Winnipeg Jets General Manager Kevin Cheveldayoff recently addressed the team’s top offseason priorities and the future of head coach Scott Arniel. When questioned about augmenting the roster, especially after core players achieved career-best seasons, Cheveldayoff stated that the immediate focus is on concluding the exit process. He indicated that the team is not yet ready to decisively “turn the page” and will dedicate significant time to discussions and evaluations.
Cheveldayoff explained that formal conversations with other NHL teams regarding player movement will not commence for some time, as each team needs to complete their own internal processes and address their respective levels of disappointment. In the interim, the organization will be closely observing the Manitoba Moose, the Jets’ AHL affiliate, and evaluating internal players who may have earned opportunities to fill roster gaps.
Regarding the coaching staff, specifically head coach Scott Arniel, Cheveldayoff reiterated that his future is part of the ongoing evaluation. He mentioned that, similar to players, the coaching staff will have the opportunity to share their perspectives. Cheveldayoff acknowledged the hard work and preparation of the entire coaching team. However, he declined to make any definitive pronouncements at this stage, stressing his commitment to a thorough evaluation process that he owes to the organization, himself, the fans, and the players. He concluded by stating that they are not yet ready to move on from any decisions and will continue to assess all aspects.
Winnipeg Jets GM Kevin Cheveldayoff on Their Priorities and Coach Scott Arniel
Winnipeg Jets GM Kevin Cheveldayoff was asked a few days ago about their top priorities and the status of head coach Scott Arniel.
Reporter: “What’s your top priority when it comes to augmenting the roster, Kevin? Because you’re, you know, a lot of your core guys and your high end guys had the best years they’ve ever had.”
Cheveldayoff: “Yeah, so, you know, again, I think there’s probably, you know, lots of different priorities. And sitting here right now, the priority is, you know, doing the going through the exit process here. I’m not ready to just, you know, say, ‘Okay, we’re ready to turn the page here.’ We’re not turning the page on this one here for a bit, you know.
So we’ll spend a lot of time, you know, talking, you know, about that. You know, 16 teams are out, eight more teams are going to be out. And, you know, 10, 12, days, you know, there’s the conversations with other teams and stuff like that aren’t really going to start, you know, for a while yet. Like everyone will have to go through their, you know, their own processes. They’ll have their, you know, own levels of disappointment.
But, you know, obviously the you know, the (Manitoba) Moose are playing, so you’re going to, you know, sit and watch, you know, watch them as well, keep, you know, evaluating the internal players. Some of them obviously had a good run here to get a chance to play. See if those are areas that are going to plug your holes.
And again, it’s there’s no one single priority that’s sitting here at this point in time, and it’s basically taking a whole assessment of the organization.”
Reporter: “Have you seen enough of Scott Arniel over the last four years to know he’ll be back next year?
Cheveldayoff: “You know, obviously, you know, again, part of the evaluation process here is for us to go through, like the, you know, the exits. You know, you go through that with players. You give them the opportunity to, you know, to say their thing.
For us, we’re going to do that with the coaches as well, and again, give them, you know, the opportunity. I know that the whole entire coaching staff, they work extremely hard. They’re extremely prepared. You know, they do those kind of things to make sure that they try to give the best opportunity to players.
So, you know, again, I, I’m not going to sit here and make any bold proclamations, because, again, this, this evaluation process, you know, I owe it. I owe it to the organization. I owe it to ourselves. I owe it to the fans. I owe it to the players. And, you know, like I said, we’re not ready to turn the page on anything yet, and we’ll just, we’ll keep on evaluating.”
