Looking back at Kevin Cheveldayoff’s last 5 trades

5 months ago

Be sure to check Betway to check out the latest Jets game day odds and bet on the NHL! The NHL trade deadline is just over a month away, but the arms race to be the best team in the Western Conference has already started. The Vancouver Canucks would start things off with a trade with the Calgary Flames to acquire Elias Lindholm. Winnipeg Jets GM would get his first trade of 2024 under his belt as just a few days later he would trade for Sean Monahan.

Judging folks at the management positions of sports is a lot of “What have you done for me lately?” At the end of last season, I was pretty low on the Jets’ general manager and was hoping to see someone else manning the ship for the Jets. But in the last eight months, my tune on Cheveldayoff has completely changed. So let’s look back at the last five trades that have directly affected the Jets.

Mar. 21, 2022 – Winnipeg Jets trade 2022 5th round pick to the Ottawa Senators for Zach Sanford

Remember that time in 2022 the Jets thought they could be both buyers and sellers at the trade deadline and still missed the playoffs? Good times. Sanford was brought in to fill a bottom-six role, and the Jets didn’t need to give much up for the 2013 61st overall draft pick.

His contract was minimal at only two million dollars. The veteran forward only played 18 games for the Jets and would only pick up four assists. He felt like a good add at the time as he was a part of the 2019 Stanley Cup-winning St. Louis Blues. Ultimately Sanford would sign a one-year deal with the Nashville Predators in the summer of 2022 as a depth piece.

The fifth-rounder who was picked up by the Senators, Cameron O’Neil, is still playing NCAA hockey for UMass. The Jets needed a depth piece to finish up the season. Sanford was the guy, and the Jets gave up basically nothing for him and got four assists from the depth forward. Overall this was a solid C trade, this was the worst of the last five.

Feb. 25, 2023 – Winnipeg Jets trade 2024 2nd round pick to the Nashville Predators for Nino Niederreiter

This has been the trade that keeps on giving. Niederreiter has been a welcome addition since his first game played as a Jet and has found a home playing with Adam Lowry and Mason Appleton on the Jets’ shutdown line. In 69 games with the Jets, he has 18 goals and 38 points.

The Swiss forward has changed his mindset from an offensive game to a more defensive game, and because of that, he is averaging the second-most shots per game in a season in his career at 2.28 shots per game. Crazy what a little defense and having the best third center in the world will do for your game. Finally, he is just nine blocked shots away from surpassing his previous record of 33 blocked shots.

Niederreiter would sign a contract extension before the midway point of his first full season in Winnipeg and become an important member of the Winnipeg community by mentoring a U13 hockey club with the True North Foundation.

The Jets still haven’t paid the price for Niederreiter; we are still waiting for the 2024 draft, but the way things are looking for the Jets, it looks like that will be a late second-round draft pick for the Predators. The odds of that player turning into an NHLer will take until probably 2028 to develop. This has been a great trade for the Jets, and Niederreiter will be with the club until 2027. Overall, this is an A trade.

Mar. 3, 2023 – Winnipeg Jets trade 2025 4th round pick to the San Jose Sharks for Vladislav Namestnikov

You thought Niederreiter was great? Look at the Swiss-army knife that is Vlad Namestnikov and how cheaply the Jets got him. Namestnikov has played pretty much every role for the Jets’ forward group. Whether the Jets have needed a top center-man or a fourth-line winger, the Russian-born player has been exactly what the Jets have needed.

The versatility of Namestnikov has extended to both special teams; he has played 70 minutes with the extra-man attack and 65 minutes while on the penalty kill. While his power-play points have been minimal (two goals and 1 assist), he has only been on the ice for seven goals against during the penalty kill.

The 6ft Russian seems like a great leader and is always happy to be in whatever situation head coach Rick Bowness puts him in. We are still going to be waiting to see what the Sharks draft in the fourth round in 2025, but damn, that was a great pick up. Once again, this has been an A-grade trade for Cheveldayoff.

JETS NATION PRESENTED BY BETWAY

Jun. 27, 2023 – Winnipeg Jets trade Pierre-Luc Dubois to the LA Kings for Gabriel Vilardi, Alex Iafallo, and Rasmus Kupari and a 2024 second-round draft pick

I am still not over this deal. The Kings’ former third line for a guy who didn’t want to be in Winnipeg. Cheveldayoff made magic happen in late June. He cut out a player who had one foot out the door for three guys who want to be in Winnipeg and potentially an early second-round draft pick from the LA Kings, who have fallen hard lately.

Vilardi, who has been injured twice this season, has been a great addition to the top line with Kyle Connor and Mark Scheifele. We are waiting to see those three build chemistry and really show off who they are as a trio. I personally have a lot of fun watching him perform on the power play just to the side of the net.

Iafallo is looking for his sixth straight season of scoring 10 or more goals. He has played up and down the lineup all season as he is just the perfect piece for anywhere. He is a part of the best fourth line in the NHL with lots of people making the case he should play on the third line with Lowry and Niederreiter.

Iafallo is also a great penalty killer with a great attitude. I hope to start seeing more of his name on the back of more Jets jerseys.

Kupari has played on the fourth line when he has been healthy. I still see him as a fringe NHL player. The young Finn has just one assist in 21 games with the Jets. He still needs some time to get up to speed in the NHL. I think he needs some more time with the Manitoba Moose before he can start to cook in the NHL.

This trade, getting four pieces back for PLD, is nothing short of a miracle, and early on, this trade looks like Cheve has done nothing but win. This trade is an A++.

Feb. 2, 2024, Winnipeg Jets trade 2024 1st round pick (WPG), 2027 3rd round pick (WPG) [Conditional] to Montreal Canadiens for Sean Monahan Conditions: Montreal receives the 2027 3rd round pick if Winnipeg wins the 2024 Stanley Cup.

If you were away over the last four days and missed the Sean Monahan trade, make sure you read up on it. I don’t want to break down this trade too much more. We are still waiting to see Monahan play his first game for the Jets, but the Jets get a solid power player forward who will slot into the second-line center spot during 5-on-5 play.

If Monahan stays healthy for the rest of the regular season and into the playoffs, I see this as an absolute win for both clubs.

Montreal gets a late first-round pick, which is something they will need since Winnipeg has their second-round draft pick this season. Montreal still gets two picks in the first two-rounds and they get a better shot at a lottery pick this season with Monahan out of the line-up.

Monahan comes in as a relatively cheap player at just 1.9 million dollars for the Jets’ top six and maybe fixes the horrid power play. The Jets still have 3.2 million dollars left over in cap space for another trade. As of February 5th, 2024, this trade gets a B grade.

What are your thoughts on the last five Jets trades, and who would you like the Jets to target before the trade deadline? Let us know in the comment section below or on our Facebook page.

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