from Pierre LeBrun of ESPN,
The trade deadline is 35 days away. Crunch time is coming for a bunch of teams but here's a look at five GMs with big decisions to make over the next few weeks.
1. Kevin Cheveldayoff, Winnipeg Jets
It's not entirely surprising that the Jets, who made the playoffs last season, regressed this season given that they play in the loaded Central Division. Try explaining that to the passionate fans in Winnipeg, a fan base that's not happy. Which only adds to the pressure in that fishbowl of a market when it comes to the looming decisions on captain Andrew Ladd and top defenseman Dustin Byfuglien, both pending unrestricted free agents with limited no-trade clauses.
Trade them or sign them before Feb. 29? Or keep them for a playoff push and let them walk? The latter seems like a no-go for a budget team that can't easily attract July 1 UFAs to Winnipeg. You need to turn assets into more assets if you're the Jets, unless of course you can sign the player(s). Seems to me the most prudent course of action here is to sign one of them and trade the other. Again, easier said than done on the signing side of things.
2. Steve Yzerman, Tampa Bay Lightning
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