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ESPN article on GM's most likely to make a trade

10. Kevin Cheveldayoff, Winnipeg Jets

Current standings: 14-15-2, last place in the Central

Estimated cap room: $12.4 million

This was the toughest call on this list. On the one hand, Cheveldayoff might be the most notoriously conservative GM in the entire league when it comes to trading. From his first day on the job in 2011 through this February, he had famously never made a single trade involving NHL players on both sides, leading critics to wonder what he actually did to earn his paycheck. Then came that elusive first real trade, and it was an honest-to-goodness blockbuster -- a seven-player monster that shipped Evander Kane to the Buffalo Sabres. Add the fact that Cheveldayoff has a team on the playoff bubble, three pending free agents reportedly asking for big money and more cap space to work with than any team in the league, and the ingredients are there for the Jets to be the trade market's biggest player. So which Cheveldayoff shows up? The situation demands that the Jets be in the top 10, but their GM's history says don't get your hopes up.

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Sun

He let some wily veterans go, hoping younger, cheaper players would fill their roles.

But Winnipeg Jets GM Kevin Cheveldayoff has seen his team plunge into the basement of the NHL's Central Division, 31 games into the season.

So the lesson is simple.

The NHL's most frugal team this season – the Jets are ranked dead-last in spending under the salary cap – is getting exactly what it paid for.

Bargain-basement results for bargain-basement spending.

Winnipeg's payroll of $59 million is not only $12.4 million shy of the ceiling, it's just $6.2 million above the floor.

Nobody else is pinching pennies as tightly his season, not even the spendthrift Arizona Coyotes, ranked 29th at $60.5 million (the teams switch places when you consider actual spending and not just the total cap hits).

Of course, spending and winning don't always correlate.

But you can't help but wonder how much of a difference even two of Michael Frolik, Jim Slater and Lee Stempniak – or the acquisition of a similar free agent last summer -- might be making.

Frolik went to Calgary for a $1 million raise over the $3.3 million he made last year.

Slater wound up overseas, while Stempniak could have been had for a song, which is what the New Jersey Devils are giving him to be among their scoring leaders.

Instead, the Jets are paying close to minimum wage for, and getting minimal production from, young players like Andrew Copp, Nikolaj Ehlers and Anthony Peluso.

Another young player expected to take on a larger role, second-year forward Adam Lowry, was shipped down to the farm, Wednesday.

Yet another, Alex Burmistrov, isn't making anybody forget Frolik.

The Jets are thinner than a swimsuit model up front, with a skimpy payroll that hasn't even been tested by injuries, yet.

There's no competition for jobs, no push from a bad farm team.

In fact, there's so little forward talent at their disposal there's nobody obvious to call up to take Lowry's spot.

The last call-up, Joel Armia, didn't get into a single game, spending three weeks in the press box.

Going into the season, head coach Paul Maurice was selling the fact his team didn't win a single playoff game last spring, so it needed to make some changes in order to take the next step.

He didn't say anything about a step back.

Players and coaches alike aren't using the loss of veterans as a crutch, but that doesn't mean it's not a factor.

“When you're losing games you try and find answers,” Drew Stafford said, Wednesday. “There's ups and downs in a season, ebbs and flows... Having veterans helps. But we're not leaning on the excuse that we're a young team, that we have new guys... because every team in the league has young guys.”

Ditto from Andrew Ladd.

“That's an excuse,” the captain said. “There's a lot of great hockey minds in here, young or old, and enough veteran presence in here to get through that.”

And this from Mark Stuart: “We've got plenty of guys in this room to get the job done. It's got nothing to do with personnel. We're fine there. We've just got to finish off games.”

But they've won just six of their last 18.

Tuesday's blown-lead loss to St. Louis was just the latest example of a team that's missing a little something and is being chewed up by its division rivals.

What happens when a front-line forward or two go down?

This team not only can't afford another skid, it can't even afford to go .500 for another month

But it can afford to be in the middle of the pack for player salaries.m

You might argue Cheveldayoff left all the cap room so he could sign new deals with either Ladd or defenceman Dustin Byfuglien, or both.

But those new contracts wouldn't kick in until next season. Cheveldayoff still could have got a veteran free agent or two on a one-year deal.

Besides, he's failed to get either Ladd or Byfuglien to re-up.

So not only does the immediate future remain uncertain, the present is threatening to swirl down the drain.

The only good news for fans if things don't change: they'll be saving some bucks, too.

Because they won't have to buy a single playoff ticket.

paul.friesen@sunmedia.ca

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I'd offer Stafford, Petan, a 1st in 2017 and Harkins and then trade Myers and a 2nd in 2016 for Hamonic.

