DeMelo looking forward to new opportunity with Jets

WINNIPEG -The National Hockey League's trade deadline of February 24 is still six days away, but Winnipeg Jets General Manager Kevin Cheveldayoff surveyed the market and knew he had to strike quickly.
So on Tuesday, he completed a deal with the Ottawa Senators that brought defenceman Dylan DeMelo into Winnipeg in exchange for a third round pick in the 2020 NHL Draft.
"We like the fact Dylan is a right shot, right defenceman. That was something we had some conversations on internally," said Cheveldayoff. "When I talked to those coaches, that was very appealing. That did factor into our equation as well. As with anything here, we've talked about it, it's about a fit. We felt this is the fit we wanted to jump on."

The 26-year-old DeMelo has 10 assists in 49 games with the Senators this season. He's excited about the opportunity to join a team he played against just over a week ago.
"Winnipeg is always a tough building to come into when you're a road team. It's loud, it's rowdy, the fans are very passionate," said DeMelo, who was born in London, Ontario. "I think the team itself plays hard and it plays fast. Every time I play Winnipeg, it's always a team that I've been impressed with.
"Top to bottom it's a very strong team, very well coached. I'm looking forward to the opportunity to go ahead with this playoff push, hopefully get in, and make some noise."
This isn't the first time DeMelo has been traded in his career, which spans 259 NHL games.
He was part of a group of players (including Chris Tierney, Rudolfs Balcers, and Josh Norris) sent to Ottawa - along with conditional draft picks in 2019, 2020, and 2021 - in exchange for Erik Karlsson going to San Jose on September 13, 2018.
That was when the Jets started to pay more attention to DeMelo's development.
"He went to a team that you knew he was going to get an increased role. He's someone that you watch from a distance to see how he's going to handle that role," said Cheveldayoff. "We've really liked his progression over the course of time to what he's become, his growth as a player and his development, over those years."

DeMelo's average ice time surged from 14:12 in 2017-18, his final season in San Jose, to 19:17 last season. It's now up to a shade under 20 minutes a night at 19:55, and in that time, he's learned to play against the opposition's best.
"When I was in San Jose I was behind some really good players on the back end and I didn't really get my chance on a consistent basis to get a lot of minutes," DeMelo said. "As soon as I was traded to Ottawa, I was given that opportunity.
"I played with some really good D partners in my time there. Thomas Chabot, I've played mostly this year with Mark Borowiecki, who is having an excellent season. I think those guys helped me elevate my game. Being trusted by the coaching staff when I was there, they gave me an opportunity to succeed."
In 126 games for the Senators, DeMelo played in all situations, including power play and penalty kill.
At even strength, his shot attempt percentage of 52.2 per cent is the fifth best on the team - an impressive stat considering the Senators have given up more shots (33.6 per game on average) than they've fired at the opposition's net (30.2) this season.
"For me, no matter who I'm playing with, no matter what team I'm playing on, I just try to do the best I can, play hard, and play to my strengths," DeMelo said. "For me, I just proved to myself and to the league that I can be a top end guy, a guy that can play against top lines, eat minutes, and play PK, and do all the little things right."

On ice, DeMelo's numbers are a great addition for the Jets. But Cheveldayoff adds that the defenceman's personality off the ice was also key in the deal.
"I think the player that we're bringing in here will fit very well into that dressing room as well, which is very important," said Cheveldayoff.
In fact, DeMelo's neighbour in the Ottawa dressing room, former Jet Ron Hainsey, has already given the newest Jet insight on what the players in the Winnipeg dressing room are like.
"We talked briefly a bit about Winnipeg. He enjoyed his time there," said DeMelo, who grew up playing against Mark Scheifele as a member of the London Junior Knights.
"I hope to be a seamless fit there, help this team push for the playoffs and get into the dance."