DEVIL YOU KNEW
Command has 12 points (7G, 5A) in six games with Orebro HK of the top Swedish junior league, where he will remain for the rest of this season. He joins other Swedish youngsters including defenceman Alfons Freij (with the Manitoba Moose) and defenceman Sascha Boumedienne (with Ohio State).
“I think there's some great synergy with a lot of our young prospects coming up,” said Cheveldayoff.
The other forward, Bjugstad, was a salary dump by the Devils to balance out the money. The 34-year-old is a pending unrestricted free agent making US$1.75 million who was on injured reserve after surgery last month for a torn pectoral muscle. He's not expected to be ready until January at the earliest, and possibly as late as March.
Bjugstad, a Minneapolis native, who is 6-6 and 210 pounds, has played 821 games for eight different teams, racking up 339 points (163G, 176A). He could join the Jets down the stretch, or perhaps be flipped at the trade deadline to a contender if Winnipeg is not in the playoff mix.
The puzzling add to the trade was Daws, making for a crowded Winnipeg crease. The 25-year-old from Germany has played in 59 NHL games with a 2.94 goals-against average and .897 save percentage. He is signed for one more season at US$1.1 million.
Winnipeg's new No. 1 masked man is Stuart Skinner, who has been stellar so far with a 2.67 GAA and a .912 save percentage in seven starts. Clay Stevenson was plucked off waivers from the Washington Capitals to serve as backup and has a 3.08 GAA and .893 save percentage in three games.
The Jets are now carrying three goaltenders on their 23-man roster. Could another deal eventually be done?
“We'll evaluate here,” said Cheveldayoff. “Still pretty fresh in terms of the deal coming together like it did and some of the things that went into it. We'll see where it goes.”
Plenty of teams were rumoured to be in the mix for Hellebuyck, but it was the Devils who came to the table on Thursday night and got this trade across the finish line. The same Devils, who will visit Canada Life Centre on Nov. 10 in what has immediately become the hottest ticket in town.
“Constant contact with a lot of them. Sporadic contact with some. Kicking tires on a regular basis with some,” Cheveldayoff said of trade talks with teams over the last few months.
“When (Devils GM) Sunny (Mehta) got serious, he got serious real quick. It was a real treat to deal with him. There was no beating around the bush with each other. We kind of laid our cards on the table and said, ‘This is what it was going to take.’”
There will be many who view Hellebuyck's departure as a sign Winnipeg's “win now” mentality has changed.
“We live in the moment and we tend to stress over the future. We had some pretty damn good teams here over the last couple of years. We've been a very competitive hockey team, and we are still a very competitive hockey team,” said Cheveldayoff, who insisted his mindset hasn't shifted.
“I care deeply about this city, I care deeply about its fans, and about this organization. I feel like, collectively, I'm trying to make these right moves for everybody. For the friends I see at my coffee shop in the morning when I go, for the players that I see every day when I come into the room.”