Give Buff 40m over 5 years or 42 over 6. Re-sign Ladd or go after a quality LW like Kreider in a trade or someone that is an UFA like Okposo (switch Ehlers to LW).

2017-2018 season lineup...

 

Connor- RyJo- Little/Okposo

Ehlers- Scheif -Wheeler

Perreault/De Leo- Roslovic -Armia

Lemieux- Copp -Thorbs/Lipon

 

Trouba Buff

Morrissey Hamonic

Enstrom Kostalek

 

Helle/Comrie

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You wouldn't trade Myers and a 2nd rounder for Hamonic? I would.

He'd be a good pairing with Morrissey and show him proper how to play D.

Playing with Myers is going to show Morrissey how to rush the puck and go all out on O and play soft behind your own line. The Jets are a better team with Hamonic on the team than Myers.

I know you don't agree with this but I would rank Myers as our #3 RHD behind Buff and Trouba.

 

 

edit    Hamonic's salary is 4.875 starting next season for 4 years. Actual cap hit is 3.857143m per year.

          Myers Salary is 10.5 over the next 3 seasons and the actual cap hit is 5.5m per year.

          So, caphit is about 1.7m per year less and actual salary is 1.375m per year more.

          Hamonic is under contract for one more year than Myers. Myers and Hamonic were born in 1990.

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I'd offer Stafford, Petan, a 1st in 2017 and Harkins and then trade Myers and a 2nd in 2016 for Hamonic.

Give Buff 40m over 5 years or 42 over 6. Re-sign Ladd or go after a quality LW like Kreider in a trade or someone that is an UFA like Okposo (switch Ehlers to LW).

2017-2018 season lineup...

Connor- RyJo- Little/Okposo

Ehlers- Scheif -Wheeler

Perreault/De Leo- Roslovic -Armia

Lemieux- Copp -Thorbs/Lipon

Trouba Buff

Morrissey Hamonic

Enstrom Kostalek

Helle/Comrie

Your rosters change on an almost daily basis.... with that being said I got 2 words for ya......... dream on.

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I'd offer Stafford, Petan, a 1st in 2017 and Harkins and then trade Myers and a 2nd in 2016 for Hamonic.

Give Buff 40m over 5 years or 42 over 6. Re-sign Ladd or go after a quality LW like Kreider in a trade or someone that is an UFA like Okposo (switch Ehlers to LW).

2017-2018 season lineup...

Connor- RyJo- Little/Okposo

Ehlers- Scheif -Wheeler

Perreault/De Leo- Roslovic -Armia

Lemieux- Copp -Thorbs/Lipon

Trouba Buff

Morrissey Hamonic

Enstrom Kostalek

Helle/Comrie

Your rosters change on an almost daily basis.... with that being said I got 2 words for ya......... dream on.

 

I just heard that song like 2 minutes ago.

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RyJo isn't even worth much right now. That's a massive overpayment. Little straight up or nothing really. 6 million to qualify a guy who has questionable work ethic and no heart. Do people ever think... why is cbj considering trading him? Probably cuz like Kane... he's not worth the hassle. Guy is totally not a true north type of player. Fantasy land is fun but in the real world.... we have zero chance at getting him. If we do... we won't but if we do....I'll stop posting in the jets forum until the draft. And when considering trades remember that Winnipeg is not exactly a destination of choice for most guys... most players have no trade clause or a list of teams he won't accept a trade 2... winnipeg is on that list 99 percent of the time. That's why Hamonic saying he pretty much wants to be trades here is a big deal...cuz nobody wants too. The reality of being back in the nhl sucks

Jets won't build through trades. .. they will build through drafting and developing. Might as well just accept it.

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RyJo isn't even worth much right now. That's a massive overpayment. Little straight up or nothing really. 6 million to qualify a guy who has questionable work ethic and no heart. Do people ever think... why is cbj considering trading him? Probably cuz like Kane... he's not worth the hassle. Guy is totally not a true north type of player. Fantasy land is fun but in the real world.... we have zero chance at getting him. If we do... we won't but if we do....I'll stop posting in the jets forum until the draft. And when considering trades remember that Winnipeg is not exactly a destination of choice for most guys... most players have no trade clause or a list of teams he won't accept a trade 2... winnipeg is on that list 99 percent of the time. That's why Hamonic saying he pretty much wants to be trades here is a big deal...cuz nobody wants too. The reality of being back in the nhl sucks

Jets won't build through trades. .. they will build through drafting and developing. Might as well just accept it.

While i agree with you on players desire to play in Winnipeg my thoughts on Johanson diiffer and i point out Tyler Sequin as a prime example that has a lot of the attributes that you have associated with Johanson but has turned it around in Dallas. Not saying that the same will happen with him but sometimes things just click at different times of ones life. Anyways as you say we got next to no chance to get him just not the blueprint for this team.

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