If Winnipeg Jets general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff believes his current group has learned lessons from its early playoff exit and can make a deeper run next spring, he may be in good position to keep the band together. His most notable unrestricted free agents (UFAs) all seem open to some extent to re-signing in Winnipeg.
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The four biggest-ticket UFAs — Dylan DeMelo, Brenden Dillon, Sean Monahan, and Tyler Toffoli — all spoke at the Jets’ “garbage bag day” Thursday at Canada Life Centre. Naturally, they all addressed the topic of potential for new contracts.
DeMelo and Dillon Want to Stay Put
Two mainstay blue liners certainly aren’t looking for greener pastures.
DeMelo said at 31 years old, he’d like to get a longer-term deal and said “I can definitely see myself staying here, there’s no doubt about it.” He is coming off a four-year contract he signed with the Jets in 2020 that carried a $3 million average annual value (AAV.)
“I know for sure I’m definitely comfortable here, I’ve played my best hockey here, I really think my best hockey is still ahead of me, and I’ve really loved my time here. The guys in this room are guys I want to play with and want to win with,” he said.
DeMelo has played 295 games for the Jets since being acquired from the Ottawa Senators near the 2019 Trade Deadline. He has recorded 10 goals and 70 assists for 80 points — including a career-high 31 points (three goals, 28 assists) this season — but is more known as a stay-at-home guy who posts strong possession metrics. He has played primarily with Josh Morrissey over the past two seasons and complements Morrissey — who has really broken out over the past two campaigns — well.
When asked what the most important factors are in determining where to sign, he said “my fit, where I fit on the team, my role, where I feel like I can contribute the most, and obviously a huge factor is the ability to win.”
“Obviously, like I said, it’s not a guarantee to make playoffs every year, there’s no guarantee you win, but if you feel like you have a group that can make at least the playoffs and make some good runs… like I said, I’m 31, you only get so many kicks at the can,” he continued.
DeMelo reflected on the fact he has never been past the second round in his nine-year career. “I wanna get there (to the Stanley Cup Final). There’s no doubt about it that I feel that we can do that also here in this group.”
He also revealed that he and his wife Jessica are expecting their second child in August, so stability is also a consideration for their young family.
“Going from a 2-1 zone to a man-on-man is going to be interesting,” he said, to big laughs. “That’s a factor as well. We’ve really enjoyed our time here, my wife and I and our son… it’s not just you in the fold, it’s going to be four instead of three.”
Dillon, meanwhile, said he is “frustrated” he has not been tendered an offer yet and that he and DeMelo were able to vent to each other about their UFA statuses as Connor Hellebuyck, Mark Scheifele, and Nino Niederreiter all signed lengthy new deals.
“Am I frustrated that I’m not signed sitting here and ready for next year? Absolutely. For this team, I feel like I’m a big part of it. I feel like coming in — I’ve said it numerous times — I love the group of guys we have. I love the d-group we have, we have a lot of fun together, we want to get better together,” he said.
A hard and heavy defenseman, the 33-year-old has played 238 games with the Jets over three seasons since being acquired from the Washington Capitals in 2021 and had eight goals and 12 assists for 20 points in 77 games this season while playing mainly on the second pairing with Neal Pionk. Dillon’s contract, which Cheveldayoff inherited the last three years of from the Capitals, carried a $3.9 million AAV.
“I feel like I’m a big part of this team. I feel like coming in, I’ve said it numerous times, I love the group of guys we have. In the D group we have, we have a lot of fun together, and we want to get better together,” Dillon said.
“It’s crazy to think it’s been three years now I’ve been here, and I feel like every year we’ve gotten better and better. There’s a lot of positives this year as unfortunate as the ending was,” he continued before adding how strong he feels the Jets’ team culture has become.
“We’ve got a good group in there that I’d like to be part of going forward, for sure,” he said. He added later that being a UFA isn’t always about going for the big money and his biggest desires are to win and be wanted.
