Jets Scouting in Philly last Night? Ladd & Buff Contracts October 15, 2015, 12:51 PM ET [14 Comments] Peter Tessier

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Is Jets GM Cheveldayoff a Tactician or a Procrastinator?





We’re long over due for some movement on Andrew Ladd and Dustin Byfuglien but yet the ‘word on the street’ is that they are far from signing deals with the Jets. While this may seem irksome to some Jets fans and puzzling to media pundits is this a natural position for Jets GM Kevin Cheveldayoff? I’d say it is.



Chevy has never been one to rush into deals or moves, whether that be by style, tactic or simply procrastination, he’s far from what many would say is a prototypical GM. Is that his fault or part in parcel with that of his keepers, True North Sports and Entertainment, i.e. Mark Chipman?



Consider the first summer after the Thrashers moved to Winnipeg, 2011. It was busy, actually it was insane and I’m sure no hockey operations department would ever wish that upon a rival but within that time were some critical deals that had to be made, Andrew Ladd and Zach Bogosian. Ladd came first in July as a restricted free agent on July 5th but Bogosian came much later, in fact it wasn’t until the dawn of training camp that the two-year bridge deal was announced on Sept 14 2011.



Go forward a few years to the summer of change, 2013, or so many thought. The off-season was set for Cheveldayoff to make changes to a roster that had some youth but did not have anything close to a complete feel and look. Instead three key players were re-signed, Bogosian, Wheeler and Little but not without the Jets electing to go to arbitration for all three.



The strategy here was that it would fore both sides to come together by having a firm deadline. It worked and three deals were made, two of which were very favourable to the Jets. Yet here we are, in the final season and nothing for either Ladd or Byfuglien.



Looking back to the summer of 2014 it was agreed upon that the Jets and Michael Frolik were only going to sign a one-year deal as they simply ran out of time. A longer deal could not be negotiated and it was later revealed that the Jets could have retained Frolik for 3 more seasons beyond this past one had they agreed to 4 years and 16 million the previous summer.



But it hasn’t always been this way with Chevy. There were times when he all but jumped the gun trying to retain players like Ondrej Pavelec who was signed long before he needed to be and for significant term that was above what Frolik would ask and get. Then there is Enstrom who was provided an extension before even entering the final year of his deal.



Mark Stuart was also extended before the season ended in 2014. The deal was announced after the trade deadline finished that day. Even Chris Thorburn’s deal that has two years left could be looked at as premature action, signed and announced on June 30th 2014. Were there agents lined up at Thorburn’s doorstep waiting for Jul 1 to strike or were no other bottom 3 pugilist forwards around that summer?



Yet here we are, wondering and waiting, waiting and wondering. Why is it taking this long to make a move.



Curiously there may be some logic, or at least tactics to the timing or process of arriving at a deal. The Jets know exactly where they will go in terms of salary, why rush to get there if the other side is not trying. We don’t know what the numbers or term is but they do and they have not found that sweet spot of common ground and that’s because they are still jockeying. The risk with this type of approach is that at some point the waters may get spoiled and the player is willing to take the risk of free agency. Ladd and Byfuglien already have a enough money to last their lifetimes and their kid’s too so this is only about getting what is ‘fair’ not about the final haul to be set for life. Angering or frustrating the player(s) with procrastination to get to the final point is also at risk and it is believed this may have happened with Frolik. He had had enough, and was determined to look elsewhere before considering Winnipeg as I was told.



Would it come to that with Ladd and Buff? That’s the risk with holding back. But there may be more to it than hitting the right number and term. Maybe the Jets have doubts after off-season surgery with Ladd and his sterling record of durability to date or is it something else?



Ladd has never said anything that could be construed as unsure about Winnipeg, the Jets as the team he would play for, nor has Byfuglien. They both have mentioned the ‘business process’ that comes with contract negotiations. Players are not unaware of the scenario their agents deal with in minutiae.



So why is there a delay? Chevy could be waiting to see how Ladd starts coming off surgery this past summer and a career year in the season prior. Is he paying for Ladd of last season or the decline to come? The same could be said with Buff, and it should be said.



If the Jets wanted one or both of these players they would have them under contract right now. There can’t be that much spread between salary and term. To the contrary if the players wanted to extend they could just as easily as the team could sign them.



The leverage for the players is that they can be courted by 29 other teams in 9 months so they want to maximize that pay day with their current club. But are there 29 other teams who can absorb at least 6.5 million a year and term for two players entering the down side of their careers?



That may be the leverage that Chevy and the Jets have, one that allows them to be patient if not procrastinate. Frankly it’s a risk, for both parties, to try and let time slip away and hope something good or predicted happens within that time. Therein lies the dilemma that Jets fans are watching unfold, good tactics to achieve good results but with the risk of it all going wrong.



This piece was written over a week ago and now, after four games into the season the Jets have seen their two key UFAs get off to suspect starts. Byfuglien is feeling the usual heat for apparent lackadaisical play and Ladd is having his healthy or fitness to play questioned. Interestingly, it’s soon to be RFA Mark Scheifele who has come out of the gates quite hot and that may be to Chevy’s advantage if the play with Buff and Ladd still seems stagnant.



That does not explain why the Jets GM was in Philadelphia last night, allegedly scouting two teams both rumoured to be in need of something the Jets have in abundance, depth defence. I wonder what Paul Postma is thinking?