Winnipeg Free Press http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/sports/hockey/jets/Jets-winter-blockbuster-291632321.html?cx_navSource=d-top-story

Jets' winter blockbuster Jets ship Kane, Bogosian and prospect to Sabres; get Myers, Stafford, two prospects and first-round pick in return By: Tim Campbell IT took Winnipeg Jets GM Kevin Cheveldayoff less than eight days to move his team past the track-suit revolt centring around Evander Kane. Cheveldayoff pulled the trigger Wednesday morning on his biggest move since he took the job in June 2011, when he dealt Kane, defenceman Zach Bogosian and goalie prospect Jason Kasdorf, a Winnipeg product, to the Buffalo Sabres for defenceman Tyler Myers, right-winger Drew Stafford, prospects Joel Armia and Brendan Lemieux and a late firstround draft pick in 2015. After being a healthy scratch a week ago Tuesday in Vancouver, when he apparently ran afoul of his teammates, Kane then elected to have his injured shoulder operated on, putting him out for four to six months. In the wake of the incident, the Jets claimed they were not distracted. They have played like that, going 2-0-2 in their last four games. "Like I said, we’re a tight-knit group and we don’t have any issues," Jets captain Andrew Ladd said before the team departed for Nashville Wednesday. "We’re just focused on winning hockey games." "I don’t know if it would have been an issue," said right-winger Blake Wheeler. "I think we’ve been dealing with adversity all year for different reasons." With that adversity, mainly a raft of injuries at mid-season, the Jets have posted a 28-18-10 record, good for 66 points and currently in control of the Western Conference’s first wild-card berth with 26 regular-season games to play. Even though he has consistently taken the high road on the Kane incident — taking whatever heat was coming his way for making Kane a "coach’s decision" healthy scratch in Vancouver — Jets coach Paul Maurice sounded more than eager to have the Kane matter behind him and his team. "(It’s a) resolution insofar as the speculation that he was on the move, or you had to wait for him at training camp next year to come back and play," the coach said. "That’s a big piece that wasn’t going to be a Winnipeg Jet for the remainder of the year, so now we don’t have to wonder what our team looks like in August or how Evander would have fit. "So yeah, there is some."

Cheveldayoff hadn’t made a single NHL playerfor- player trade in his entire term until Wednesday, preferring a cautious, ponderous approach and always emphasizing the organization’s vision for draft and develop, a vision that didn’t include trading the future for quick fixes. "This trade came about by those same principles," Cheveldayoff said. "This was not a knee-jerk reaction. We may not have been the most active trading team in the league but that doesn’t necessarily mean we weren’t active behind the scenes." The immediate impact of the trade on the ice wasn’t fully disclosed by Maurice but he could well place Stafford with Mark Scheifele and Mathieu Perreault. Myers will assume Bogosian’s major minutes and Maurice said Dustin Byfuglien, after four more games as a forward, will go back to the Jets’ blueline where he played like an all-star from Dec. 3 until the Kane incident. Ladd said the feeling in the dressing room was initially mixed, as it is with most trades. "I think anytime something like this happens, it’s always sad to see guys who’ve been a part of the organization leave," Ladd said. "But you’re also excited about the prospect of bringing two guys in who can help our team win right now. "Hopefully the two guys coming here are excited to be a part of a playoff run and help us try to get some wins." Ladd’s linemate, Blake Wheeler, said Myers and Stafford have much to look forward to. "It’s going to be really easy," Wheeler said. "We’re such a tight-knit group. We take care of our own. I think you’ve heard the word family at times. We’ve got two new members of our family. We’ll try to get them fit in as fast as possible." Stafford, who along with Myers is expected in the Jets lineup tonight in Nashville, told Sportsnet there’s reason for optimism. "Everyone knows how it’s been going here lately," said the 29-year-old right-winger. "It’s been extremely frustrating and challenging. Not making the playoffs year after year, it’s extremely tough, especially since I’ve been here so long. "To get that chance... to finish off the year, I’m going to do my best to compete for these guys and help them win games." The other important element of Wednesday’s deal was its timing. By eliminating any issue associated with the Kane incident, Cheveldayoff has made an impact move three-plus weeks before the NHL’s March 2 trade deadline, leaving him some evaluation time. And with a healthy list of prospects plus two first-round picks in the coming draft, he does have assets if he believes further strengthening of his team is warranted in the short-term. "The earlier the better for sure," Maurice said about Wednesday’s trade. http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/sports/hockey/jets/Chevy-moves-boldly-to-improve-his-club--291610201.html?cx_navSource=d-tiles-1

Chevy moves boldly to improve his club Myers, Stafford immediate upgrade for Jets By: Gary Lawless NASHVILLE — Often maligned for not making player-for-player trades during the early stages of his rebuild plan for the Winnipeg Jets, GM Kevin Cheveldayoff put a fastball right in the collective ear of those talkers Wednesday, engineering a monstrous eight-piece trade with the Buffalo Sabres. Cheveldayoff sent the troublesome and injured Evander Kane to Buffalo along with defenceman Zach Bogosian and goalie prospect Jason Kasdorf and in return received a first-round pick, prospects Joel Armia and Brendan Lemieux as well as NHLers Drew Stafford and Tyler Myers. Cheveldayoff took care of the immediate present, replacing Kane in his lineup with Stafford while swapping in defenceman Myers for the now-departed Bogosian. In the long-term picture, the players will eventually determine the winner of this trade. But Wednesday in Winnipeg, and in particular within the Jets dressing room, Cheveldayoff was the clear winner. After stressing patience to the community he lives in as well as the organization he works for, Cheveldayoff watched his team climb into a playoff berth only to have an injury crisis beset them with the stretch run about to begin. Cheveldayoff could not sit idly by and risk his team’s chance at the playoffs. Not after they had soldiered on throughout the trying times of this rebuild. Not after Andrew Ladd, Toby Enstrom, Bryan Little and Blake Wheeler had signed long-term deals to stay in Winnipeg in order to be part of this program. Not with Dustin Byfuglien and Ladd and Michael Frolik all currently weighing their futures. Cheveldayoff needed to make a statement. To say he believes in this group and that the time for them to begin winning is here. A lack of action from Cheveldayoff would have sent just as loud a message as the one issued by his work on this day. This was a key day for the Jets as an organization. It was an announcement from the corner office that it’s time to make noise and step out of the planning stage. To think about today and not just tomorrow. The Jets have been clipping along in third gear for most of this season, but the events of last week and the loss of Kane for the rest of the season threatened to turn into a downshift with no real hope to get back into high gear. Instead, Cheveldayoff double-clutched them right past third and into fourth. Stafford will likely move onto the third line with Adam Lowry and Chris Thorburn while Byfuglien can return to the blue-line. Myers will settle in with Toby Enstrom and be allowed to simply do

his job and not worry about holding down the entire blue-line. He’s just a piece of the puzzle in Winnipeg and will be allowed to play within his abilities. Kane and Bogosian are big players to bid goodbye, but with Kane down for the season, the immediate arrival of Stafford and Myers is an upgrade. The pair have been languishing in Buffalo for a number of years and now they have been injected into a playoff race and will be playing meaningful hockey games in a full building with invested fans and a confident dressing room. Winnipeg isn’t often viewed as a location upgrade but these two players have gone from hockey hell to, at the very least, heaven’s waiting room and maybe even more. Rejuvenation There is a chance for rejuvenation with these incoming players and if they can add juice to an already effective Jets lineup, the playoffs may indeed finally become a reality. This deal had it all, with enough drama to last Jets fans for some time. Clinging to a playoff berth, the Jets had holes and Cheveldayoff began to address them with this deal. Is it enough to propel them to the Stanley Cup tournament? Is Cheveldayoff done or will he make further deals to strengthen his club with the added options he acquired? This trade is complex and layered and it will be years before it can properly be judged. Kane had to go. His teammates gave him a push towards the dressing room door last week in Vancouver and he elected to walk right through it. There was no going back. Cheveldayoff had lots working against him as he approached this transaction. Kane had shoulder surgery last week and is done for the season, and the entire NHL knew the Jets had to move the player. But as we’ve seen with this GM, setting a price and then getting it is the only acceptable course of business. Cheveldayoff has had his appetite for risk questioned and those doubts were threatening to creep into his own dressing room. But, always true to himself and his beliefs, Cheveldayoff waited for his moment to arrive. When it did, he struck and it was a bold and decisive move. So, what did Chevy do today? Not much. Only pushed his team into the playoffs. http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/sports/hockey/jets/anatomy-of-a-deal-291634571.html?cx_navSource=d-top-story

Anatomy of a DEAL Free Press writers Campbell, Lawless and Tait dissect Tuesday's blockbuster trade between Jets, Sabres In today's cap world, Wednesday's eight-player transaction between the Winnipeg Jets and Buffalo Sabres was mostly a hockey trade. And it was complicated.

It contained elements for the present, uncertain elements in that an injured player changed teams, and it contained future pieces in three prospects and a late first-round draft pick for this coming June. Free Press writers Gary Lawless, Ed Tait and Tim Campbell look at the components of Kevin Cheveldayoff's biggest deal as a GM with this insight: 1. Zach Bogosian for Tyler Myers. It's a regular big-minute defenceman for a regular big-minute defenceman. Lawless: Bogosian is a hard player to say goodbye to for the organization. Beloved in the locker-room and a true soldier. But Myers simply has more upside and can be a true offensive weapon. Paired with Toby Enstrom, Myers and his ability to get his shot through traffic could be a revelation. Tait: This is critical in the deal for the Jets -- can Myers get some of the shine back on his star after being named the league's top rookie five years ago? He's got some term left on his deal and at a favourable cap hit. As for Bogosian, so many were waiting for him to take the next step, but injuries always tripped him up instead. Right now this looks a bit like a wash in the blockbuster. Campbell: Jets had a tough call to make here, given Bogosian's strength and foot speed. He's had some injury issues and his no-trade kicks in this summer. I see Myers' wingspan and agility as great additions to a team that's really stressing closing the gap and taking away time and space for the purpose of improved defence. 2. Evander Kane for Drew Stafford. In the forward-for-forward element of this deal, the Sabres move a pending unrestricted free agent and the Jets get the cap flexibility. Lawless: Kane is the better talent at this stage but he simply had to be moved. Stafford files a hole right now but long-term the edge here will go to Buffalo. Tait: There's no question that Kane still has an enormous ceiling. But how long do you wait? And at what point do the off-ice transgressions/antics start to outweigh the need to be patient in a player's development? That's an issue for the Sabres now. Stafford offers a short-term fix. Might be a good piece if he re-signs in the summer but if some of the prospects in the system are ready next fall, he could block their path to the bigs. Campbell: Subtly, Kane made his case for being elsewhere and has his wish. Stafford's hands could come in real handy for a team that sometimes struggles to score and the future decision about whether he stays could have something to do with how ready the Jets determine some of their closer prospects, like Nic Petan, Nik Ehlers, Andrew Copp and Joel Armia are. A bit of freed-up cap space isn't a bad thing. 3. Goalie Jason Kasdorf for left-winger Brendan Lemieux and right-winger Joel Armia. Lawless: Armia has top-six talent and Lemieux is a style of player the Jets don't have. If these two can step into Winnipeg's lineup and contribute, they'll close the gap created by Kane's absence. Kasdorf was expendable since the Jets have loads of prospect depth in the crease.

