Cheveldayoff said that just as Trouba was exercising his rights and looking out for his best interest, the Jets were doing the same with the trade.
"You survey everything, you take stock of what the opportunities are in front of you and you make your decision," he said. "That's something we, over the course of time here, we knew what was out there in the market and this was what we wanted to do."
However, there has been acrimony between Trouba and the Jets in the past. Trouba asked to be traded on Sept. 24, 2016, then rescinded that request one day after signing a two-year, $6 million contract on Nov. 7, 2016. Last offseason, he went to arbitration with Winnipeg and played this season on a one-year, $5.5 million contract.
Despite it all, Cheveldayoff said he's left with a fondness for a player who was an important part of the organization's growth after it relocated from Atlanta in 2011.
"He was our second first-round pick (Mark Scheifele, No. 7 in 2011)," Cheveldayoff said. "He's played hard for our organization for a period of six years, and we wish him all the best. He's someone we saw grow and develop, and obviously he had some personal things he wanted to see come to fruition, and obviously one year from unrestricted free agency, he had that prerogative.
"I think both sides are going to flourish from new opportunities."
One of those new opportunities is for the 23-year-old Pionk. The Jets see him as a player with plenty of upside after he had 26 points (six goals, 20 assists) in 73 games in his first full NHL season with Rangers, including leading their defensemen in power-play points with 13.
"When you do the research on him, talk to different people about him, he's a competitor," Cheveldayoff said.
---
Listen: Impact of Trouba trade on NHL Fantasy on Ice podcast