Dave Lowry, who finished the season as coach, could be a candidate.
"I met with the coaches, I informed them that we're going to be conducting a full-scale interview process for a new head coach," Cheveldayoff said. "I met with each of them individually, I met with Dave and told him that as well and said to him if he wanted to be part of that formal search that he had earned that opportunity. We will grant him a formal interview process in that regard.
"I met with all the assistant coaches as well and told them that we're going to go through this process and that there's a chance that they're part of that process moving forward when we finally select a head coach, but there's also a chance that they might not be there. There's going to be lots of conversations amongst whether it's the leadership group, whether it's the other players. There's going to be lots of conversations internally. And just because I got an extension, there's going to be lots of conversations between the ownership and myself, asking where things went."
Lowry was promoted from assistant after Paul Maurice resigned as coach Dec. 17 and went 26-22-6, including a 4-3 win against the Seattle Kraken in the final game of the regular season Sunday. He was in his second season with Winnipeg after being hired as an assistant prior to the 2020-21 season and was previously an assistant for the Los Angeles Kings (2017-19) and the Calgary Flames (2009-12).
The Jets (39-32-11) missed the Stanley Cup Playoffs this season, finishing eight points behind the Nashville Predators for the second wild card from the Western Conference. They had reached the playoffs the four previous seasons. They have the 14th-best odds (1.5 percent) of winning the 2022 NHL Draft Lottery on May 10 but can move no higher than the No. 4 pick; teams only can move up 10 selections in the lottery.
"I think as equally disappointed as everyone is right now, I think the euphoria at the start of the season was very high," Cheveldayoff said. "This group had a lot of expectations, and with some of the moves that we made over the summer I think there was a tremendous amount of excitement. That level of high, certainly when you're at this point here right now, not competing in the playoffs, is met with an equal level of low."
Cheveldayoff was hired June 8, 2011, days after True North Sports and Entertainment purchased the Atlanta Thrashers and relocated the franchise to Winnipeg. In his 11 seasons, the Jets have made the playoffs five times, including the 2018 Western Conference Final, a five-game loss to the Vegas Golden Knights.
The Jets are 421-324-86 in Cheveldayoff's tenure with a .558 points percentage that's 18th in the NHL since 2011-12.
"It's an extension that we agreed to actually a little while ago, and obviously we had some business to take care of with some of my staff," Cheveldayoff said. "I haven't really been one to announce the terms of those, but I think over the course of time here we've built an organization that has tried to compete for the Stanley Cup over the last couple of years. I think there's obviously lots of work to do here to continue to move forward and try to push this forward. I'm just very fortunate that I have the opportunity and the confidence from ownership to move that forward."
In addition to the coaching search, the Jets have questions surrounding the future of Mark Scheifele, who has two seasons remaining on the eight-year, $49 million contract he agreed to July 8, 2016. The forward missed the final nine games of the season because of an upper-body injury.
Scheifele said Sunday that although he loves playing in Winnipeg, he wants an idea about the future direction of the Jets.
"He hasn't asked for a trade," Cheveldayoff said. "I'll have a conversation with him during the exit meeting here and then find some clarity."
NHL.com independent correspondent Darrin Bauming contributed to this report
