Jets GM Kevin Cheveldayoff talks NHL Draft, Nikolaj Ehlers, Jonathan Toews: 5 things we learned

Winnipeg Jets general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff says hell keep speaking with Nikolaj Ehlers about a contract extension until he cant anymore.

He says Winnipeg built bonuses into its contract for Jonathan Toews to give itself flexibility to add players.

Ehlers could be a big part of that, but the dynamic forward has informed the Jets hes going to explore the unrestricted free-agent market.

Its possible he wont find the price, opportunity and fit hes looking for the door is not slammed shut on a Winnipeg return but he is one of the top forwards available in a league that has $240 million more cap space than it did one year ago.

If he likes the idea of the Carolina Hurricanes, for example, Ehlers is a readymade Martin Necas replacement for a team with $26.7 million in cap space and only a few roster spots to fill.

Advertisement Is Winnipeg still in dialogue with Ehlers? Well continue to have conversations until we cant, until were saying Congratulations or Thank you, Cheveldayoff said Thursday.

Hopefully, (Toews signing) moves the needle.

Well find out.

Cheveldayoff was more forthcoming about myriad other Jets topics Thursday, including moments of frustration at recent NHL Drafts, from Winnipegs plans with its first-round pick Friday through Adam Lowry, Brad Lambert and Nikita Chibrikov injury updates, plus a thought on what the Jets can do about the sheer number of no-trade clauses in the NHL.

Heres what we learned from Cheveldayoff this week.

1.

Winnipegs analytics staff will model 2025 draft outcomes A comprehensive study of multiple public draft rankings reveals more agreement from list to list than in other years.

Cheveldayoff shares that sentiment after comparing public rankings with the ones created by Winnipegs scouts.

Were seeing a lot of the same names when it comes to public lists, Cheveldayoff said.

Youre just seeing them in a different order.

To him, the names arent quite as interesting as the drop-off points.

Some analysts say there isnt much difference between players projected for the middle of the first round and those available in the middle of the second round this year.

This is not a consensus.

The Athletic s Corey Pronman disagrees, arguing instead that the first big drop-off will happen roughly between picks No.

20 and 25.

The Jets dont pick until No.

28.

If Pronman is right, a lot of the top-end talent will be off the board.

If hes wrong, the Jets can choose between a variety of impact players even towards the tail end of Round 1.

The draft could break many ways before the Jets make their selection, and Winnipeg wants to be prepared for each possible outcome.

Advertisement The Jets will study eight to 10 years of draft data, comparing how their scouts ranked each player with when each player was taken in the draft.

You see where other respected outside lists have him on their list and (see) where theyre taken, Cheveldayoff said.

Then, guys that are much smarter than me put them into the computer and write the algorithms to try and say that, Based on history, this guy could go here.

(Based on) where we have him on our list and where they have him on their lists, we think theres a great probability that hes going to be there for you.

If youve ever participated in a fantasy hockey draft, youve felt the pressure of unexpected moments.

Maybe someone takes a goalie earlier than expected, causing a run on all the starters.

Maybe other GMs go after player types youre not interested in, and you want to know whether the player youre hoping for will make it to your next pick.

The Jets are using data to remove some of the guesswork, even though Cheveldayoff acknowledges everything can change in an instant.

The funny thing is, as soon as a player is taken out of order, those things change, he said.

Its a dynamic type of situation.

It adds a level, where youve gone in scouting from boards on the wall where youd write the names down to now doing things like this that make it that much more detailed.

2.

Lowry, Morrissey and Scheifele are all in on Toews When it started to look like Toews was a real possibility for Winnipeg, Cheveldayoff reached out to his leadership group for their thoughts.

It was partially a courtesy call permission to share those players phone numbers with Toews so he could reach out and ask questions.

It was also a chance for Cheveldayoff to gauge his leadership groups response to the acquisition of a marquee player with a lot of clout.

He says all three of his captains texted back within seconds with enthusiasm for Toews to reach out.

Advertisement Thats not insignificant.

Toews was the Chicago Blackhawks captain from 2008 through 2023.

Hes going to have an impact on the Jets leadership group with or without a letter on his jersey, and, as the teams new elder statesman, hes probably someone Lowry, Mark Scheifele and Josh Morrissey look up to.

A less secure leadership group might have balked.

This one was all in.

Cheveldayoff shared one other piece of Toews recruitment information.

(Toews) was skating in Arizona State.

Theres some people that have closeness to our scouting staff that talked about how hard he was working and how much he had progressed, Cheveldayoff said.

But the thing that they raved about was just him as a person with all of those young players.

Every one of those young players raved about how good he made them feel.

