Jets GM on Evander Kane trade: 'This was not a knee-jerk reaction'

Kevin Cheveldayoff’s phone is probably sitting on his desk right now taking a serious recharge. A week after “TracksuitGate,” he finally pulled the trigger on trading Evander Kane.

The Jets general manager had his options: Cheveldayoff could have waited to deal Kane in the summer, when all 29 NHL teams could join in on the sweepstakes; or he could make the trade now, sending away a player who is out for 4-6 months for parts that could help his team now and in the future. He chose the latter.

“We think it’s something that’s going to help us both in the short-term and really helps us in the long-term as well,” Cheveldayoff said Wednesday.

That short-term help comes in the form of Tyler Myers, a player trying to turn his game around after winning the Calder Trophy in 2010, and Drew Stafford, a pending unrestricted free agent, who hasn’t played playoff hockey since 2011. Joel Armia, Brendan Lemieux — a player Winnipeg wanted in the 2014 draft — and that 2015 first-round pick are the long-term assets that could help the Jets, either on the ice or in future Cheveldayoff trades.

Sabres GM Tim Murray said the deal took about “three or four days” to complete and he wasn’t scared off by the stories surrounding Kane. "I made the trade so I don’t think there are character issues,” he said.

“This was not a knee-jerk reaction,” Cheveldayoff said. “There was an abundance of caution that went through a lot of the decisions.”

The trading of Zach Bogosian and acquisition of Myers has forced another move: Dustin Byfuglien will move back to defense full-time, according to Jets head coach Paul Maurice.

The Jets currently sit in the first Western Conference wild card spot seven points ahead of the Minnesota Wild, a team they beat 2-1 in overtime Tuesday night. They’ve won two in a row after dropping six straight. The playoffs are by no means a lock, but with the Kane saga finally over, Byfuglien happily back on the blue line and rookie netminder Michael Hutchinson seemingly rebounding after a rough three-game slide, Cheveldayoff couldn’t make this deal with his eye only on the future. He needed assets to win now. The honeymoon is over and Winnipeg needs to make the playofs this season.

“The ability to add right now was very important,” he said. “It still remains very important.”

So does this make the Jets a better team today than yesterday? That will be put to the test beginning Thursday night in Nashville.

“You can be,” said Maurice. “Everything has to be proven. Our team, how players fit, it all has to be proven.”

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Sean Leahy is the associate editor for Puck Daddy on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at puckdaddyblog@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Sean_Leahy

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