Tait: Connor Hellebuyck, Eric Comrie and now Jamie Phillips at Michigan Tech -- a Hobey Baker candidate -- give the Jets tons of goaltender depth in the system and meant that Kasdorf was well down the organizational depth chart. Really intrigued by what Lemieux could bring and if the late Don Baizley raved about Armia, a client of his before he passed, that's as glowing a recommendation as a player can get in hockey. Campbell: Through good fortune and good picking, the Jets have assembled a promising goaltending future. With Connor Hellebuyck, Eric Comrie Jamie Phillips and Kasdorf developing well, it was the logical place to use an asset. Character has been suggested in Armia's case (the Don Baizley connection), and some further patience will be required. Lemieux is just 18 and the Jets seem to have a good handle on another prospect under Dale Hawerchuk's guidance. 4. The late first-round pick (St. Louis's or the Islanders') that goes from Buffalo to Winnipeg: Lawless: The icing on the cake. Maybe Cheveldayoff moves the pick or maybe he uses it himself. First-round picks are never a bad thing. Tait: A chip to flip at the draft or another chance to add more talent. Either way, in a deep, deep draft this is one of those parts of the deal that might get lost in the initial buzz, but could be seen -- years from now -- as a mammoth component. Campbell: Winnipeg is big on the draft -- no surprise there. One of the first-round picks this year could be dangled in a trade, and soon, but in a good draft year, Cheveldayoff hinted strongly on Wednesday he doesn't have it in his mind to deal it. I suspect he'd like to make two first-round picks on draft day. http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/sports/hockey/jets/Big-trade-means-Buff-headed-back-to-blueline-for-Jets-Maurice-291554521.html?cx_navSource=d-tiles-1

Big trade means Buff headed back to blueline for Jets: Maurice By: Tim Campbell Dustin Byfuglien is going back to the blueline. Jets coach Paul Maurice said today that Byfuglien, who had Tuesday’s overtime winner against the Minnesota Wild, will return to his defensive position after four games at forward since a week ago Tuesday. It’s the biggest on-ice domino of today’s blockbuster trade between the Jets and Buffalo Sabres that sends Evander Kane, Zach Bogosian and prospect goalie Jason Kasdorf to the Sabres in exchange for Tyler Myers, Drew Stafford, prospects Joel Armia and Brendan Lemieux and a late first-round pick in the 2015 draft. "Have you seen the players yet?" Maurice said after the trade was announced today. "The smile? He (Byfuglien) might even put his tooth in for that one. "Dustin will be on the blueline tomorrow night and he’ll be happy to do so."

The Jets, 2-0-2 since Kane went out of the lineup with last week’s dressing-room incident and his healthy scratch in Vancouver, are in Nashville Thursday night to meet the league-leading Predators. Maurice said today that because he has not discussed where Myers and Stafford fit into the lineup, he wouldn’t be sharing that today. "It’s top secret," the coach said. The morning routine, Maurice said today, was simple. He met with GM Kevin Cheveldayoff regarding the trade and then met with the players. "Took them through it, the specifics of it, then we started watching video," Maurice said. The deal revealed the business side of things, and Jets players said pretty much unanimously that feelings are mixed, they were sorry to see teammates leaving for Buffalo while looking forward to some new blood coming to the team. "I think anytime something like this happens, it’s always sad to see guys who’ve been a part of the organization leave," Jets captain Andrew Ladd said before the team departed for Nashville. "But you’re also excited about the prospect of bringing two guys in who can help our team win right now. "I think as a player, all (feelings) go out the window. For guys who have been here a long time, it’s shock in terms of not knowing the other side of it and what the future holds for you, but on the other side of that there’s probably some excitement in terms of the opportunity that you might get there and what can become of that. "Hopefully the two guys coming here are excited to be a part of a playoff run and help us try to get some wins." Jets right-winger Blake Wheeler echoed the sentiments. "It’s never easy," he said. "I’ve been a part of it, leaving a team that you've been a part of for a while that is kind of fighting for the playoffs. We lost two members of our family and that always hurts. That’s part of the business. "Look at the two guys who are going to be joining our team, guys who have had a tremendous amount of success in the league. "They’ll definitely help us for the stretch run." Wheeler said that Myers and Stafford won’t have any trouble fitting with the Jets. "It’s going to be really easy," Wheeler said. "We’re such a tight-knit group. We take care of our own. I think you’ve heard the word family at times. We’ve got two new members of our family. We’ll try to get them fit in as fast as possible." Jets defenceman Mark Stuart — like Ladd and Wheeler, he’s been through a trade — knows the kind of day Bogosian and Kane may be having.

"It’s tough," he said. "Having been through it, it’s not an easy day for those guys. It’s part of it, we realize that. There’s been a lot of talk over the last week or two about maybe something in the works. "We’re losing two guys that were a big part of our team but we’re going to welcome some new guys in." Stuart said Myers may well like the fit he’ll find on the Jets blueline. "He has a ton of talent," Stuart said. "Sometimes a young player just needs a change of scenery. We’re looking forward to having him. "I think for him, he’ll enjoy our system. He’s a really good skater, a big body. As defencemen we like to be up on the play, be aggressive, to have good gaps and I think he’ll fit right in." The question arose today as to whether the Jets think they’re better for the deal. "We think so but we’ve got to prove it," Maurice said. And another hot topic continued to be what, if any, resolution this was for the dressing room in the wake of the Kane incident and shoulder surgery of last week, one that led to widespread speculation that he would be dealt by the Jets. "I don’t know if it would have been an issue," Wheeler said. "I think we’ve been dealing with adversity all year for different reasons. We’ve always relied on our team as a whole, never on one or two players. It’s always been that we’ve won based on the fact we rely on every player. "We didn’t really have time to think about it. I doubt it would have been a distraction." Added Ladd: "Like I said, we’re a tight-knit group and we don’t have any issues. We’re just focused on winning hockey games." Maurice said the speculation can now go away. "(It’s a) resolution insofar as the speculation that he was on the move, or you had to wait for him at training camp next year to come back and play," the coach said. "That’s a big piece that wasn’t going to be a Winnipeg Jet for the remainder of the year, so now we don’t have to wonder what our team looks like in August or how Evander would have fit. "So yeah, there is some." The coach was effusive with his praise of Kane, and Bogosian, today. "Just some of the exceptional things he can do," Maurice said. "He’s a big, strong, fast guy that can get in on the forecheck as well as anybody I’ve ever seen. He never missed a check. And he’s a competitive man and he wants to win, wants to play. He wants to be a No. 1 guy and he’s going to get that chance in Buffalo so it’s great for him. I think he’ll excel there, I think he’ll do well there."

"And Zach the same. We were getting to a depth level on our blueline that it was difficult to get the minutes pared out for everybody. He wanted that opportunity to be that guy and he’ll get that chance in Buffalo." Dealing early, with three-plus weeks still left before the deadline, is a big help, Maurice said. "The earlier the better for sure," he said. "Some of them can’t get done. It’s not a matter of your GM getting the calendar out and saying, ‘We’re doing these deals.’ There are always things happening at the trade deadline because people selling those assets, they’re driving the price up. "For us to be able to get this done with 20-plus games on the horizon, there’s enough time to get them into the room and into the systems." Jets players seemed today to endorse Cheveldayoff’s move as the team pushes to nail down its first Stanley Cup playoff berth since the 2011 relocation. "Anytime we can add to our drive right now, he sends the message he believes in our group," Wheeler said. "I know he’s pretty happy with how things have played out this year and the work we’ve put in. As a player, it’s exciting to have a couple of guys come here to try to help us win some games." http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/sports/hockey/jets/Stafford-looking-forward-to-playoff-hunt-with-Jets-291577121.html?cx_navSource=d-tiles-2

Stafford looking forward to playoff hunt with Jets By: Ed Tait Drew Stafford is getting a change of scenery. And the playoff push he’ll get as one of the newest members of the Winnipeg Jets will be like a breath of crisp, fresh air. "That’s definitely something I’m really excited about," said the 29-year-old winger today in an interview with Sportsnet. "Everyone know how it’s been going here in Buffalo lately. It’s been extremely frustrating and challenging. Not making the playoffs year after year is extremely tough, especially since I’ve been here so long that I’ve been a part of a President’s Trophy team and part of a 30th place team. So I know what it’s like to be in the playoffs and what it feels like in taking a run at it. "To get that chance to finish off the year here and then do my best to compete for these guys and help them win games." Stafford, 29, is an unrestricted free agent this summer. He said he’ll concentrate on the playoff push before even thinking about his options. "I’m first and foremost looking forward to joining a team in the playoff hunt because that’s something I haven’t had a taste of in a few years in Buffalo," he said. "I’m excited to help this team win, compete for them and be a part of that. "Anything beyond that will take care of itself."