A veteran of 892-career games over 13 seasons, Dillon has 37 goals and 159 assists for 196 points, a career plus-66 rating, 2169 hits, 1181 blocked shots, and has averaged 18:44 in ice time.
Monahan Says Winnipeg Is a Place To Win
Monahan, meanwhile, gave the organization a big endorsement and it seems a “rental” has the potential to be more.
“The biggest thing for me is I want to give myself a chance to win and this is a spot that definitely wants to win and has the makings of doing that,” the veteran centre said.
That must have been music to Cheveldayoff’s ears. The GM had a strong last 12 months and turned a team that seemed destined for a rebuild into one whose contention window should be open for a few years yet despite the playoff setback.
“I really enjoyed my time here. It goes by quick. I feel like I’ve been here for a long time but you look back and it’s just a couple months. Met some obviously great teammates. It’s a great organization,” Monahan continued.
Cheveldayoff acquired Monahan from the Montreal Canadiens in early February as a preemptive strike in the Central Division arms race and he fit seamlessly up the middle on the Jets’ second line. The 29-year old put up 13 goals and 11 assists for 24 points in 34 games and was also excellent in the dot for a team that’s struggled to post a plus-50 faceoff percentage, winning 54.7 per cent of his draws.
Between the Jets and Canadiens this season, Monahan had 26 goals and 33 assists for 59 points and actually played 83 games. His one-year, $2 million “prove it” contract he signed with the Habs last summer is set to expire and he will be looking for a significant raise on a contract with term, similar to the six-year deal he had with the Calgary Flames prior that carried a $6.375 AAV.
Toffoli Plays Cards Close to His Chest
Toffoli was much less forthcoming than DeMelo, Dillon, or Monahan. The scoring winger didn’t rule out re-signing in Winnipeg, but seems to want to test the open market.
“I feel like I’ve worked my way to an opportunity to see what’s next and whatever happens, happens,” he said. “It’s one of those things you take it day-by-day and things kind of happened much quicker than I would have liked. We’ll see kind of what happens, you know, in the future here.”
Cards, meet chest.
Toffoli, acquired from the New Jersey Devils at the trade deadline, was one of the league’s biggest pieces of trade bait. The move didn’t turn out to be as impactful as hoped: he had flashes of brilliance, to be sure, and put up seven goals and four assists for 11 points in 18 games, but his scoring mainly came in bunches.
He added two goals in five playoff games, but by Game 5, had been demoted to the fourth line. Regardless, adding Toffoli was a logical move that addressed a clear need at the time — to add another top-six talent with playoff experience.
Toffoli is coming off a four-year contract he inked with the Montreal Canadiens in 2020 that carries a $4.25 million AAV. The Devils agreed to retain 50 per cent of his salary in the deal with the Jets.
Toffoli was drafted by the Los Angeles Kings 47th overall in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft and played 515 games for the Kings over eight seasons. Between his time with the Kings and Devils, he had stints with the Vancouver Canucks, Canadiens, and Flames. He has 521 points (260 goals, 261 assists) in 852-career games over 12 seasons and after putting up 30-plus goals both this season and last, could be courted by a number of teams this summer.
Cheveldayoff Has Tough Decisions to Make
Cheveldayoff constructed a strong roster that won 52 games — tying a Jets’ 2.0 record — but they were ultimately crushed by a much higher-octane and playoff-hardened Colorado Avalanche club. With the salary cap slated to rise to $87.5 million, he will have just over $13 million of cap space to work with and he’ll have to figure out if that’s best spent on “running it back” or letting some players walk in favour of acquiring new talent.
The Jets have won just three playoff series in 13 seasons since relocating from Atlanta and questions as to whether the core is capable of being more than also-rans have become even louder after a second-straight first round exit. The offseason, which will be longer and potentially more bitter than expected, promises to be fascinating.
“For us, obviously there are going to be changes,” Cheveldayoff said Thursday. “Whether it’s trading picks or trading different things or making hard buyouts. Nothing’s been off the table. That’s not saying anything is imminent.”