TSN Insider Trading | Dreger on the Winnipeg Jets options to acquire help

Jets GM Kevin Cheveldayoff’s midseason media availability on Monday did little to ease concerns, leaving many fans frustrated by the lack of answers and a clear path forward for the league’s last-place franchise.

On today’s Insider Trading segment on TSN, Darren Dreger offered his insight into the current state of the Jets.

“The Winnipeg Jets are in scouting meetings now, but I wouldn’t anticipate that there’s going to be any remedy in the very near future, within days anyway, and also, look, Winnipeg isn’t throwing in the towel. They know where their position is in the Western Conference standings. Is it disappointing? I mean that’s the understatement of the year in Winnipeg. Would they like to add some scoring punch, which is what the general manager was alluding to? Absolutely.

But you’ve got to look under every stone because the last time I checked around the NHL, Gino, GMs, other GMs aren’t just giving away productive forwards, scoring wingers or top centres. That’s just not real. That stuff doesn’t happen, and I think the market is clamouring for some sort of injection of positivity here.

And wondering, from a media perspective, what type of assets is Cheveldayoff willing to include? Are we talking about a young player or a prospect, another first-round draft pick? None of that can be ascertained until the market shows itself. Is there a scoring forward that is available and not a rental player? Could it be a younger player that maybe you step up with the assets required?

It’s still too early, but I know the Jets do understand and appreciate the frustration in their market because it’s deserved.”

With so many teams still in the mix, about 90% of the league appears to be in buying mode (even if they should be sellers), which means it may be a while before anything substantive changes.