Stafford said he found out about the deal this morning. "It’s part of the business," he said. "I’ve been around long enough to see what goes down usually. It’s obviously kind of a surprise (it happened) this early, but you knew something was going to go down. Everyone had their phones out this morning, checking Twitter stuff and all that. Thankfully, (Sabres GM) Tim Murray came down and talked to me and let me know before everything broke out on the Twitter, blog-o-sphere, whatever you call it. It was good to find out that way." Winnipeg Sun http://www.winnipegsun.com/2015/02/11/kane-bogosian-traded-to-buffalo

Kane, Bogosian traded to Buffalo By: Ken Wiebe Kevin Cheveldayoff has pulled off the first blockbuster deal of his tenure as general manager of the Winnipeg Jets. On Wednesday morning, Cheveldayoff sent forward Evander Kane, defenceman Zach Bogosian and unsigned goalie prospect Jason Kasdorf to the Buffalo Sabres for defenceman Tyler Myers, forward Drew Stafford, forward prospects Joel Armia and Brendan Lemieux, and a first-round pick in the 2015 NHL Draft. Kane has 10 goals and 22 points in 37 games this season but underwent season-ending shoulder surgery on Saturday after a run-in with teammates in Vancouver last week that led to him being scratched as a coach’s decision. Cheveldayoff, though, said those developments didn’t force his hand. “This was not a knee-jerk reaction,” Cheveldayoff said. “I went into it with an open mind. You just don’t know how things are going to play out. You never go into something trying to force it. “It was a big deal for the last couple of days, with what happened with the coach’s decision and the situation that happened leading up to it. We’ll keep those things in-house. I wanted to look at the best interests of the organization and there was an opportunity to address something right now.” Cheveldayoff said there was plenty of interest in Kane, but Sabres GM Tim Murray was very aggressive. “He’s a tremendous hockey player. So there was no shock there was lots of interest when we were looking to see what we could get. Somewhere down the line, he’s going to continue to score those goals, and at the end of the day that’s what you want, too.” The GM said it was hard to give up Bogosian, who has three goals and 13 points in 41 games this season.

Kasdorf, a sixth round choice (154th overall in 2011), is 9-14 with a 2.94 goals against average for RPI of the NCAA this season. As for what the Jets acquired, Cheveldayoff said he tried to address the present and the future. Stafford had been linked to the Jets in the past and has nine goals and 24 points in 50 games this season. “We obviously need some more help at forward. So that’s a very important piece,” the GM said. Myers, the 12th overall pick in 2008, has four goals and 13 points in 47 games this season and won the Calder Trophy as the NHLs top rookie in 2009-10. “We believe there’s a huge upside on him,” Cheveldayoff said. Armia, the 16th overall pick in 2011, has 10 goals and 25 points in 33 games with the Rochester Americans. Lemieux, the son of Claude Lemieux, was the 31st overall pick in the 2014 NHL Draft. He has 35 goals and 50 points with the Barrie Colts of the Ontario Hockey League this season. The Sabres own three first-round picks in 2015 — their own, plus those of the St. Louis Blues and New York Islanders. It’s up to Buffalo which pick Winnipeg gets. The Jets are 28-18-10 this season and currently hold the first wild-card berth in the Western Conference. “The ability to add now was very important,” Cheveldayoff said. “It remains very important.” The Jets face the Predators in Nashville Thursday night. http://www.winnipegsun.com/2015/02/11/evander-kane-excited-to-be-moving-on-from-winnipeg-jets-to-buffalo-sabres

Evander Kane excited to be moving on from Winnipeg Jets to Buffalo Sabres By: Ken Wiebe Evander Kane has the fresh start he was looking for, while Zach Bogosian is left to wonder what happened after the Winnipeg Jets included him in the blockbuster deal with the Buffalo Sabres on Wednesday. Kane’s departure was expected, though many figured the Jets might have to wait until the summer before the move could be made, especially after Kane had season-ending shoulder surgery to repair a torn labrum on Saturday.

“I’m confident that he wanted a change of scenery, in his mind probably wanted a more important role,” Sabres general manager Tim Murray told reporters in Buffalo. “I think we can give him a more important role. He can be can be an important guy here. He’s going to be a big part of any success we have, I believe. You watch him play on the ice, he plays hard. He plays in traffic. He doesn’t play a perimeter game. He plays a heavy game. He scores goals from around the net. He plays the game right. He finishes checks. He’s a good fighter. “That’s his character on the ice. I’ve heard some hearsay and stuff like that and a little bit what happened in Winnipeg. I see a guy who plays like that on the ice, I have to assume he’s at least a little like that off the ice. I’m excited to have a player like that. I made a trade for him, so I’m not worried about his character.” Kane broke his silence in an interview with Pierre LeBrun of ESPN.com on Wednesday “I’m excited, very excited about the trade,” Kane told ESPN.com. “Just looking at next year, they’re going to get a top pick and that’s exciting. Just to have one of those two guys maybe to play with next year, plus the other young players on that team. The sense I got from Buffalo is that, yes they’re rebuilding but they’re not going to sit around and wait. They’re looking to do something now. It’s nice to go somewhere where you feel wanted and you feel that they want to put you in a situation to have success. “That some people thought I was having surgery just to end my season, that’s so not true. That’s the biggest thing I want to make clear.” Since taking over as Jets head coach, Paul Maurice found the right buttons to push with Kane and had some kind words for him on the way out. “I don’t think I’ve ever had a trade where there wasn’t a level of disappointment,” said Maurice. “We put the work in and got some pretty fine work out of both players. I like Evander Kane and I’m happy for him. He’s a big, fast strong guy who can get in on the forecheck as well as anybody I’ve ever seen and never missed a check. And he’s a competitive guy. He wants to win, wants to play, wants to be the No. 1 guy and he’s going to get that chance in Buffalo. I think he’ll excel there. Same for Zach. It’s great for both young men to get a fresh start. For an organization, where Buffalo is at, (they get) two bona fide, big, strong fast men to come in and help them.” Kane had 10 goals and 22 points in 37 games this season, but has dealt with injuries and hasn’t returned to the form that saw him hit the 30-goal plateau back in 2011-12. “Evander Kane, he’s a tremendous hockey player. So there was no shock there was lots of interest when we were looking to see what we could get,” said Jets general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff. “Somewhere down the line he’s going to continue to score those goals, and at the end of the day that’s what you want, too.” After Kane was scratched as a coach’s decision last Tuesday in his hometown of Vancouver and details about a locker-room incident came to light, the writing was on the wall that the talented left-winger had played his final game with the Jets. The same can’t be said for Bogosian, who signed a seven-year deal worth $36.1 million with the Jets in the summer of 2013 and figured to be a cornerstone of the franchise for years to come.

“He’s a big, strong, athletic kid who works hard, has a ton of character in my estimation, has leadership qualities,” said Murray. “I’ve liked him since probably the first game I saw him as an amateur.” The other player leaving the Jets’ organization is goalie prospect Jason Kasdorf, a Winnipegger who played for the Portage Terriers of the Manitoba Junior Hockey League and is in his third season with Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute of the NCAA and was a sixth-round selection of the Jets in the 2011 NHL Draft. http://www.winnipegsun.com/2015/02/11/chevys-deal-a-winner-for-jets-friesen

Chevy's deal a winner for Jets: Friesen By: Paul Friesen So that’s what it takes to get some action from Jets GM Kevin Cheveldayoff. Back him into a corner and he comes out swinging. Swinging deals, that is. The NHL’s most gun-shy GM unholstered his reluctance on Wednesday at the most unlikely time, pulling the trigger on a deal that got rid of his biggest problem and brought some intriguing talent in return. If the Evander Kane saga — his run-in with teammates and very public scratch from a game in his hometown Vancouver last week — forced Cheveldayoff’s hand, then Kane’s subsequent decision to have season-ending shoulder surgery tied it behind the GM’s back. Who wants a dressing-room problem who just went under the knife and faces a four- to six-month rehab, not to mention the rehab needed on his ability to fit in with teammates? The Buffalo Sabres, apparently. I can only imagine Cheveldayoff’s initial reaction when Sabres GM Tim Murray called him up and offered everything but the moon for Kane and the inconsistent Zach Bogosian, who was part of an over-crowded Jets blue line. Like that, two birds killed with one stone. As trades go, this was The Natural. “My hat goes off to Tim Murray from Buffalo,” Cheveldayoff said. “He was extremely aggressive in presenting things and trying to find a way to make it work. You hear so often it takes two to make a deal. Both teams had strong motivations to make it happen.” I guess. The Jets are trying to get better for a playoff run, and the Sabres have absolutely no interest in getting better until sometime down the road.

In fact, Buffalo would like nothing better than to tank on the season, thus ensuring it gets Connor McDavid or Jack Eichel in next summer’s draft. So Murray had no trouble sending the Jets, a) a winger they need right now, in Drew Stafford, b) a 6-foot-8 defenceman in Tyler Myers who just turned 25 and has an upside as vast as his reach, c) a couple of prospects, one of whom, Finnish winger Joel Armia, could help the Jets this season and d) a first-round draft pick. No, not THAT first-round pick. The Sabres had stockpiled two others. “It’s their option. If they want to give us their pick, I’ll gladly take it,” Cheveldayoff said. “Somehow I don’t think that’s the case.” I’m surprised Murray didn’t throw that in, too. You couldn’t have dreamed up a better deal from Cheveldayoff’s perspective. It’s a grand slam from someone who’d never hit a homer at the big-league level. Remember, in three-plus seasons at the helm, Cheveldayoff had yet to swing a NHL-player-for-NHL-player trade. “I went into it with an open mind,” the GM said. “You never try to go into something to try and force it. You try and see if it can come to you.” It came in the form of a big, fat fastball down the middle of the plate. It was the perfect storm of teams and needs. Oh, each of the players coming here no doubt carries a wart or two. Most traded players do. Stafford comes without a contract past this season, so there is the risk of losing him for nothing, although the Jets will try to convince Stafford this should be his long-term home. “We’re not looking at this as a short-term thing,” Cheveldayoff said. A playoff berth, which Stafford hasn’t seen in three years, would no doubt help. Myers has had an up-and-down career since winning the Calder Trophy as the NHL’s top rookie five years ago. But he’ll benefit from taking on a less onerous role on a more experienced blue line. Brendan Lemieux, the other prospect coming to Winnipeg, is former NHLer Claude’s son, but we’ll try not to hold that against him. If Lemieux or Armia make significant contributions down the road, this deal only gets more lopsided. They often say the team that wins a trade is the one that gets the best player. In this case, it’s the one that unloaded the biggest problem.

