Jets sign Little to Extension

[Rich]

 

[Goalie]

You are on the ball Rich. Literally just showed up. Great news and AAV. 

[The Unknown Poster]

I beat him by one minute in the off Season thread lol

Good deal.  Quietly done.  Everything Little said was apparently true!  A $600,000 raise that should see him through to the end of his career (or close to it).  Little a Jet for life.  Good for him.

[Rich]

Got the TSN notification on my phone.

AAV is pretty good for a top 6 center.  He is just about to turn 30 and has a year left on his current deal, so this will take him to 37.     Not sure he will still be a top 6 center for the last few years of the contract,  but the term is the price you pay for a lower AAV.

Nice to get him locked up to have Scheifele / Little as your 1 - 2 centers going forward.

[Goalie]

Probably front loaded a bit... 

But regardless Scheif and little signed for less than Mcdavid. 

[The Unknown Poster]

 

[The Unknown Poster]

 

[Judd]

Steal of a contract. Would've got 7 years and 6 mill on the open market easily. 

Our top 2 centers = 1 mill less than mcdavid. Crazy 

Say what you will about Chevy, he's masterful at managing the cap (so far)

[bustamente]

Remember folks nobody wants to play or resign with the Jets , this is a great contract for both the player and team and helps the team going forward.

[SPuDS]

58 minutes ago, Rich said:

Got the TSN notification on my phone.

AAV is pretty good for a top 6 center.  He is just about to turn 30 and has a year left on his current deal, so this will take him to 37.     Not sure he will still be a top 6 center for the last few years of the contract,  but the term is the price you pay for a lower AAV.

Nice to get him locked up to have Scheifele / Little as your 1 - 2 centers going forward.

great call. very happy to see the term it is and the price tag is excellent.   very good move for both sides.  Glad Little wanted to stay.

[blue_gold_84]

Great re-signing! Little's so underrated. Friendly cap hit and nice term.

[The Unknown Poster]

Im seeing some consternation from a few people on twitter.  Make no mistake, not signing Little would have been a disaster.  The Jets would have entered their "best" (hopefully) years without a consistent 2nd line Center.  Little is also a solid RW so if Roslovic or someone else ever pushes for his spot or his abilities as a center begin to falter, he can fill other roles. 

I would not expect a player as consistent as Little to suddenly lose his ability at 34.  So even if the last two years of the deal are a Little on decline, its probably not that big of a deal.  $5 million at that point likely wont be a lot.

[The Unknown Poster]

 

[bb1]

Good player in decline could be a drag on the team last couple years of his contract if his offense falls off. We can't get players to come here unless we overpay so what choice do we have. 

[The Unknown Poster]

4 minutes ago, bb1 said:

Good player in decline could be a drag on the team last couple years of his contract if his offense falls off. We can't get players to come here unless we overpay so what choice do we have. 

1) we didnt over pay.  Little gets more as a free agent  2) we did not over-sign length either.  little could have got more as a free agent.  3) Little has been very consistent.  So while we cannot predict the future, there is no reason to believe he begins to suck before 35.  4) assuming the cap doesnt go down, the deal eats up less and less cap every year. 5) behind Little, our depth for 2C is Perreault and Lowry.

and 6) Little wanted to be play here, hence he signed a fair, long term deal to stay in Winnipeg.  But no one wants to play here.

[Blueandgold]

The only major concern for me is his health at this point. If he stays healthy it should be a good deal for both sides.

[Jimmy Pop]

14 minutes ago, The Unknown Poster said:

1) we didnt over pay.  Little gets more as a free agent  2) we did not over-sign length either.  little could have got more as a free agent.  3) Little has been very consistent.  So while we cannot predict the future, there is no reason to believe he begins to suck before 35.  4) assuming the cap doesnt go down, the deal eats up less and less cap every year. 5) behind Little, our depth for 2C is Perreault and Lowry.

and 6) Little wanted to be play here, hence he signed a fair, long term deal to stay in Winnipeg.  But no one wants to play here.

Yeah, I don't really get the well if he declines 3 yrs from now, it's an overpay.... Yes, that's how all long term contracts in pro sports work hahaha.    Just as likely to me, he stays a 50-60 pt scorer & a legit top 6 do it all type guy for the foreseeable future.   

And, as some have been saying on twitter, if he ends up as a bottom 6 guy with a lesser role in a few yrs - that's a GOOD thing.  That prob means another player has stolen the spot - hello Roslovic, Jack.

I dunno.... been wrong plenty before. But I don't see Little as a fall off the map type guy.  Durability may come into play, but his skating alone should benefit him as he gets older.....unlike say, former cap'n Mr.Ladd.

1 hour ago, The Unknown Poster said:

 

Seems pretty perfectly in line with his value right now to the team, IMO. 

[bb1]

Yea but I'm sure when Mike Richards was signed to his deal same thought process...great team player but smaller guy but when his skating and health deteriorated and his offense collapsed it was a terrible deal for the Kings. Signing thirty  year old guys to long term deals is risky.  Here is hoping Little stays healthy and keeps up his production . Class guy no doubt.

[Goalie]

1 hour ago, bb1 said:

Yea but I'm sure when Mike Richards was signed to his deal same thought process...great team player but smaller guy but when his skating and health deteriorated and his offense collapsed it was a terrible deal for the Kings. Signing thirty  year old guys to long term deals is risky.  Here is hoping Little stays healthy and keeps up his production . Class guy no doubt.

Mike Richards was a drug addict. That was his downfall. Dude was a cokehead. Little is a fitness freak... 2 freak injuries one on a cheapshot by Stralman and a knee on knee by Bickell doesnt mean much. 

In what world is 5.2 for a number 2 center an overpay? 

Ps: Andrew Ladd got more. 

Edited September 14, 2017 by Goalie

[bustamente]

If Little would have become a free agent he probably would have gotten the same term and more money, I know it's had to believe but some players  actually like to play in front of big crowds in Canada in little old Winnipeg.

[FrostyWinnipeg]

You're only as good as your final year of a contract so lets see how Little does this year. I expect 25g as per norm.

Whose getting their number retired first? Little or Toby.

Edited September 14, 2017 by FrostyWinnipeg

[The Unknown Poster]

He was hurt the last two seasons as goalie said. But prior to that was very consistently healthy. So I won't hang "injury prone " on him yet. 

[Arnold_Palmer]

4 minutes ago, FrostyWinnipeg said:

You're only as good as your final year of a contract so lets see how Little does this year. I expect 25g as per norm.

I disagree. You're only as good as your contract as a whole. If he's producing 50-65 points as our number two center for the next 5 years and dips in production during his last year would that be considered a bad deal? I don't think so.

[The Unknown Poster]

5 minutes ago, Arnold_Palmer said:

I disagree. You're only as good as your contract as a whole. If he's producing 50-65 points as our number two center for the next 5 years and dips in production during his last year would that be considered a bad deal? I don't think so.

If he only dips in his final year I'd suggest that makes it the perfect contract. 

[kelownabomberfan]

7 hours ago, Goalie said:

Probably front loaded a bit... 

But regardless Scheif and little signed for less than Mcdavid. 

I'd do that trade.