WINNIPEG — The emotion of the response was impossible to ignore.
The general manager of the Winnipeg Jets clearly had something on his mind and a reflective question about Mark Scheifele provided the perfect opening to share his thoughts about someone else who continues to have an impact on the organization.
The words on the subject were brief, but it was the delivery of them that revealed the way Dale Hawerchuk is revered by the Jets and their fan base.
“Dale Hawerchuk was a very big supporter of Mark Scheifele when we went through the draft process and had lots of conversations. Dale is going through a tough time right now,” Kevin Cheveldayoff said on a Zoom call, pausing to fight back tears. “We as an organization are here to support him. We wish him all the best in his fight. He’s one of our family, and we’re with you, Dale.”
Cheveldayoff is stoic by nature and doesn’t show a lot of emotion.
Since the Jets relocated from Atlanta in 2011, Hawerchuk’s ties to the organization have only strengthened – and it reaches far beyond his influence in the first player chosen by Cheveldayoff.
Hawerchuk has attended numerous games in Winnipeg – including the 2015 Heritage Classic, where the Jets and Oilers alumni affair allowed many Manitobans to take a stroll down memory lane.
Whenever Hawerchuk is shown on a video screen, he’s been quick to express his love for the city and the Jets – and a standing ovation was sure to follow.
Hawerchuk’s son, Eric, revealed on Twitter earlier this week that Dale’s battle with cancer is continuing “after a resurgence of the terrible disease.”
That was sobering news, since just a few months earlier, there was a picture of Dale ringing the bell of hope after finishing his latest round of chemo treatment in Barrie, Ont.
Many in the hockey community, including the Jets, are sending their thoughts and prayers to Hawerchuk and his family. Winnipeg will wear a decal on their helmets in support.
Cheveldayoff composed himself and got back to answering hockey questions, though it’s clear the human element of this series with the Flames is something that won’t be ignored, even if it’s not on the front-burner each and every day.
It’s been an arduous season for the Jets on a number of levels and Cheveldayoff has been dealing with a series of important issues dating back to last summer, when he brokered a deal to send defenceman Jacob Trouba to the New York Rangers.
The future of Trouba had been a topic of discussion around these parts since a contract stalemate and trade request in 2016 and while it wasn’t a foregone conclusion he would be departing, most signs pointed that way.
With Trouba a year away from unrestricted free agency and the Jets coming off a first-round exit to the St. Louis Blues, the tipping point arrived during the week of the NHL Draft.
Cheveldayoff moved the 2012 first-rounder to the Rangers for blue-liner Neal Pionk and a 2020 first-rounder he had originally sent to New York in the deal for Kevin Hayes.
At the time of the deal, many questioned whether the return was enough for the Jets — and while the jury may still be out, both sides ultimately got what they wanted.
Trouba got a long-term deal in a big market, while the Jets got a capable top-four D-man that fit in seamlessly and put up career numbers this past season and led Winnipeg in power-play points (25, which was tied for 12th in the NHL).
The Jets used the first-round pick to select Finnish defenceman Ville Heinola, who appeared in eight games this fall and is the top prospect in the organization.
On the eve of training camp, Cheveldayoff found out Dustin Byfuglien didn’t have the desire to play hockey and asked for a personal leave of absence, which was granted.
Byfuglien never returned, leaving a massive hole on the Jets back end that was already in flux after the departure of Ben Chiarot (Montreal Canadiens) and Tyler Myers (Vancouver Canucks) in free agency.
There weren’t any marquee free agent signings either, since the Jets had high-scoring forwards Kyle Connor and Patrik Laine coming out of entry-level contracts and needing new deals — which were going to take up most of the available salary cap space.
After missing all of training camp, Cheveldayoff got Connor to commit long term (seven years, $50 million) and Laine to take a bridge (two years carrying an average annual value of $6.75 million).
That neither player missed any regular-season games was a bonus for the Jets, who dealt with a number of injuries to prominent players throughout the campaign.
After moving first-round picks to bolster the depth down the middle in 2018 and 2019, Cheveldayoff took an altered approach to the NHL trade deadline in 2020.
To try and help offset the loss of Byfuglien, whose contract was eventually mutually terminated, Cheveldayoff acquired Dylan DeMelo from the Ottawa Senators for a third-round pick in 2020.
He then picked up centre Cody Eakin from the Vegas Golden Knights to help minimize the absence of Bryan Little.
DeMelo helped stabilize the back end and finds himself on the top pairing with Josh Morrissey, while Eakin is on the second line with Laine and Nikolaj Ehlers.
“It’s interesting, until that question (was asked), it was almost like I forgot we traded for them because they just fit in so well, fit in so nicely,” said Cheveldayoff. “It feels like they’ve been part of the group from the beginning. And maybe it’s because you pause and you have the restart that we do here right now that everybody’s on that even footing.”
The bubble roster is set and now Cheveldayoff is about to find out what the Jets are going to do in the post-season.
“You talk about a season and you talk about the regular season and you’ve heard it many, many times where it’s been referred to as a marathon,” said Cheveldayoff. “It’s a marathon. Well, we’d better be prepared to sprint because that’s what it is right now. You’re hitting the ground, you’re hitting the ice, you’re in full-fledged playoffs and regardless of what happened in the last two weeks before the pause, certainly I think it shows what’s in this group and the fact that the disruptions that have happened within our organization this year, none of which were planned.
“The way that the players were so resilient and the way they chose never to use it as an excuse or use anything we were faced with a challenge as an excuse and stayed in the fight and did the things we needed to do, I really believe that’s going to help us right now. I hope they’re ready to show what they’ve been showing all season.”
The first-round loss to the Blues is fresh, though a run to the Western Conference Final before bowing out to the Golden Knights in five games the year before is ingrained in the memory bank as well.
What that means when these unpredictable playoffs begin is anyone’s guess.
“These games are so tightly contested, within the teams there’s not much disparity (between) the talent levels on any given team,” said Jets captain Blake Wheeler. “So the team that sticks with it and is consistent in how they play throughout the entirety of the game, I think that was the difference in our series with St. Louis last year. We had them on the ropes in Game 5 and they just kind of stayed with what they’re good at and did it for one more period in that Game 5 and kind of stole away the series from us.
“Those are little lessons I think we’ve learned over the last couple of years. We’ve been kind of knocking on the door for a couple of years now, we’ve learned a few things and I think we’re gaining some seasoning in those aspects of playoff hockey.”
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