And it took less than a week. “This was not a knee-jerk reaction,” Cheveldayoff said, early in his Wednesday media address. I agree. It’s a fist-pump, all the way. http://www.winnipegsun.com/2015/02/11/cheveldayoff-not-likely-finished-as-winnipeg-jets-still-have-glut-of-defencemen

Cheveldayoff not likely finished as Winnipeg Jets still have glut of defencemen By: Ted Wyman If you have followed this space or my Twitter feed for any length of time, you know I've used more than my fair share of words suggesting Kevin Cheveldayoff needed to earn his paycheque as Jets general manager by making a trade to improve the team as it's currently configured. Apparently, Cheveldayoff was saving it all up for one gigantic blockbuster and you have to give him credit for making a useful deal when his hand was being forced. Evander Kane had to go and Cheveldayoff used that as the impetus to bring in players who can help the Jets today as well as some assets for either the future or to use as trading chips in the weeks leading up to the NHL trade deadline.s He had to give up Zach Bogosian as well, but a source told me more than a month ago that Bogosian was on the trading block, so it's not a huge surprise that he was involved. In acquiring winger Drew Stafford, defenceman Tyler Myers, prospects Joel Armia and Brendan Lemieux and a first-round draft pick from the Buffalo Sabres, Cheveldayoff made the Jets marginally better for their playoff run. Stafford is the third-line forward the team was looking for and Myers is a big, offensively-talented defenceman who can be as good or better than Bogosian. Still, with Kane out of the mix, the Jets have not done enough to improve up front and Cheveldayoff will likely have to make at least one more deal to acquire a forward. The Jets still have a glut of defencemen and very little forward depth. What they do have now are assets -- a first-round draft pick and prospects to dangle for a rental player to help the Jets down the stretch. I would not have said this before Wednesday because I never had any proof that Cheveldayoff had the guts to pull off a big trade, but I would be very surprised if he doesn't have something else up his sleeve. And that's great news for the Jets organization. The players and coaches have delivered so far this season and the general manager is coming through as well.

Every little bit helps as this team pushing toward it's first playoff spot since moving to Winnipeg. ANOTHER DEFENCEMAN? I am a bit surprised that the Jets traded for yet another defenceman. With Dustin Byfuglien headed back to defence and Myers now on board, the Jets are back to having nine defencemen. Jay Harrison, Adam Pardy and Paul Postma remain the odd men out and the Jets will not be able to carry a depth forward if all three remain on the roster. Of course, that's the beauty of having a player like Byfuglien, who has excelled at forward and on defence this season. He's the depth forward. Still, Myers and Bogosian are not all that different. Both big and skilled and right-hand shots. Myers has played 365 NHL games, has 45 goals, 106 assists, 256 penalty minutes and is -31. Bogosian has played 393 games (entered the league a year before Myers), has 40 goals, 71 assists, 325 penalty minutes and is -38. They were even drafted in the same year (2009) – Bogosian was third overall and Myers 12th. I thought the Jets would trade Bogosian for a top-6 forward at some time this season and I could still see them moving a top-6 defenceman for such a player. Could that defenceman be Myers? Anything is possible. LOVE FOR MYERS Sabres coach Ted Nolan had nothing but good things to say about new Jets defenceman Tyler Myers, when asked a week ago about trade rumours: 'He's one of the bright spots on this team,” Nolan told the Buffalo News. “When you go through a rebuilding and restocking of the organization, some of the pieces you keep and you surround them. Tyler Myers is one of those guys you build your team around. Very rarely do you see a 6-foot-8 guy who can skate like a 5-foot-8 guy. He's been tremendous for us all season long.” POOR BOMBERS Perhaps the biggest losers of the day were the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, absolutely to no fault of their own. The Bombers made a huge splash on the first day of CFL free agency and general manager Kyle Walters was just getting ready to talk about his accomplishment when news of the Jets trade broke. The Bombers may as well have been announcing the hiring of a new waterboy for all the attention they received after that. Still, the Bombers did very well and deserve some kudos for, at least on paper, making their team better heading into the 2015 season. THIRD LINE BETTER? Drew Stafford has one 30-goal season and two 20-goal seasons to his credit, which should be good news for a Jets team that lacks scoring on its bottom two lines. But with Byfuglien moving back to defence there's a good chance Stafford's linemates will be Adam Lowry and Chris Thorburn, which doesn't sound much better than it did a week ago before all the Kanetroversy.

FUTURE WATCH Prospect Joel Armia, who was drafted in the first round in 2011 by the Sabres, has been injured often but has turned heads in the AHL when in the lineup for the Rochester Americans. His coach, Chadd Cassidy, raved about him after a game in January. “He does something every game where he kind of brings everyone to the edge of their seat. He's a game-changer, that's what he is.” Said Amerks defenceman Mark Pysyk about Armia: “He's pretty fun to watch.” NATURAL RIVAL Barrie Colts forward Brendan Lemieux, who the Jets acquired on Wednesday, already has a hate on for the Colorado Avalanche for not picking him in the first round of the 2014 NHL Draft. Lemieux's father Claude played for the Avs back in the day and Brendan was hoping Colorado would grab him when he was ranked 28th in the draft. Instead, Lemieux fell to the second round and was taken 31st overall by Buffalo. “There were a few teams there that really stung,” Lemieux told Yahoo Sports at the draft. “I'm definitely going to love going in their arenas and making it hard on their guys because they decided to pass me over, so I'm just going to use this as fuel. They gave one of the more fiery guys in the draft, I'd like to say, a lot more fire.” KANE'S TALENT MISSED Evander Kane is a good hockey player. He's fast, big and can score and kill penalties. He's not a good passer and apparently is not a great teammate. But make no mistake, the Jets did not want to give up a player with his skill set and potential. who was a fourth-overall draft pick in 2009. Kane forced Cheveldayoff's hand and the GM did well to get good value for a player whose own value was diminishing. Kane could go on to be a star for the Sabres, there's no doubt. But the marriage was over in Winnipeg and it was time to move on ... The last three first round draft picks for the Atlanta Thrashers were Zach Bogosian (Third overall, 2008), Kane (fourth overall, 2009) and Alexander Burmistrov (eighth overall, 2010). None of them are wearing Jets jerseys today ... It was disgusting to see some lowlifes using twitter to spew racist venom in light of the Kane trade Wednesday. It would be wrong for me to repeat what was tweeted, but let's just say the N-word was involved and there is simply no room for that in today's world. Sadly it happens almost every time a black NHL player is in the news and that's simply disappointing. http://www.winnipegsun.com/2015/02/11/good-riddance-to-kane-jets-fans

Good riddance to Kane: Jets fans By: David Larkins The prevailing message from Winnipeg Jets fans to Evander Kane is simple and it is to the point. Beat it. Indeed, a majority of Jets fans didn’t seem sad to see the mercurial young star hit the bricks Wednesday via a blockbuster trade that sent the 23-year-old and defenceman Zach Bogosian

east to Buffalo in exchange for Tyler Myers, Drew Stafford, two prospects, and a first-round pick. “I think he’s going to be a problem for Buffalo as well,” Matt Browning, a fan at MTS Iceplex said. “Too young, too much money and he thinks he’s the gift to hockey. (Buffalo) can deal with him now. I think we’re coming out on top on this one, for sure.” Jay Feschuk, who was with Browning after a skate at the Iceplex, grew tired of Kane controversies in the player’s four seasons in Winnipeg. “I’ve never really been a big fan of his. Just the pictures he sent out and what you hear,” he said. “Obviously I don’t know him as a person but ... I don’t think he’s been the best producer and definitely not playing up to his potential.” Nathan Brunel was pleased the Jets were able to get a deal done in-season rather than waiting to the summer when Kane, presumably, would have healed up from shoulder surgery. “I was glad that it happened now as opposed to the summer because we’re in the midst of the playoffs here and we could use a few roster players,” he said. “I was a supporter for him pretty much all along until the end here and then I was like ‘Let’s get it over with.’” Tyler Arnason is taking a wait-and-see approach, but is optimistic the Jets are coming out OK. “No one can really replace Evander Kane,” he said. “Tyler Myers and Stafford are good picks, I think, and we got a couple good young guys ... I think it was a good move just to get more guys, switch it up.” Nate Roffey is a young fan who was surprised to see Bogosian go. “I think we benefitted from the deal. We got more players and a first-round pick,” he said. “I think (Bogosian’s) a good player. He was injured a lot for the Jets, but overall I think he was a good player. I’m kinda sad to see him leave, but we got Tyler Myers, so that’s pretty good.” Roffey’s friend Noah Veltri was also among the Jets fans who didn’t think Kane’s infamous attitude was good for the Jets in the long run. “It didn’t benefit us in any way,” he said. http://www.winnipegsun.com/2015/02/11/jets-welcome-newcomers-into-fold

Jets welcome newcomers into fold By: Ken Wiebe Blake Wheeler and Mark Stuart know exactly what Zach Bogosian and Evander Kane are going through. Back in late February of 2011, Wheeler and Stuart were dealt from the Boston Bruins to the Atlanta Thrashers for Rich Peverley and Boris Valabik.

So when Kane and Bogosian were dealt to the Buffalo Sabres on Wednesday along with goalie prospect Jason Kasdorf, Wheeler and Stuart were able to provide some perspective on the situation. “It’s tough. Having been through it, it’s not at an easy day for those guys or our team as a whole,” said Stuart. “It’s part of it, though. We realize that. There’s been a lot of talk over the last week or two about something being in the works. We’re losing two guys that were a big part of our team, but we’re going to welcome some new guys, too. That’s where we’re at right now.” Jets general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff made a blockbuster deal that he believes helps them both in the short term and the long term, acquiring defenceman Tyler Myers, winger Drew Stafford, forward prospects Joel Armia and Brendan Lemieux, and one of the Sabres’ three first-round picks in the 2015 NHL Draft. What message did this deal send to those in the Jets’ dressing room? “(Cheveldayoff) believes in our group and I think he’s believed in our group all year. He’s just trying to help give us the best chance we can during the stretch run, to ultimately reach our goal of making the playoffs,” said Wheeler. “You look at the two guys that are going to be joining our team and they’re guys that have had a tremendous amount of success in the league, guys that will definitely help us for the stretch run.” Jets captain Andrew Ladd was dealt to the Atlanta Thrashers after helping the Chicago Blackhawks win the Stanley Cup, so he knows what it’s liked to be moved as well, though the circumstances were obviously different. “Anytime something like this happens, you’re sad to see guys who have been part of the organization leave,” said Ladd. “But you’re also excited about the prospect of bringing guys in that can help our team right now. “For guys that have been here for a long time, there’s shock of not knowing the other side of it and what the future holds for you. But on the other side, there’s probably some excitement, in terms of the opportunity you might get there and what can become of that. Hopefully, the two guys coming here are excited to be part of a playoff run and can help us try to get some wins.” Jets head coach Paul Maurice was asked if he felt his team was better today than it was yesterday? “It can be. I mean, everything has to be proven,” said Maurice. “Both players (Stafford and Myers) can add something to our hockey team. We’re looking forward and excited to get them in here. But we have to prove it.” Maurice also said the addition of Stafford means Dustin Byfuglien will go back to playing defence on a full-time basis. The Jets face the Nashville Predators on Thursday as they open a two-game road trip that also features a game against the Detroit Red Wings. Myers and Stafford are expected to meet the Jets in Nashville and should be in the lineup, while Joel Armia will report to the St. John’s IceCaps of the American Hockey League.