And thats what he is: Hes a leader.

3.

Winnipegs approach to Round 1 on Friday, late picks Saturday Winnipegs prospect pool has thinned to the point that it needs help at every position.

Its not as simple as saying the Jets need a defenceman, despite Elias Salomonssons being the lone blue-chip prospect on that front, nor are they set at wing just because Kyle Connor is a threat to score 90 points each season.

Connor Hellebuyck, the gold standard for Jets draft espionage , is 32 years old.

Thomas Milic and Dom DiVincentiis are good prospects, but it could even be time for the Jets to pick a goaltender such as Joshua Ravensbergen if hes available at No.

28.

The Jets are more likely to take a big centre or defenceman early, saving goaltending for the tail end of the draft.

We covered 12 forward and defenceman possibilities for the Jets in this piece .

If Henry Brzustewicz falls to Winnipeg at No.

28, the big right-shot defenceman is a good candidate.

The Jets have done due diligence on the extremely talented 6-foot-0 right wing Ryker Lee.

That said, big centres such as William Horcoff, Mason West and Milton Gastrin have a lot of appeal.

Advertisement Asked whether Winnipeg would take a forward, a defenceman or simply the best player available, Cheveldayoff smiled and said, Yes.

4.

Winnipeg will deal with no-trade clauses for years to come The number of no-trade clauses is unique to the NHL, and so too is the proportion of them likely to include the Jets.

Thats from my most recent Jets mailbag , wherein I did the following research: According to PuckPedia, the NHL has 80 players with full NMCs and another 164 players with at least some amount of no-trade protection.

Remember that 49 percent of polled NHL players report that Winnipeg would be the first team on their no-trade clause; add them to the 80 NMCs, and you get at least 160 players 21.7 percent of the league likely to have a no, thank you to Winnipeg built into their contracts.

(That number is likely higher, assuming that Winnipeg is sometimes second, third, etc., on a no-trade clause.) The NHL and NHLPA are close to agreeing on several tweaks for the next CBA.

Other leagues such as MLB, the NBA and the NFL offer various forms of no-trade protection, but theyre much harder for players to attain.

Isnt this a much bigger deal than tax rates? What can the Jets do to advocate for themselves? The players that get the opportunity to have no-trades in their contracts and we hand out some as well with guys on our own contracts theyve earned that right.

Something like (changing no-trade clauses) would have to be collectively bargained out, Cheveldayoff said.

Everything comes at a cost.

Whether it was discussed or is discussed is above my pay grade when it comes to what eventually happens in a CBA.

Everything in there is negotiated, so whether we like it or dont like it, when its in there you read it, abide by it and move on.

It was a diplomatic way of saying Winnipegs hands are tied.

Clawing back on no-trade clauses takes buy-in from a much broader group of NHL teams and requires a major concession to the NHLPA by the NHLs owners.

Dont hold your breath.

Advertisement 5.

Injury updates, including Lowry after surgery Lowry had hip surgery May 27 to address an ongoing ailment, one that has required maintenance over multiple years.

After every season, Lowry has undergone what Cheveldayoff called a benchmark test.

This year, there was a noticeable change in Lowrys condition compared with last season, so his doctor recommended surgery.

Lowry decided to do it as soon as possible to miss as little of next season as possible, but hes still expected to miss some time at the start.

Lowry is almost out of crutches now, Cheveldayoff said, with a wide range of possibilities for his return to NHL action.

We wont really (have clarity) until he progresses into the skating phases.

Those are things where you also want to be cautious.

You put all of that time and effort into rehab.

You want to make sure that its the right decision, Cheveldayoff said.

The Jets release May 28 suggested a five- to six-month recovery.

Meanwhile, Lamberts ankle is fully healed.

He would likely have joined Winnipegs practices if the Jets beat the Dallas Stars in the playoffs.

Chibrikovs lower-body injury appears to have taken longer.

Hes expected to train for the rest of the summer in Toronto or Florida and join Winnipeg at training camp.

Cheveldayoff said Thursday that Winnipegs message for Chibrikov, Lambert and the young players at development camp next week is that opportunity is on its way.

At some point in time, theres going to be opportunity.

It could come quick, or it could come down the line, but, as an organization, we need you to take these next steps.

Everybody wants to play.

The young players want to play quick, fast, now.

We want them to play when theyre ready and for a long time.

Well get two more opportunities to speak with Cheveldayoff before free agency opens Tuesday, after the first round of the draft, via video call, and again at development camp Monday.

(Top photo of Nikolaj Ehlers: Bob Frid / Imagn Images).

This article has been shared from the original article on theathleticuk, here is the link to the original article.