Why are so many in Jets Nation eager to get rid of Byfuglien?

[FrostyWinnipeg]

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/sports/hockey/jets/Why-are-so-many-in-Jets-Nation-eager-to-get-rid-of-Byfuglien-327947711.html

 

For those behind the paywall I cut and paste this one for you.

 

Sometimes it’s hard not to marvel at the man. He stands 6-5 and weighs in at 265 — give or take — and also has the kind of heavy shot that often leaves goaltenders thinking of a less-dangerous line of work. Like, maybe, as the front man on a bomb-disposal unit.

 

So let’s all try to agree that Dustin Byfuglien is a unique talent in the National Hockey League. He is a powerful force of nature versatile enough to play forward and defence and, when he is really engaged, the kind of player who can completely take over a game.

 

Just for the sake of argument, then, a question:

 

Why are so many in this town so eager to ship out the man, rather than sign him to a new deal to keep him in Winnipeg Jets colours?

 

An unrestricted free agent next year, his name has been linked this summer in trade rumours to a ton of teams, from Boston to the Islanders and Rangers, to Philly, Pittsburgh, Montreal, Minnesota and Edmonton, just to name a few. And the cache the Jets could receive in return for Byfuglien, whether it is players, picks or a combination of both, could be substantial.

 

That’s just a small part of why the case to trade him has such sturdy legs. But there’s more.

 

Captain Andrew Ladd is also an impending UFA and he figures to earn a tidy raise in the neighbourhood of $2 million from the $4.5 mil he pulled down last season. Getting him locked up is paramount.

 

As well, the Jets future stars — Jacob Trouba, Mark Scheifele and Adam Lowry — along with goaltender Michael Hutchinson are all restricted free agents next summer who are in line for substantial raises. Giving every one of those players a new deal likely costs the Jets, at minimum, about $10 million.

 

And so big picture, having el capitaino and those young dudes on board long-term is critical for this franchise. That likely means Byfuglien, who is 30, gets pushed way down the list of priorities.

 

But what about the short term here? And is the camp that so eagerly wants to move him too fixated on what the Jets might look like in two, three, four years and not next spring?

 

This team is coming off a season in which it set a club record with 99 points, despite a swack of injuries to key personnel. The window for the older core of Ladd (29), Byran Little (27), Blake Wheeler (29), Mathieu Perreault (27), Mark Stuart (31) and Toby Enstrom (30) closes a little more with every season. And already this summer Jets management decided to take a pass on re-signing vets like Lee Stempniak, Jim Slater and Jiri Tlusty while losing Michael Frolik to Calgary.

 

Jets Nation can gush about the deep prospect pool and the draft-and-develop model absolutely means you have to leave room on the big club depth chart for the young guns, but, as deep as that pool is, it remains unproven.

 

It’s true, the Jets have an overload of defencemen under contract — nine on one-way deals — but none of them have Byfuglien’s versatility or his ability to move from a stacked right side over to the left.

 

The consensus out there is Byfuglien would be worth in the neighbourhood of $7 million, not that big a bump up from the $6 he earned last year. Granted, that’s not a huge hit to the bottom line in itself, but coupled with the others soon to be at the pay wicket looking for more, it’s admittedly dangerous.

 

And the possible term, given his age and his style of play — plus the fact he hardly served up all-star calibre play down the stretch in the playoffs — means this could be a risky move for the club three-four-five years into a potential deal. On top of all that, the last thing the Jets need is to be a just-ok/longshot contender handcuffed by the cap and then be forced to deal to shed salary.

 

But what shouldn’t be lost in the zeal to establish a consistent contender in the next few years is the importance of winning right now. And when the Jets open the 2015-16 season on Oct. 8th in Boston, having Dustin Byfuglien in their lineup makes them better.

 

What happens before or after that — whether the Jets sign Byfuglien, move him soon, deal him later in the season as a rental or live with the impending-UFA distraction all year — is obviously up to GM Kevin Cheveldayoff. He’s trying to build something lasting here, something that works in the NHL’s smallest market and one that is hardly a free-agent destination.

 

Can the Jets live for the now, keep focussed on the future AND have Dustin Byfuglien in part of both of those plans? Absolutely. But that will cost and there is risk. Still, if you took a poll of the men in the dressing room chasing the dream right now, to a man they’d all — guaranteed — say the same thing: having No. 33 in their lineup every night is a helluva lot more appealing than not. And that’s got to count for something, too.

 

ed.tait@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @WFPEdTait

[Ducky]

I would love it if they found room to sign him.

