The Jets center signed a seven-year, $59.5 million contract to remain in Winnipeg after a summer of speculation over where he'd land.
theathletic.com
“You go through the summer and you just don’t know what’s going to happen,” Scheifele said, appearing on the Get Yer Back podcast that I host with Ryan Rishaug. “Once I actually signed, I think I actually slept like 10 hours.
“You don’t understand the weight that is actually on you until it’s actually done. The amount of stress, the amount of anxiety — just every little thought that goes through your brain. … It is a weight taken off your shoulders. But at the same time, it’s extra motivation. You want to be worth your deal. You want to be an impact player each and every night.”
Such an interesting aspect to hear about from a player's mouth IMO. I can totally see Chevy accounting this in his strategy entirely. Like he had some kind of this overall plan in mind all along. He knows Scheifele and Hellebuyck very well obviously, a lot better than most people. Maybe he knew all the time if he stays patient, cool, calm and only takes a trade offer that is just too good to turn down, things might very well end up going the way they went.
1. Stay calm and don't overreact to anything
2. Involve the media in order to get the most and best possible trade offerings
3. Don't jump on only "decent" trade offerings just because "time is running out" going into the season
4. Evaluate the offers you get and share them to the players but also share the interest levels of other teams regarding the level of interest regarding a long term contract after they traded for said player
5. Said players - as you know both of them - will eventually get nervous/restless/annoyed by the uncertainy of their future
6. Present them with a sexy plan and long term offer once they seem tired of the media talk and questions about their future
7. Collect the signings
I think Chevy having planned this strategy and outcome the entire time isn't that far feteched,