Jets 'probably not' done after Dubois trade, GM says

NASHVILLE -- Kevin Cheveldayoff said the Winnipeg Jets will likely do more wheeling and dealing after sending Pierre-Luc Dubois to the Los Angeles Kings in a blockbuster trade on Tuesday.

"It's that time of year where you're always going to be looking," the Jets general manager told NHL.com. "So, is this going to be our only move? Probably not."

On that front, there has already been plenty of speculation regarding the futures of forwards Blake Wheeler and Mark Scheifele and goalie Connor Hellebuyck. Darren Dreger of TSN previously reported that the Jets and Wheeler were closing in on a buyout of the final season of his five-year, $41.25 million contract, but Cheveldayoff opted not to discuss details regarding the respective futures of those players.

He did say, however, that the Jets expect to be active in the coming days.

"Is it going to be one of the widely [reported] moves that everyone's talking about? Who knows?" he said. "That's the unpredictability of the time right now."

This much we do know: Dubois was the first domino to fall in what looks to be the start of a makeover for the Jets.

The 25-year-old forward, who could have become a restricted free agent on July 1, was traded to the Kings for forwards Gabriel Vilardi, Alex Iafallo and Rasmus Kupari, and a second-round pick in the 2024 NHL Draft. Dubois had NHL career highs in goals (27), assists (36) and points (63) in 73 games this season, and four points (two goals, two assists) in five Stanley Cup Playoff games.

At first blush, the Jets seemed to get a good return for Dubois, who had asked management for a trade.

Vilardi, a 23-year-old forward, is coming off a season in which he had career highs in goals (23), assists (18) and points (41) in 63 regular-season games and four points (two goals, two assists) in five playoff games. Selected by the Kings with the No. 11 pick in the 2017 NHL Draft, Vilardi has 78 points (41 goals, 37 assists) in 152 regular-season games.

"I haven't talked to Cheveldayoff yet," Villardi said Wednesday. "I'm not too sure where they're going to have me slated, if it's wing or center. I played a bit of both last year. … Wherever they want me, I'll play. I just want to help the team however that is. I feel comfortable in both positions. ... Last year I kind of played more of a bottom-six role. Hopefully I just want to keep growing my game and getting better, and obviously helping the Jets however that is. I'm just excited to kind of get going there."

Iafallo, a 29-year-old forward, had 36 points (14 goals, 22 assists) in 59 regular-season games and four points (three goals, one assist) in six playoff games. He has 204 points (85 goals, 119 assists) in 420 regular-season games since signing with the Kings as an undrafted free agent on April 18, 2017.

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Kupari, a 23-year-old forward, had 15 points (three goals, 12 assists) in 66 regular-season games and no points in six playoff games. A first-round pick (No. 20) by the Kings in the 2018 NHL Draft, Kupari has 29 points (nine goals, 20 assists) in 130 regular-season games.

"We're very happy with having the opportunity to have some players that I think are going to come in and actually grow as players," Cheveldayoff said. "The younger players are just starting to hit their stride, and obviously a veteran player like Iafallo I think is kind of a character, heart and soul type of guy that plays real hard.

"As a group, we've added some depth and dimension to our organization, and it gives us a good opportunity with the second-round pick to address some things for the future as well."

Cheveldayoff added that despite the first step taken in remodeling the team, he expects the Jets to be competitive next season after losing to the Vegas Golden Knights in five games in the Western Conference First Round this season.

"We obviously didn't achieve our goals. Our goal is to go as far as we can and ultimately win," he said.

"But I think we've got some good pieces here and we have to try to maximize what we can with those pieces in place. I think this trade gives us a different look, a different dimension, and different depth."

NHL.com independent correspondent Darrin Bauming contributed to this report