Wanna blog? Start your own hockey blog with My HockeyBuzz. Register for free today!
 

It might be worse than believed

May 15, 2019, 6:14 PM ET [197 Comments]
Peter Tessier
Winnipeg Jets Blogger •Winnipeg Jets Writer • RSSArchiveCONTACT
Kevin Chevledayoff is in a bunker right now, he's not at the World Championships with his peers nor is he anywhere where anyone has seen him in recent weeks. This is a guy who has 4 key UFAs to deal with in Laine, Connor, Trouba and Copp. It' a bigger number if you want to include Beaulieu, Brossoit and Comrie. Yet all is quiet, not a murmur, not a peep and don't believe anyone saying that they Jets are preparing for the draft- they only have 3 picks.

Some have called this the "summer of Chevy" but haven't we had two of those already, or it is three? How many more critical moment opportunities does he get to shape this team and guide it out of the abyss? A critic might say it should never have gotten this far because it's obvious what should be done- they aren't wrong.

So what's going on?

This is where it gets murky as the Jets clearly have a lot of issues so there's bound to be a lot of rumors and speculation about what's going on and I've heard more than enough so far. Most of which I roll my eyes at while with other bits a sense of concern arises.

Players are concerned and as alluded to before there might be a division of loyalty or support within the dressing room. At some point everyone has to get on the same page in some way- either acquiescing to the other side, both sides compromising and finding a common middle ground or being told, 'this is how it is'.

The probable

Some players will be set free and if everything is accurate then perhaps one or two have asked for a change of scenery. Based on conversations and some poking around it seems that much is certain. You can guess about who that might be.


The likely

Chevy has been called by more than a few teams. In fact there are many sniffing around looking to see what they can coax Chevy into to help with his impending contract situation. It's no secret that Nik Ehlers is sough after, he has contract stability at an affordable rate and with his age and skill set he could be the one player Chevy gets tired of asking about. Imagine the Oilers with McDAvid feeding Ehlers- what would that be worth to them?

The crazy

I don't think anyone has a substance problem or that players have come to blows or physical action with each other but there are issues. There needs to be some team-building which is very hard to do when a team of millionaires scatters for the off-season. It's a challenge to fix what might not be fixable without moving players, so the above ideas might seem more probable.

What no one seems to know for sure is how significant the moves that will inevitably come are going to be. There's a lot of smoke but think of it this way, if trading Ehlers is a possibility would that be the only move that would happen? Probably not.

If some big changes are coming and there will be some simply due to cap space and contracts then how big should they be and why? If there are some major moves via trade it might shed some light on much of the above and general rumor or speculation since the last half of the season.

Basically the moves that eventually come that seem non-contract related are probably the ones that will shed light on where issues lie within the team and room. A lot of big 'if's in all of this but that's what happens when things are left to linger too long, unaddressed and hoping for a natural solution.
Join the Discussion: » 197 Comments » Post New Comment
More from Peter Tessier
» Who are the Jets and time for me to let go...
» Jets bet Oilers in scoreless but exciting game.
» Digestion Problems: Jets edition
» Laine shines in 5-2 win over Wild
» Hellebuyck, Laine and Defense shine in 4-1 win over Penguins