Winnipeg Jets GM Kevin Cheveldayoff has been pretty open about turning over the under achievers on his roster. The Jets have missed the playoffs the past three seasons and “Chevy… has seen enough of the mediocrity. Keep an eye peeled on the future of his power forward Evander Kane. Cheveldayoff is open to trading the 22 year old 30 goal scorer, and others including D Dustin Byfuglien. The Jets are looking to move up to the top of the draft from the ninth overall pick. The Jets could use a centre or a scoring winger. Cheveldayoff likely has his eyes locked on Sam Bennett, Sam Reinhart, and Leon Draisaitl. The Jets can’t go wrong with one of the top three centres in this draft. Chevy needs a dance partner to propel himself into the top three neighborhood. Maybe he and Buffalo Sabres GM Tim Murray can swing a deal that would send Kane, the ninth overall pick, and a prospect to Buffalo in exchange for the second overall pick in the NHL Draft.
On Thursday, the eager Jets GM reiterated that his cell phone is charged and on, awaiting calls inquiring about Kane and other Jets.
Kane may already be one skate out of Winnipeg as soon as this weekend, or this summer.
"I’m really not going to get into those kinds of discussions," Cheveldayoff said Thursday in his pre-draft news conference. "I think it’s unfair to the individual players. There’s enough out there at different points in time that some of it is probably true and some is probably false. At the end of the day, it is a business where you do discuss making moves that will help each other’s franchises but these are people that are involved, as well."
Thanks, Jets TV
Would you trade the second overall pick for Evander Kane? The young center picked at #2 will provide goals and assists in the NHL in two or three years. Kane will give you 30 goals this season. Kane does it all. He's big, tough, strong, edgy, and can dangle. At 22 years of age, Kane has accumulated valuable on-the-job-training and I dare say that he can still take his offensive game to another level.
I'd trade the #2 pick for a 30-35 goal scorer.
Wouldn't you?
_______________________________________________________________________
Philadelphia Flyers GM Ron Hextall is looking for two things at the NHL Draft: a back-up goaltender for Steve Mason , and, salary cap space.
Trading Vinny Lecavalier, the former all star and Stanley Cup winner, can provide two solutions to Hextall. Lecavalier has four years left on his current deal with a $4.5 million annual cap hit. The 33 year old is a center who was shipped to the wing last season. He wants to play the pivot, however, his wheels have gotten bald and worn over the past few years. The Flyers can’t tolerate paying a fourth line center $4.5 million over the next four seasons. Another added wrinkle to a Lecavalier trade is that he is due a $2 million bonus on July 1.
The Buffalo Sabres have the two things that the Flyers need: Nearly $!8 million to get to the salary cap floor, and, a stable of young goalies. Tim Murray has said that he will have no problem trading for a player(s) with a fat, cap-choking contract. Murray recently bought out busted forward Ville Leino. Murray needs to import character veterans who can mentor and guide the young pro and amateur forwards. Adding Lecavalier would not hurt the Sabres at all.
Murray can move young goalie Connor Knapp or Michael Neuvirth to the Flyers.The Sabres would still have goalies Jhonas Enroth, Nathan Lieuwen,,Matt Hackett, and Andrey Makarov.