Stan Bowman's roster re-making and cunning ability to maneuver around the salary walls that are constantly closing in on his empire is the stuff of legends.
Now, this isn't to say he's bamboozled every executive brave enough to seal an agreement with a firm handshake. Brandon Saad's doing just fine in Columbus, thanks. But the Chicago Blackhawks general manager seems to make the most advantageous decision for his dynastic franchise every single time out. Even moves that prompt a few head scratches, work.
So there's really no reason to suggest his latest stroke, the acquisition of the rental market's presumably most-expensive asset, Andrew Ladd, won't be another shrewd decision. One looked back at and lauded, all over again.
It's a former subordinate, though, a man who won a title with Bowman and Ladd almost six years ago, that deserves a heaping slab of credit in the fallout from Thursday night's blockbuster.
Because Kevin Cheveldayoff's come a long way since he tabled a lucrative long-term contract offer to the 10-year veteran who'd recently rolled off a surgical table, and whose signature would have probably victimized the singular, and most unique asset on the Winnipeg Jets' roster.
The right call
The Jets GM was met with the greatest plight of his career this summer. Ladd and Dustin Byfuglien, the organization's senior pillars - who though sewn through the fabric of the organization are on the wrong side of 30 - came up for new contracts, and raises, at the same time.
At first, the plan appeared to involve retaining both. However, contract talks in the summer, and even into the start of the season, seemed to focus primarily around Ladd. He was the Jets' captain, a player who recently set a career high in points, and performed valiantly through a sports hernia for a chunk of last season.
Still, to someone outside the market, it seemed misguided. Ladd remains a useful top-six player with 50-point potential. And his role as captain, and in turn his value, transcends point production to a certain extent. But he's a depreciating asset playing a subsidiary position, and a player showing his 10 seasons of on-ice battles.
Simply put: a long-term deal with Ladd would most certainly see the Jets paying for what he's done, not what he will do.
To Winnipeg's benefit but despite its efforts, things would change. Byfuglien, who's actually a few months older than Ladd but has appeared in about 100 fewer games, emerged as Cheveldayoff's priority.
And, he turned out to be a far easier sell.
The Jets signed the best deal for the organization under the circumstances Feb. 8, inking Byfuglien to a five-year extension worth $38 million.
Though a veteran, Byfuglien is still raw and prone to the blunder. But his footprint, overall impact, and combination of skills he'll bring over the next five years is so much greater, and so much more valuable than that of Ladd's.
About time
Limiting the term on Byfuglien, a player that's either at, fast approaching, or now passing the peak of his career was most important in Chevy's dealings. But the timing of his pact with the rover, and clarity gained when the captain was pinched with weeks still leading up to the deadline shouldn't be understated.
It was that defined direction that helped drive up the price over the weeks that Ladd was peddled on the open market, and Cheveldayoff received tremendous value on his asset as a result.
Barring a deal, the Jets will select twice in the first round in back-to-back drafts, while Marko Dano - a former first-round pick in his own right - joins Hobey Baker challenger Kyle Connor, Josh Morrissey, Joel Armia, and a surplus of quality prospects assembling under the Jets' banner.
It wasn't without a few clumsy first steps, and assistance from Ladd's staunch negotiation, but in retaining Byfuglien and manufacturing a return on their captain, Cheveldayoff made the most of a difficult situation.