Centre Patrice Cormier was also assigned to the IceCaps on Wednesday. MEET THE NEW JETS Tyler Myers Position: Defence Age: 25 Height: 6-foot-8 Weight: 219 pounds Chosen in first round, 12th overall, of 2008 NHL Draft by Buffalo Sabres 2014-15 stats: 47 GP, 4 G, 9 A, 13 P, 61 PIM The skinny: Smooth skater with a big shot and some offensive upside. Won the Calder Trophy in 2009-10 after a successful career with the Kelowna Rockets of the Western Hockey League. Drew Stafford Position: Right wing Age: 29 Height: 6-foot-2 Weight: 214 pounds Chosen in first round (13th overall) of 2004 NHL Entry Draft by Buffalo Sabres 2014-15 stats: 50 GP, 9 G, 15 A, 24 P, 39 PIM The skinny: Has 20 or more goals three times in his NHL career, including 2010-11 when he produced a career-best 31. Joel Armia Position: Left wing Age: 21 Height: 6-foot-3 Weight: 192 pounds Chosen in the first round of the 2011 NHL Draft by the Buffalo Sabres 2014-15 stats: 33 GP, 10 G, 15 A, 25 P, 39 PIM

The skinny: Soft hands and some goal-scoring potential, thanks to an incredibly quick release. Not an overly physical player, but wins battles along the wall. Brendan Lemieux Position: Left wing Age: 18 Height: 6-foot-1 Weight: 210 pounds Chosen in the second round (31st overall) of the 2014 NHL Draft 2014-15 stats: 46 GP, 35 G, 15 A, 50 P, 120 PIM The skinny: No surprise that the son of Claude Lemieux is the type of player who can get under an opponent’s skin. He’s also put up strong offensive numbers at the junior level. The Jets will also receive the Sabres’ first-round pick in 2015 that was acquired from the St. Louis Blues or the New York Islanders, which figures to be somewhere in the 20s. http://www.winnipegsun.com/2015/02/11/kane-bogosian-merchandise-now-75-off

Kane, Bogosian merchandise now 75% off By: David Larkins What a difference a day makes. If you bought an Evander Kane jersey on Tuesday — and it’s slightly questionable why you would have — you’re probably kicking yourself today. Sweaters with the now-former-Jets star’s name on the back dropped significantly at River City Sports on Wednesday after he was shipped out of town in a blockbuster deal that caught the eye of fans all over the NHL. Joe Wendt, the manager at River City’s St. James Street location, said as soon as news broke Kane was done in Winnipeg, prices on stitched sweaters dropped from regular $189.99 to $79.99. Wendt said everything else associated with Kane and Bogosian will be 75% off. “There was never a huge demand for (Kane’s) stuff,” he said. “He’s one of those ones that you either liked him or hated him. There was no in between.” Bogosian was never a huge draw, either, Wendt said. “You want the honest answer? Nothing,” he said. “He’s consistent, but he never blows you away.”

Wendt said if you have a stitched Bogosian or Kane jersey, all is not lost. The name bar can be easily replaced, although the numbers can not. So, you’ll have to wait and see who the next 44 and 9 are. Customer Kurtis Yaremko was purchasing a Bogosian jersey because he liked the price point. “I don’t follow them that closely, but he’s a pretty good hockey player,” he said. “But it was kind of like opportunity knocks, so you answer the door.” Bogosian and Kane items will stay in the store until they’re gone for good, Wendt said, destined for the everything-must-go racks. “The philosophy is,” he said, “get the merchandise as close to the door as possible because you want it out of the building.” http://www.winnipegsun.com/2015/02/11/kane-bogosian-traded-to-buffalo

Kane, Bogosian traded to Buffalo By: Ken Wiebe Kevin Cheveldayoff has pulled off the first blockbuster deal of his tenure as general manager of the Winnipeg Jets. On Wednesday morning, Cheveldayoff sent forward Evander Kane, defenceman Zach Bogosian and unsigned goalie prospect Jason Kasdorf to the Buffalo Sabres for defenceman Tyler Myers, forward Drew Stafford, forward prospects Joel Armia and Brendan Lemieux, and a first-round pick in the 2015 NHL Draft. Kane has 10 goals and 22 points in 37 games this season but underwent season-ending shoulder surgery on Saturday after a run-in with teammates in Vancouver last week that led to him being scratched as a coach’s decision. Cheveldayoff, though, said those developments didn’t force his hand. “This was not a knee-jerk reaction,” Cheveldayoff said. “I went into it with an open mind. You just don’t know how things are going to play out. You never go into something trying to force it. “It was a big deal for the last couple of days, with what happened with the coach’s decision and the situation that happened leading up to it. We’ll keep those things in-house. I wanted to look at the best interests of the organization and there was an opportunity to address something right now.” Cheveldayoff said there was plenty of interest in Kane, but Sabres GM Tim Murray was very aggressive. “He’s a tremendous hockey player. So there was no shock there was lots of interest when we were looking to see what we could get. Somewhere down the line, he’s going to continue to score those goals, and at the end of the day that’s what you want, too.”

The GM said it was hard to give up Bogosian, who has three goals and 13 points in 41 games this season. Kasdorf, a sixth round choice (154th overall in 2011), is 9-14 with a 2.94 goals against average for RPI of the NCAA this season. As for what the Jets acquired, Cheveldayoff said he tried to address the present and the future. Stafford had been linked to the Jets in the past and has nine goals and 24 points in 50 games this season. “We obviously need some more help at forward. So that’s a very important piece,” the GM said. Myers, the 12th overall pick in 2008, has four goals and 13 points in 47 games this season and won the Calder Trophy as the NHLs top rookie in 2009-10. “We believe there’s a huge upside on him,” Cheveldayoff said. Armia, the 16th overall pick in 2011, has 10 goals and 25 points in 33 games with the Rochester Americans. Lemieux, the son of Claude Lemieux, was the 31st overall pick in the 2014 NHL Draft. He has 35 goals and 50 points with the Barrie Colts of the Ontario Hockey League this season. The Sabres own three first-round picks in 2015 — their own, plus those of the St. Louis Blues and New York Islanders. It’s up to Buffalo which pick Winnipeg gets. The Jets are 28-18-10 this season and currently hold the first wild-card berth in the Western Conference. “The ability to add now was very important,” Cheveldayoff said. “It remains very important.” The Jets face the Predators in Nashville Thursday night. The Canadian Press http://www.ctvnews.ca/sports/winnipeg-jets-season-ticket-drives-seen-as-gold-standard-for-las-vegas-1.2231243

Winnipeg Jets' season-ticket drives seen as gold standard for Las Vegas By: Stephen Whyno When Winnipeg needed to prove it deserved an NHL team again, it went from zero to 13,000 real quick. Season tickets were sold out within seven minutes.

"It really was surprising how quickly things went," said True North vice-president of sales and marketing Norva Riddell. "We were completely overwhelmed at how successful and how quickly that all resonated." Almost four years after the Atlanta Thrashers were relocated, Winnipeg is the gold standard for season-ticket drives and one that Las Vegas would love to emulate as it embarks on trying to show the NHL an expansion team belongs there. It's unrealistic to expect tickets to be gone in 420 seconds like in Winnipeg, but planning and sales personnel from Las Vegas sought out help from True North before launching their drive Tuesday. The Jets have been happy to lend a helping hand. "If we can help people have successful operations in other markets, I think it's good for everybody," Riddell said in a recent phone interview. "The greater intention of everyone, to keep promoting the sport of hockey and have successful clubs in markets, I think is fantastic for everyone." Winnipeg and Las Vegas are very different situations, something deputy commissioner Bill Daly pointed out recently when noting True North already had a season-ticket base in place and was selling actual seats to a real team already on the way. And there's no denying that Las Vegas presents a variety of different challenges, not the least of which include a lack of hockey tradition and a transient population. In Winnipeg, True North knew it had an audience yearning for the NHL, which left in 1996. Aside from the ECHL's Wranglers, Las Vegas doesn't have a hockey history, but the same principles that helped Winnipeg's "Drive to 13,000" are important to the VegasWantsHockey push to get at least 10,000 for a team to begin play in 2016-'17. "The inclusiveness, really educating the community and really trying to make them a part of it, I think, is a big part of it," Riddell said. "Because once people understand the logistics and how they can play such an important role in establishing that team and the brand and the identity, then there's a real pride associated to that." Other advice included communicating details of the online-only drive and creating flexible options for fans in terms of prices and length of commitments. Hockey Vision Las Vegas, LLC declined comment through a spokeswoman. True North set ticket prices ranging from CAD$39 to $129 with full-season deposits costing fans between $500 and $1,000. Seven different levels were available at full-season costs from $1,755 to $5,805. With no real precedent to work from, Riddell said the company analyzed prices in other Canadian markets to figure out what they should be worth in Winnipeg. "We'd been working on our drive for quite some time because we kind of had a bit of a false start the year previous," Riddell said, referring to other relocation speculation. "We felt that we had a pretty good understanding of the market and what things would be important to them." The VegasWantsHockey prices range from US$20 to $220 (and deposits from $150 to $900) with the goal of making the average cost around the NHL's average of $62 to $65. The

company's website doesn't list full-season prices, but they would be roughly US$900 to $9,990 based on 41 regular-season and four pre-season home games. While Jets fans had to sign up for three, four or five years, the Las Vegas season-ticket drive includes options for one-, three-, five- and 10-year deals. "Every market is different and everything is going to have a different impact," Riddell said. The Jets saw a 96 per cent renewal rate on those fans who signed up for three years and are in the middle of their renewal process now for those with four-year deals. They have 8,000 on a waiting list and hope to chip into that with 278 more seats coming to MTS Centre for next season. Four years after their season-ticket drive, things are going strong. "I think people understand that they need to support the team in this community," Riddell said. "They just need to if they want it to stick around. It's very important within the fabric. So far so good." CBC News http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/jets-make-huge-deal-send-kane-and-bogosian-to-sabres-1.2953325

Jets make 'huge' deal, send Kane and Bogosian to Sabres Evander Kane and Zach Bogosian are no longer Winnipeg Jets. The Jets announced Wednesday they sent the two young stars to the Buffalo Sabres in exchange for defenceman Tyler Myers — the NHL's rookie of the year in 2009-10 — and wingers Drew Stafford, Joel Armia and Brendan Lemieux, who is the son of former NHL star Claude Lemieux. The Jets also get a first-round draft choice in the 2015 NHL Draft while Buffalo gets Jason Kasdorf, a 22-year-old goalie who is from Winnipeg and was in the Jets farm system. Kasdorf plays for Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI), a NCAA Division I college team in Troy, New York. New 'family' "I'm excited about what this trade brings to our organization," said Jets general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff, who thanked Bogosian and Kane for their contributions to the team and wished them the best. Acknowledging a reporter's comment that Bogosian was popular among the players, Cheveldayoff admitted it was difficult to trade "such a quality person." "But when you're crafting a deal this big, value has to go both ways," he added, saluting the Sabres for helping to make the trade happen.

