal for 16 million. There’s still questions about how things will play out with Jacob Trouba as well perhaps the most prized asset after Patrik Laine.
For some the good far outweighs the bad but that’s not how grades work, they are combined score and given the success the franchise has had under Chevy’s stewardship would he deserve a grade as high as a B? Some suggest it should be higher but he is not responsible for everything that garners results.
The Coach
Paul Maurice was seen as a big name hire for the Jets despite being an analyst on TSN after a year coaching in the KHL. While no one would confuse Maurice with the upper echelon of NHL coaches he was a ‘name’ and it seemed to be a bit of coup for the Jets to get him. His hiring also marked a departure from the loyal past by turfing former Manitoba Moose head coach and inaugural Jets 2.0 Claude Noel. Maurice brought a bigger pedigree to an organization that seemed to be mired in an AHL mindset whilst competing in the big league. Maurice came with experience, albeit not necessary in the win column, but he had it where the newly minted NHL franchise did not. There was improvement and more important accountability for all but good fortune smiled on Maurice in his first full season.
He had a decimated defence that forced him to move Byfuglien from forward to his natural defence. Ben Chiarot came in and played his best hockey in his short career, something many fans are still waiting to see again. Also Michael Hutchinson filled in admirably when called upon and most importantly Ondrej Pavelec played the best three game stretch of his career to help the Jets get into the post season.
It has not been pretty since. After that four-game sweep to the Ducks the Jets have barely challenged for the post season after February. They have been a lottery team once and not good enough last season while also not being bad enough either.
Maurice has been a faithful solider though. He understood the direction the team wanted to take with it’s youth and development process, one that did not always mean winning was the top priority or even likely. Questionable usage, strange lines, and counter intuitive moves compared to what was being said publicly. Yet here we are.
What became lost in so much of the news today is that owner and chairman Mark Chipman rewarded what he holds highly to him- loyalty.
Both Chevy and Maurice understood what the owner wanted to do, what his vision was and how it needed to unfold, they never wavered from the process. They knew personal success would be secondary to following a plan and both knew and accepted that challenge.
So what we saw today was the reward for being what the owner wanted, what the owner asked, and what the owner explained would happen. Some would not reward either and others might only reward one, and some would not even use the word ‘reward’. Describe it how you want but if we believe what Mark Chipman had to say today, the next step of the plan has to be ‘empowerment’ if anything is to change for the players and fans.
Both Chevy and Maurice need to be empowered to do whatever it takes to win. Set that expectation with them and then see if it trickles down to the players as based on the quotes coming out from them they feel some responsibility.
With all that being said about both GM and coach the term responsible becomes somewhat fortuitous. The ultimate responsibility lies with Mark Chipman. He holds loyalty to the highest regard and is now the one responsible for the direction of the team under Chevy and Maurice. It’s his plan and direction now and while many people will say the GM and coach are the ones held responsible, Mark Chipman made it clear that he is the one now taking the ultimate role. His GM and his coach may be responsible for the team but he’s now front and centre for what this team does as much as they are.