[Noeller]

The answer to Tait's question is in Buff's inconsistency. That uniquely great player he talks about doesn't (physically can't??) show up for enough games in a season. When it DOES show up, it's incredible. But it doesn't show up enough to make it worthwhile and that's why some are "eager" (I think that's overstating things, personally) to deal him.

[Goalie]

Because our RHD is stacked and trading buff would get us a great return.

[The Unknown Poster]

If Tait has to ask he's not paying attention.

[SPuDS]

Because our RHD is stacked and trading buff would get us a great return.

Id hate to lose buff and all he brings but we do have the depth and he would fetch a great return..

[Floyd]

Buff will be asking 8-8.5 long term sand he will get it from someone

[sweep the leg]

Buff will be asking 8-8.5 long term sand he will get it from someone

I can't imagine anybody giving him that. This summer seemed to be a turning point for fiscal sanity. There were no truly awful contracts signed. Giving Buff 8.5M per would fall into that category. I think that would make him the highest paid dman in the league.

[Atomic]

I understand the financial implications but I'd still like us to re-sign Byfuglien.  He is such a unique talent.  Often he alone is worth the price of admission.  Inconsistent?  Bah.  Every player is inconsistent to some degree.  Blake Wheeler regularly goes 15 games between scoring goals but you don't hear anyone whining ad nauseam about that.  Maybe it's because Byfuglien looks different...

[Rich]

This last off season it seemed to me that defensemen were being given the bigger contracts over forwards.  There seem to be less of them to choose from and teams coveting them more when their cap space gets tight.

 

Now no Dman got an 8+M contract last off season,  I think the biggest was Hamilton with a 5.75M cap hit, but that included RFA years.

 

I think the problem for the Jets is that there is no real incentive for the player to sign if they aren't going to pony up the money or term.  In years prior, teams could count on the cap going up and would offer the big escalating contracts.  That isn't true anymore.  There are a lot of potential UFAs next year and this problem isn't unique to the Jets.  Agents and teams are still figuring out the market place in a world where the cap stays the same or may even decrease year to year.  So agents / players are going to be reluctant to sign long term to what teams are offering.

 

And the highest paid D-man is PK Subban @ $9M.

[The Unknown Poster]

Yeah, I think going into the off-season the thought was Buff would start by asking for $8m.  But thats not going to happen now. 

 

Would he sign for $5.5?  I think the Jets would do that.  Maybe even a couple years over $6.  I wonder if the Jets are wanting short term though...

 

The problem I see is, this should have been done by the draft at the latest.  I dont really fault Chevy because I think the Jets take a measured approach to their business and that will be a good thing over-all but in some cases could be a negative.  They could have offered Frolik more when he signed the one year deal...but they had their plan and they stuck to it.

 

The best window of return for Buff will be the deadline now... where you could have several teams looking for the final piece to put them over the top and win the Cup.  The problem is, you're likely getting little immediate help in that return, just picks and prospects.  Which isnt a bad thing I guess.

 

If the choice came down to keeping Buff for 6+ years or being able to sign Trouba to an 8 year deal, I'd choose Trouba.

[mbrg]

Talent is a lot easier to keep than it is to find.

[TrueBlue4ever]

I have been on the "trade Buff" bandwagon for 3 years, because you know what you get with him. 20 games a season at most where he is the best player in the NHL and can single-handedly take over a game, 20 games where he will cost the team at least one goal against with his cherry-picking and lack of defensive effort, and another 40 or so where he is there as another player. The headache now is that he will want a big contract, but more importantly, one with term to carry him forward for many years. He is now on the wrong side of 30 years old, and given his past quasi-commitment to fitness (300+ pounds at the end of a season once, remember?) who thinks he will be an effective player and worth his salary at age 36-37, much less still playing at that age?

I'd go to his agent and say "Here is $25.5 million, that is what we will pay Byfuglien regardless of term. You decide how many years you want attached to it, minimum of 3 years or we'll scale back the dollars". If he wants 3 years, then it's $8.5 million/year, 4 years = $6.425 million/year, 5 years = $5.125 million/year, etc. If he wants to invest in a long-term deal to maximize his playing years, then the team should get a friendly cap hit for that trade-off.

[Rich]

I have been on the "trade Buff" bandwagon for 3 years, because you know what you get with him. 20 games a season at most where he is the best player in the NHL and can single-handedly take over a game, 20 games where he will cost the team at least one goal against with his cherry-picking and lack of defensive effort, and another 40 or so where he is there as another player. The headache now is that he will want a big contract, but more importantly, one with term to carry him forward for many years. He is now on the wrong side of 30 years old, and given his past quasi-commitment to fitness (300+ pounds at the end of a season once, remember?) who thinks he will be an effective player and worth his salary at age 36-37, much less still playing at that age?