Asked if he spoke to the team yet, Cheveldayoff said "that dressing room is Paul's," referring to head coach Paul Maurice. "I believe he addressed the team today." Jets' alternate captain Blake Wheeler said Maurice told the team the family lost two members but added others. They will now need to welcome those players and get them up to speed, Wheeler said. Cheveldayoff described both Armia and Myers as strong and Stafford as someone he believes will flourish in Winnipeg. "He's big, he can skate, he can shoot. He can log a lot of minutes," he said about Myers, who stands 6-foot-6, according to his player profile. Not 'knee-jerk reaction' Cheveldayoff danced around the questions of whether the controversy involving Kane forced the trade. "I don't make deals for the sake of a deal. I never go into something to try and force it," he said. "This was not a knee-jerk reaction." It just so happened the opportunity was there, he said. "It's not easy to make deals in this league," Cheveldayoff added, noting a lot of things need to align: prices, values, rosters, timing. "I wanted to look at the best interests of this organization. This will help strengthen the franchise, certainly, today, and hopefully in years to come." He admitted the Kane issues were "a big deal over the past few days" but he prefers to keep those in-house and move forward. Evander Kane and Zach Bogosian are no longer Winnipeg Jets. The Jets announced Wednesday they sent the two young stars to the Buffalo Sabres in exchange for defenceman Tyler Myers — the NHL's rookie of the year in 2009-10 — and wingers Drew Stafford, Joel Armia and Brendan Lemieux, who is the son of former NHL star Claude Lemieux. The Jets also get a first-round draft choice in the 2015 NHL Draft while Buffalo gets Jason Kasdorf, a 22-year-old goalie who is from Winnipeg and was in the Jets farm system. Kasdorf plays for Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI), a NCAA Division I college team in Troy, New York. New 'family' "I'm excited about what this trade brings to our organization," said Jets general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff, who thanked Bogosian and Kane for their contributions to the team and wished them the best.

Acknowledging a reporter's comment that Bogosian was popular among the players, Cheveldayoff admitted it was difficult to trade "such a quality person." "But when you're crafting a deal this big, value has to go both ways," he added, saluting the Sabres for helping to make the trade happen. Jets, Sabres react to blockbuster trade on Twitter Storify: Hockey fans react to Winnipeg Jets' big trade Jets or Sabres: Which team won the Evander Kane deal? Asked if he spoke to the team yet, Cheveldayoff said "that dressing room is Paul's," referring to head coach Paul Maurice. "I believe he addressed the team today." Jets' alternate captain Blake Wheeler said Maurice told the team the family lost two members but added others. They will now need to welcome those players and get them up to speed, Wheeler said. Cheveldayoff described both Armia and Myers as strong and Stafford as someone he believes will flourish in Winnipeg. "He's big, he can skate, he can shoot. He can log a lot of minutes," he said about Myers, who stands 6-foot-6, according to his player profile. Not 'knee-jerk reaction' Cheveldayoff danced around the questions of whether the controversy involving Kane forced the trade. TIMELINE | Evander Kane and the Winnipeg Jets "I don't make deals for the sake of a deal. I never go into something to try and force it," he said. "This was not a knee-jerk reaction." It just so happened the opportunity was there, he said. "It's not easy to make deals in this league," Cheveldayoff added, noting a lot of things need to align: prices, values, rosters, timing. "I wanted to look at the best interests of this organization. This will help strengthen the franchise, certainly, today, and hopefully in years to come." He admitted the Kane issues were "a big deal over the past few days" but he prefers to keep those in-house and move forward. Cheveldayoff added that he hasn't closed the door to more trades. "Will we be actively looking and evaluating until the trade deadline [in March]? Yes." Twitter lit up The Twittersphere lit up early Wednesday Dreger and fellow TSN hockey insider Bob McKenzie first reported a "huge" trade deal was being worked on between the teams.

Buffalo had been "pushing hard" to swing a deal that would put Kane in a Sabres uniform before this season is done, they reported. That, despite the fact that Kane has had shoulder surgery and expected to be out for four to six months. Both Kane and Bogosian jerseys have already dropped in price at a downtown sportswear store in Winnipeg, selling for $99.99, down from $219.99. The price on the Kane jersey was knocked down on Friday, in the wake of the recent turmoil, while Bogosian's was reduced Wednesday after the trade news came out. Kane's tenure in Winnipeg has been rocky but it came to a head last week ahead of a game in Vancouver on Feb. 3. CBC News and other media organizations reported last Thursday the 23-year-old winger violated the team's dress code by failing to wear a suit to the meeting. The report also said that teammate Dustin Byfuglien threw Kane's clothes in a shower after the incident. Kane was benched by Maurice and missed the Jets' game against the Canucks last week following the altercation. It was reported he couldn't be reached until an hour before the game started when he answered his cellphone and confirmed he wouldn't be playing. After reports surfaced, Winnipeg placed Kane on injured reserve, citing the need for the shoulder surgery. http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/jets-fans-breathe-sigh-of-relief-following-evander-kane-trade-1.2953889

Jets fans breathe sigh of relief following Evander Kane trade Trade to Buffalo Sabres comes as no surprise, says Jets fan Wednesday morning saw an end to the recent Evander Kane saga and trade whispers, prompting sighs of relief from many Winnipeg Jets fans. The Jets sent Zach Bogosian and Kane to the Buffalo Sabres in exchange for defenceman Tyler Myers — the NHL's rookie of the year in 2009-10 — and wingers Drew Stafford, Joel Armia and Brendan Lemieux, who is the son of former NHL star Claude Lemieux. Late Wednesday afternoon, Kane tweeted out a thank you to the Jets and Winnipeg. Jets fans like Mike Lay expected a blockbuster trade had been in the works. "Not shocked, not surprised,” said Lay. “I figured it was coming." Shawn Katz was thrilled with the trade. “I'm very excited, I think it's a great deal for Winnipeg," said Katz.

Rick Lefort, owner of Uptown Sports in Portage Place, said he started marking down his Kane and Bogosian merchandise right after trade reports were confirmed Wednesday morning. “Going through my mind was, ‘how much do I have in inventory of each player?’ You have to get rid of whatever you have," said Lefort. Lefort said Kane jerseys have been on sale since last Friday, but the Bogosian jerseys only went on sale today. And while some Jets fans are taking advantage of the sales on Bogo gear, others couldn’t be paid to take Kane sales items off of merchants’ hands. “I don’t think I'm going to buy a Kane jersey even if it's a couple of $50 dollars off or whatever," said Eric Miller. No stranger to controversy "Bogosion was more of a shock than Kane. Everybody knew Kane was coming," said Lefort. "We knew that Kane’s days were [probably] numbered with the Winnipeg Jets with what happened last week … there's been a rumour for probably a year that Kane might get traded, so we haven't brought as much Kane in in the last year." Kane courted controversy more than once during his time in Winnipeg. In September of 2013, some fans were upset after learning Kane had $650 in unpaid traffic tickets. He had been fined for texting and driving as well as for driving without a licence. The Jets ended up paying for those fines. Kane paid back the Jets. In December of 2014, Kane posted photos on his Instragram account doing push ups with stacks of money on his back, a throwback to a picture he posted on social media three years ago, where he's seen holding bundles of money like a phone. Jets general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff said he's had lots of interest in Kane since last week's blow up in Vancouver, where Kane was benched by coach Paul Maurice. Kane showed up to a pre-game meeting wearing a track suit, which was a violation of the team’s dress code. There were reports that teammate Dustin Byfuglien later tossed the track suit into the shower. And then Kane disappeared before the game against Vancouver. Cheveldayoff insisted the trade decision was made to strengthen the team, and not simply a reaction to last week's events. "There was an opportunity here to address something right now and to address something for the future, and you factor in lots of decisions when you make a deal of this magnitude," said Cheveldayoff. Jets fan Andre Vien said he likes Kane as a player, but said it was time for him to move on.

"I mean it just got worse and worse and he was doing so good this year, too,” said Vien. “I think this was kind of like the last straw." NHL.com http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=752928

Contending Jets address current, future needs By: Patrick Williams WINNIPEG -- Winnipeg Jets general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff has built a reputation as a patient, exacting NHL executive with a very long-term view of his organization's growth. Cheveldayoff spoke with the Winnipeg media Wednesday after the Jets' blockbuster trade that sent left wing Evander Kane, defenseman Zach Bogosian and prospect Jason Kasdorf to the Buffalo Sabres for defenseman Tyler Myers, forward Drew Stafford, forward prospects Joel Armia and Brendan Lemieux, and a first-round pick in the 2015 NHL Draft. "It was a situation where I wanted to look at the best interests of the organization, and there was an opportunity here to address something right now and to address something for the future," Cheveldayoff said. "This was not a knee-jerk reaction. This was something that, any time you can put together something like this, it takes a lot of work. There was an abundance of caution that went through a lot of the decisions. There was an abundance of time that went through a lot of these things as well. "I feel good with the now, but I'm really excited about the prospects of the future in this whole deal." The mood inside the Winnipeg dressing room took a more short-term focus. Adding two major pieces will have major ramifications throughout the lineup. The Jets are attempting to reach the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time since 2007 when the franchise was the Atlanta Thrashers. That is the only playoff series for the franchise in its history and they were swept in four games by the New York Rangers. Bogosian and Kane were among the two young players who never sampled playoff hockey since reaching the NHL. This season, the Jets have positioned themselves as a Western Conference contender. Their 2-1 overtime win against the Minnesota Wild on Tuesday left them holding the Western Conference's first wild card. Winnipeg is five points ahead of the Vancouver Canucks, who are in the second wild-card spot, and seven points clear the Minnesota Wild, the top team outside the playoff picture. "I think anytime that something like this happens, it's always sad to see guys who have been a part of the organization for many years leave, but you're also excited about the prospect of bringing in two guys who can help our team win right now," Jets captain Andrew Ladd said.

