Jets GM urges young players to step up: 'The ball's in their court'

Winnipeg general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff has issued a challenge to the future of the Jets' organization.

"I'm looking forward for our younger players to try and take a step, whether it's Logan Stanley, Ville Heinola, Brad Lambert, (Nikita) Chibrikov, (Cole) Perfetti," he said Wednesday during the Hlinka Gretzky Cup, per TSN. "Those are the kind of players that we need to keep growing to push our organization forward."

He added, "The ball's in their court. If you're a young player in our organization right now, it's all in front of you, there for the taking."

Perfetti and Stanley have the most NHL experience among the five players Cheveldayoff named.

This past season was Perfetti's third in the big leagues and his first unaffected by injuries. He posted a career-high 19 goals and 38 points in 71 appearances, but 19 of those points came in his first 25 games of the season.

Perfetti went 15 games without a point during the winter. He was a healthy scratch for 11 regular-season matchups in March and April and appeared in just one playoff contest. He's currently a restricted free agent in need of a new contract.

Despite that slump, Cheveldayoff threw his support behind the 2020 first-round pick.

"I think Cole's just scratching the surface. ... Last year, he had a great year," he said. "We're looking forward to good things with him moving forward with our core."

Stanley, meanwhile, appeared in 25 regular-season games and three playoff outings in 2023-24.

Cheveldayoff noted that it was difficult to get Stanley into the lineup because the Jets' blue line stayed remarkably healthy. However, the executive foresees a greater opportunity for Stanley after the club bought out veteran rearguard Nate Schmidt.

The Jets re-signed Stanley to a two-year pact with a $1.25-million cap hit in July.

Chibrikov and Lambert both made their NHL debuts on April 18, with the former scoring a goal and the latter registering an assist.

"Both guys look to factor into our equation sooner rather than later," Cheveldayoff said.

Cheveldayoff didn't mention Rutger McGroarty, the 14th overall pick of the 2022 NHL Draft. Winnipeg has reportedly been looking to trade the 20-year-old forward this summer.

On top of Schmidt's exit, defenseman Brenden Dillon, center Sean Monahan, and winger Tyler Toffoli departed in free agency, creating more vacancies in Winnipeg's lineup.