I'd go to his agent and say "Here is $25.5 million, that is what we will pay Byfuglien regardless of term. You decide how many years you want attached to it, minimum of 3 years or we'll scale back the dollars". If he wants 3 years, then it's $8.5 million/year, 4 years = $6.425 million/year, 5 years = $5.125 million/year, etc. If he wants to invest in a long-term deal to maximize his playing years, then the team should get a friendly cap hit for that trade-off.

 

There is really no choice if you make that contract offer.  You take the 3 years and get the money up front.  After 3 years you either get another contract (from any team) or you don't.  If you get another contract you get more money in the long run.  If you don't get another contract, you are still getting more money sooner and can invest it, giving you more in the long run.   

 

Why would anyone choose to extend that over 5 years?

[Atomic]

It's funny how people come up with their little narratives about players.  "Byfuglien is great for 20 games, average for 40, and costs you the game in the other 20!"  Like are you kidding me?  Not backed up by any facts whatsoever, just "feels that way", right?  What a joke.  Bottom line if you want Buff traded you're a racist.

[Rich]

It's funny how people come up with their little narratives about players.  "Byfuglien is great for 20 games, average for 40, and costs you the game in the other 20!"  Like are you kidding me?  Not backed up by any facts whatsoever, just "feels that way", right?  What a joke.  Bottom line if you want Buff traded you're a racist.

 

Wow, this is totally out of left field and a ridiculous statement.

 

Depending on what his camp is asking for, if the options are Buff wants a deal for 6+ years or he is going to free agency, I am fine trading him.

 

Flame away at me for being racist.

[Noeller]

It's funny how people come up with their little narratives about players.  "Byfuglien is great for 20 games, average for 40, and costs you the game in the other 20!"  Like are you kidding me?  Not backed up by any facts whatsoever, just "feels that way", right?  What a joke.  Bottom line if you want Buff traded you're a racist.

This is asinine.......all of it.....

[sweep the leg]

 Bottom line if you want Buff traded you're a racist.

Boy, this escalated quickly...

[Ducky]

Yeah, I think going into the off-season the thought was Buff would start by asking for $8m.  But thats not going to happen now. 

 

Would he sign for $5.5?  I think the Jets would do that.  Maybe even a couple years over $6.  I wonder if the Jets are wanting short term though...

 

The problem I see is, this should have been done by the draft at the latest.  I dont really fault Chevy because I think the Jets take a measured approach to their business and that will be a good thing over-all but in some cases could be a negative.  They could have offered Frolik more when he signed the one year deal...but they had their plan and they stuck to it.

 

The best window of return for Buff will be the deadline now... where you could have several teams looking for the final piece to put them over the top and win the Cup.  The problem is, you're likely getting little immediate help in that return, just picks and prospects.  Which isnt a bad thing I guess.

 

If the choice came down to keeping Buff for 6+ years or being able to sign Trouba to an 8 year deal, I'd choose Trouba.

You can't start negotiations with a player under contract until he has one year or less on it left.

Lots of unsigned BIG name free agents still u nsigned.

I would say that Giardano's contract will influence Buff a lot. Better D (from what everyone says) for 6.75 a year and I thihnk he is a year older than Buff.

[The Unknown Poster]

It's funny how people come up with their little narratives about players.  "Byfuglien is great for 20 games, average for 40, and costs you the game in the other 20!"  Like are you kidding me?  Not backed up by any facts whatsoever, just "feels that way", right?  What a joke.  Bottom line if you want Buff traded you're a racist.

Were you hacked??? lol

 

Every year, Buff does exactly as you said he doesnt - inconsistent play.  Everyone knows it.  Media always talks about Buff being able to take over a game "when he wants to".

 

Racism?  yikes.

[bustamente]

Buff is a crowd favorite there no denying that but if he want 7-8 million a year that to much. His style of play can be frustrating, in one shift he can be a world beater and a lazy bum. He's good for the team but you can break the bank for a guy who's 30 and gets this nagging injuries.  

[Atomic]

http://www.macleans.ca/news/canada/welcome-to-winnipeg-where-canadas-racism-problem-is-at-its-worst/

[The Unknown Poster]

lol. You've gotta be joking.

[bustamente]

http://www.macleans.ca/news/canada/welcome-to-winnipeg-where-canadas-racism-problem-is-at-its-worst/

Wasn't this article generally panned for having many inaccuracies  in the story. Poorly researched by someone who had no idea what is going on in Winnipeg.

[HardCoreBlue]

Talent is a lot easier to keep than it is to find.

Bang on. Utility players like Buff are rare. Very few teams have that luxury. In came in quite handy for us over the past seasons. We give it up, we ain't finding it again any time soon.