"Anytime that you can add to our team right now, [Cheveldayoff] sends a message that he believes in our group." Defenseman Mark Stuart, part of the Winnipeg blue line tasked with easing the adjustment for Myers, endorsed the move. "We as a team have extremely high confidence in our management," Stuart said. "We know that they're always trying to make us better. Today was a step that they felt that we needed to take, and we're fully behind them." Myers and Stafford will join the Jets on the road for their game Thursday against the Nashville Predators, the last of seven consecutive against Western Conference opponents. Another road game Saturday against the Detroit Red Wings will not leave much time for acclimatizing the new players to the Winnipeg system, but right wing Blake Wheeler does not foresee any difficulties. "It's going to be really easy," Wheeler said. "We're such a tight-knit group. We take care of our own. I think you've heard we're a family a number of times, and we have two new members of our family. So they're going to come right in and we're going to try to get them fit in as [quickly] as possible." Beyond the additions of Myers and Stafford, the Winnipeg dressing room might have reason to believe there could be more reinforcements on the way for the stretch drive. "The ability to add right now was very important," Cheveldayoff said. "It still remains very important. The [players] will do their job, and we're going to continue to keep looking to try to see whether there are other options out there as well. "You have to assess what might be out there or not out there. If there is a good match, if it's a good fit, I'll sit down with [Jets coach Paul Maurice], and we'll talk about things. That's standing here today. Obviously [Thursday] is a game day. You have to be able to roll with everything in this regard. "Make no mistake: Our focus is here and now in the sense of working hard to keep pushing for this group right now." Maurice announced Wednesday that Dustin Byfuglien will again return to play defenseman. Byfuglien started the season as a forward before his move back to his natural position in December after a crush of injuries. Kane's shoulder surgery last week pushed Byfuglien back to a role as the right wing on Winnipeg's second line. Maurice said he has line combinations and defensive pairings in mind, but he will wait until Thursday to unveil them. He has more options at hand than he had before the trade because Kane will miss the rest of the season. "[Kane was] a big piece that wasn't going to be a Winnipeg Jet for the remainder of the [season], so now we don't have to wonder what our team [will look] like in August or how Evander would fit or what we would look like two weeks from now," Maurice said. Are the Jets a better team after the trade?

"We've got to prove it," Maurice said. "But we took one NHL player out of our [present] lineup and added two." The Jets believe a new start for Myers inside their defensively minded system will benefit him. "When we talk about young players and draft picks, we always internally talk about the foundation of a player and the ceiling of a player," Cheveldayoff said. "Tyler has a tremendous foundation. He is big, he can skate, he can shoot. He is going to have the opportunity to play with a deeper [defensive] corps. He can log a lot of minutes." Stuart said he sees a good fit for Myers with one of the most physical teams in the League and one that emphasizes speed. "I think for him, he'll enjoy our system," Stuart said. "He is a really good skater. He is a big body. As defensemen, we like to be up in the play, be aggressive, to have good gaps, and I think he'll fit right in with that." Stafford will be an unrestricted free agent this summer; for now, he fills a major hole in Winnipeg's top-nine, and Cheveldayoff said he believes he could have a longer future with the Jets. "He is a player that is obviously looking for an opportunity to grow, to play in this League in a situation in which he can flourish, and we think we can offer that opportunity," Cheveldayoff said. "So we're not looking at this as a short-term thing, but once he gets here and gets to know our group, our family, our coaching staff, our city, I think he is really going to like it." http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=752925

Analysis: Game-changing trade for Jets' Cheveldayoff By: Dan Rosen The Winnipeg Jets are a better team and deeper organizationally today than they were yesterday. This is the double-down people in the hockey world have been waiting for from Jets general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff. He delivered it in game-changing fashion Wednesday. "It just fit," Jets coach Paul Maurice told NHL.com in a phone interview. "It fits what we're trying to do." The Jets acquired defenseman Tyler Myers, right wing Drew Stafford, forward prospects Joel Armia and Brendan Lemieux and a first-round pick in the 2015 NHL Draft from the Buffalo Sabres for forward Evander Kane, defenseman Zach Bogosian, and college goalie Jason Kasdorf, a junior at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. This trade works for the Jets on multiple fronts, which is why it's a home run for Cheveldayoff, his first in four seasons as Winnipeg's GM. Before Wednesday, Cheveldayoff had never made an NHL player-for-player trade. Everything he had done was about draft picks and prospects and building and sticking with the same core that to this day has produced exactly zero Stanley Cup Playoff appearances.

Cheveldayoff changed all of that with this trade. He set up the Jets to be a legitimate playoff team this season (they have a seven-point cushion for a Western Conference wild card with 26 games remaining) and a consistent playoff contender for several years to come. He gave this franchise a chance to succeed now and later. "That's what it's about," NHL Network analyst Craig Button said. "It's about being in position to succeed. [Detroit Red Wings GM] Kenny Holland says that all the time. You're not going to win the Stanley Cup every year, but you can be in a position to succeed." In the micro sense, or what this trade means for the Jets and their playoff hopes this season, it is essentially a 2-for-1 swap of NHL players with Myers and Stafford joining the Jets and Bogosian leaving. Kane is done for the season because of shoulder surgery, so he didn't factor into Maurice's immediate plans. And don't be confused, this season matters greatly in Winnipeg. The Jets are legitimately and intimately involved in the playoff picture for the first time since the NHL came back to Winnipeg in 2011-12. They were a fringe team for a few seasons under former coach Claude Noel, but they faded at the end because they weren't deep enough, didn't play strong enough defense, and their goaltending wasn't good enough. They're deeper up front now with Stafford filling a spot that was vacated by Kane. "It's easy to upgrade over a spot that we didn't have a guy playing in," Maurice said. Stafford can play in the top six, potentially on a line with Mark Scheifele and Mathieu Perreault. The Jets had Dustin Byfuglien on the right side of Scheifele and Perreault on Tuesday against the Minnesota Wild. Now Byfuglien can go back to playing defenseman, which is where he fits best. Myers can become Toby Enstrom's new defense partner. That was Bogosian's role. It's an easy swap, particularly because Myers, like Bogosian, is a righty. Look at the size that the Jets have on the right side of their defense now: Myers is 6-foot-8, 219 pounds; Byfuglien is 6-5, 260; and Jacob Trouba is 6-2, 200. The left side features Ben Chiarot (6-3, 215), Mark Stuart (6-2, 213) and Enstrom (5-10, 180), who is usually the first guy on the wall anyway. "Our back end is enormous right now," Maurice said. "You look at that right side, we're going to have to find minutes for everybody, but we have a big solid back end that's got a nice identity. A lot of those big guys can really move the puck and move their body." In the macro sense, or what this all means for the Jets down the road, this trade is a steal for them. It starts with the fact Kane's time in Winnipeg appeared to have run out with his teammates turning on him and Maurice backing the group, not Kane. That's not an issue anymore.

Moving along, the trade works for the Jets on a long-term basis because they got potentially three high-end prospects without giving up any. Armia was the No. 16 pick in the 2011 draft and, according to Button, could develop into a solid second- or third-line scoring wing. "You're hopeful of getting 20 goals out of him," Button said. "I'm projecting him to be a skilled, scoring winger." Lemieux, the 31st pick in the 2014 draft, is a prototypical power wing in the sense that he's 6-foot, 206 pounds, and rugged. Button said Lemieux goes hard to the net and can score. He has 35 goals in 46 games for the Barrie Colts of the Ontario Hockey League this season. "My line for him is he's a geometry lesson, because the shortest distance between two points is a straight line, and he goes in a straight line," Button said. "He has the ability to get his game up to a higher level at most critical times. He's unique. Power wingers that can score, they're not easy to come by." The Jets system is loaded now with Armia and Lemieux, a late first-round pick this year from Buffalo, plus a host of high-end prospects they have already drafted, including forwards Nikolaj Ehlers, Nicolas Petan and Andrew Copp, defenseman Joshua Morrissey and goalie Eric Comrie. If Cheveldayoff wants to, he has the ability to trade some pieces out of his deep prospect system before the 2015 NHL Trade Deadline on March 2 (3 p.m. ET) to make the current roster even better. The Jets could use help in their bottom-six forward group. "Getting [Stafford and Myers] in here early enough is a big help because in two or three weeks we get to re-evaluate where we're at and what our needs are," Maurice said. "A big deal gets folded into your team and you can assess it to see if there are other areas to see if you can improve." The Jets still have time to improve. They don't have to settle for being mediocre anymore. Their general manager legitimized them with one massive, game-changing trade Wednesday. http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=752985

Unmasked: Jets tandem allows time to improve By: Kevin Woodley When it comes to the Winnipeg Jets' goaltending situation, it isn't hard to find people clamoring for rookie Michael Hutchinson to be named the unquestioned No. 1 ahead of incumbent Ondrej Pavelec. Even a casual glance at their numbers this season shows why: Hutchinson has more wins (15-7-3) than Pavelec (13-11-7) in eight fewer starts, and even though a three-game skid after the

All-Star break stopped Hutchinson from leading the NHL in save percentage, he has a distinct edge over Pavelec (.925 to .911). That may lead to an increased workload for Hutchinson down the stretch as the Jets try to secure their first Stanley Cup Playoff berth since moving back to Winnipeg. But Hutchinson's recent blip starting three straight games for the second time this season isn't the only reason the Jets are happy to have options in goal. In addition to easing Hutchinson into any expanded role without sacrificing important goalie-specific development time, the split allows Pavelec to continue modernizing and modifying a technical approach that seemed neglected during his first four NHL seasons with the Atlanta Thrashers. "The beauty of what we have is the opportunity to balance the two goalies," Jets goaltending coach Wade Flaherty told NHL.com. "It gives me time to work with [Pavelec]. We never had the opportunity to do this in-season before because he was playing 65 games a year." Flaherty wasn't about to break down his goalies' games in public, but he didn't have to. It doesn't take a doctorate in puck-stopping to see the need to change parts of Pavelec's game. That's amplified when you contrast his play to Hutchinson's. Forget the numbers; just look at how they move on the ice and where they end up if you want to really see the difference between the two. Hutchinson plays a more contained game, staying mostly within, or at his most aggressive, on the edge of his crease. That gives him more time to use impressive on-ice vision to read plays and less distance to cover to beat lateral passes and recover from rebounds. Pavelec has long been known for a more aggressive positional game, often with plenty of white ice between the back of his skates and the edge of his crease. But talk to goaltending coaches around the NHL and they've noticed that gap closing over the past two seasons. It is part of a plan to add structure to Pavelec's game after relying too often on athleticism early in his career. The payoff for an improved technical approach should be more consistency, but it won't happen overnight, especially after being left to figure it out himself for years. "This has given us time to work on the fundamentals of the changes," Flaherty said. "It's all about muscle memory and repetition, but it does not work if you do it one day and then he plays four or five games." The ongoing work goes beyond where Pavelec plays relative to his crease, and includes adding the reverse-VH to his post-integration options. But if there's an easy-to-spot example of old versus new, it's Pavelec's post-save recoveries and use of the pop-up technique. After making a save, Pavelec liked to pop back up to both skates at the same time and then move laterally toward the rebound. It's an athletic movement that requires a lot of strength, but it's also inefficient relative to modern proper-leg recovery practices. Most of today's goalies get up from the butterfly with the leg opposite the direction they need to move, which allows them to start that movement, and the hip rotation required to do it properly

and powerfully, as they get back up, or they make that lateral movement sliding from their knees. Breaking that habit takes time, and like getting too far out from his crease, there are times Pavelec will do it in a game. But there is increasing self-awareness when he does. "He identifies it and reels himself in and almost resets now within a game," Flaherty said. "Usually takes video time to get to, 'OK, now I see it,' but he picks it up on his own now, and that is a big step." There are more steps to take, and some gaps between Pavelec and Hutchinson may never close. That is especially true of Hutchinson's wider butterfly flexibility, which allows him to flare his skates farther out when he is down on the ice. A wider butterfly not only provides better down-low coverage, but it makes it easier (and therefore faster) to grab an edge with his skate on the post-save recovery pushes from side to side. With Pavalec's skates more behind him in a narrower butterfly, he has to lift his knee higher and pull that skate out from behind him before establishing the same edge. The added hip flexibility allows Hutchinson to seal his posts in the reverse-VH while holding his skate against the iron, whereas Pavelec has to place his skate inside the post and the shin of his pad against it to get a seal, giving him less power pushing off. Despite some of those physical disadvantages, expect Pavelec to keep pushing to catch up technically. He bought into the changes and spent extra weeks in the summer working to make them more instinctive. Given Pavelec was able to make the NHL with so little structure in his game, the potential upside if he can add it to the athleticism he relied on remains high. In the meantime, Pavelec's presence allows Hutchinson to keep his technical game sharp. After being pulled from that third straight start coming out of the All-Star break, Hutchinson was on the ice with Flaherty for half an hour the next morning while Pavelec prepared to start the second half of back-to-back games with travel in between. "That's the issue of one goalie playing night after night after night is, when do you have time to do the fundamental drills or work on the technical side because you are working on rest?" Flaherty said. It's not an issue the Jets have to worry about right now. ESPN.com http://espn.go.com/blog/nhl/post/_/id/34541/evander-kane-on-trade-to-buffalo-sabres-its-nice-to-feel-wanted

Evander Kane on trade to Buffalo Sabres: 'It's nice to feel wanted' By: Pierre LeBrun

Evander Kane is no stranger to Twitter, but strangely enough, he found out about his trade to the Buffalo Sabres the old-fashioned way Wednesday. "I've been having some tough nights sleeping with shoulder surgery," Kane told ESPN.com Wednesday over the phone from Winnipeg. "I woke up to a call from my agent and he gave me the news before I could even turn on the TV or check Twitter or anything like that. "I'm excited, very excited about the trade." He welcomes a fresh start after all the drama that fueled his exit from Winnipeg. But first and foremost, after talking to Sabres general manager Tim Murray, Kane sees the opportunity that lies ahead next season after he recovers from his shoulder surgery. "Once I talked to Tim and talked to my agent [Craig Oster of Newport Sports], there's a lot of excitement for the future in Buffalo," Kane said. "Just looking at next year, they're going to get a top pick and that's exciting. Just to have one of those two guys maybe to play with next year, plus the other young players on that team. The sense I got from Buffalo is that, yes they're rebuilding but they're not going to sit around and wait. They're looking to do something now. It's nice to go somewhere where you feel wanted and you feel that they want to put you in a situation to have success." It has been a whirlwind week for the 23-year-old star winger, who became persona non-grata in Winnipeg after a controversy erupted last week following his no-show for a Jets game in his hometown of Vancouver. "There's definitely a lot more to it than some of the funny story lines that came out," Kane said. "Sometimes you have to just let a story die and I guess that's what we'll do. But it was definitely disappointing with how everything shook out and some of the information was misconstrued, misleading, some of the facts kind of came out wrong or didn't come out at all. That's to be expected. But I'm definitely glad to be moving on and I'm going to have a fresh start with a new team. I'm looking forward to the future for sure." What upset Kane the most was that there are people who questioned the timing of his season-ending shoulder surgery. On that, Kane wants the air cleared. "I had it [shoulder injury] last year and it got worse over the last two months," Kane said. "And actually, when they went in there to do the surgery, they found a hole in my shoulder as well and some other things they had to fix. It was a little more complicated than everyone thought at first, so it's really good we got it fixed now. "That some people thought I was having surgery just to end my season, that's so not true. That's the biggest thing I want to make clear." Kane says the shoulder problem got so bad last week that he couldn't bare it anymore. "It's just common sense that I would have wanted to play in my hometown in front of friends and family where I know everyone has tickets to the game," said Kane, who played through a fracture ankle and a fractured hand this season. "Of course I would have wanted to. But

unfortunately, it comes to a point where you just can't do it anymore because of the things I was going through. I couldn't do what I needed to do out there. It (his shoulder) would come out twice in a period, once a period, sometimes it wouldn't come out. It was tough to judge and get a feel for it." Added Kane for emphasis: "After the break, we played in Philadelphia, our second game back, it came out twice in the third period and it just became harder and harder to continue. It was getting worse. I didn't want to put myself in a situation where it would become possibly career-threatening or maybe not be able to recover fully." Asked about then-Jets teammate Dustin Byfuglien throwing his tracksuit in the shower last week and whether there were other incidents with teammates that led to his divorce from the Jets, Kane downplayed those things. "I'm actually one of the guys that doesn't mind that kind of stuff, to be honest," he said of the tracksuit in the shower. "That's kind of a funny part for me hearing all this. I'm a pretty tough guy mentally and physically. I think if people thought it was just about that, that's fine. That gives me a pretty good laugh." Regardless of what people choose to believe, he's turning the page. He's a Buffalo Sabre now. "It's a fresh start, I'm excited," Kane said. The Telegram

IceCaps rally to beat Wolf Pack St. John’s downs Hartford 5-4 in shootout for 3rd straight win By: Brendan McCarthy The St. John’s IceCaps played their 51st game of the season Wednesday night at Mile One Centre, but you might say they have seen 52-plus games’ worth of action this American Hockey League season. St. John’s IceCaps winger Carl Klingberg battles with the Hartford Wolf Pack’s Steve Spinell as he sets up in front of goaltender Yann Denis during the teams’ American Hockey League game at Mile One Centre on Wednesday night. The IceCaps won 5-4 in a shootout. — Photo by Colin Peddle/St. John’s IceCaps That’s because for a league-leading 15th time this season, the IceCaps found themselves in a game that required extra time. They couldn’t have minded the extra work, because things ended well as St. John’s rallied from two-goal deficit in the third period to register a 5-4 shootout win, their third straight victory. St. John’s (22-22-7) won the shootout 2-1, with Kyle MacKinnon and JC Lipon scoring.

Danny Kristo was successful on the first shootout attempt for Hartford (26-15-7), but Connor Hellebuyck, appearing in his 18th straight game for St. John’s, stopped Bourque and Chris Mueller to the ensure that the IceCaps fashioned their longest winning streak at Mile One this season Justin Vaive’s goal midway through the third had staked Hartford to that 4-2 lead, but a power-play goal by Scott Kosmachuk less than two minutes later brought the IceCaps back to within hailing distance. The home side then drew even when Blair Riley deflected a Will O’Neill shot past Yann Danis just over three minutes later. St. John’s had a good shot at getting a regulation-time game winner after being awarded a power play in the last couple of minutes in the third. IceCaps’ defenceman Brenden Kichton, who had opened the scoring with a power-play marker in the first period, had a great chance for another, but had his in-close shot go wide of the goal. In fact, it was the penalty-killing Wolf Pack who had the best scoring chance in the late going when Tyler Brown rang a shot off the post behind Hellebuyck on a breakaway into the St. John’s zone. Hartford had two more outstanding scoring chances in overtime. Ryan Haggerty, who had one of the Wolf Pack’s regulation goals, was awarded a penalty shot when he was hauled down by O’Neill on a break of his own, but didn’t manage a shot on goal on the free attempt. Shortly afterwards, Kristo rang a shot off the post. With the teams reverted to three-on-three play by this point, there was more wide-open hockey, but the teams still found themselves in a shootout. Albert had a goal and an assist for St. John’s, which finishes off a six-game homestand with games against the Worcester Sharks Friday and Saturday. O’Neill continued what has been a 2015 scoring spree with three assists. Bourque had a goal and two assists for Hartford. Mueller also scored for Hartford. His goal, coming 32 seconds before Haggerty put the visitors up 2-1, ended a 133-minute shutout streak by Hellebuycjk, who had blanked the Hartford Tuesday when the IceCaps won 3-0. St. John’s was two-for-seven on the power play in the rematch. Hartford was two-for-six. Hellebuyck made 25 saves, while Yann Danis had 30 stops for the Wolf Pack.