Game 34 : Atlanta v2 @ Atlanta v1

[The Unknown Poster]

28 minutes ago, Goalie said:

How do you know when it's time to move on from the current core? 

 

When you score a combined 2 goals vs Edmonton and Calgary.

 

Time to blow it up a bit 

 

19 goals in last 11 road games. Worst team in the league the last 20 games is.... The Jets 

Yup. It's time. 

Their one life line is playing Nashville three times on January. They have to win all three and still need to consistently play above their average this season. Not gonna happen

stop chasing it. Make the right decisions for the future.  We had our small window last year and they made the right moves to take a shot. It was fun

Now it's time to make the right moves to set the team up for the future. 

[Ducky]

1 hour ago, FrostyWinnipeg said:

We lead NHL in giving up empty net goals?

Gotta stop pulling goalie when we down 2. My 5 cents.

Gotta stop being in the situation of always having to pull the goalie to try to tie it up...

[iso_55]

According to Paul Friesen we are ar the bottom of the NHL on salary just a few million above the floor. Why are we at this point & should we be surprised at how poorly we're playing? After last year's playoffs I expected much bigger things from this team. Now, it's like the air has been let out of every Jets fans sails & this team just went thud. I don't want to say we've been lied to by Cheveldayoff but I'm shocked that this is happening. 

[IC Khari]

That sucking sound you hear ...

[The Unknown Poster]

4 hours ago, iso_55 said:

According to Paul Friesen we are ar the bottom of the NHL on salary just a few million above the floor. Why are we at this point & should we be surprised at how poorly we're playing? After last year's playoffs I expected much bigger things from this team. Now, it's like the air has been let out of every Jets fans sails & this team just went thud. I don't want to say we've been lied to by Cheveldayoff but I'm shocked that this is happening. 

In what way do you feel Chevy lied to you?

Yes they have lots of cap room so they could have signed more veterans to one year deals but thats really all they could do because they need that cap space for all our UFA's and RFA's.  If the Jets made a mistake it was in trusting the youth to step up which is something sort of odd for them as they have mostly embraced the idea of letting the kids mature until they are more than ready.

And yet, they kept Lowry and Chiarot, both of whom seemingly could have used another season or two in the AHL.  Ehlers is unique in that he was too good for Junior and wasnt going to report back.  So it was either keep him with the Jets or have him go over-seas where he'd be out of their development sphere.  They expected Petan to be better.  Im not saying it was a foolish suggestion but their decided rather than keep Stemp and Tlusty to deepen their bottom six, that Lowry, Ehlers, Petan and Burmi would be able to make up for those losses.

I wont count Frolik because he didnt want to be here.  But they didnt replace him.

Realistically, the Jets could have just as easily missed the playoffs last season and all we're talking about now is the continued evolution from the Thrashers to a younger, better, faster, more talented Jets.  But last year was the very, very small window of opportunity.  The Jets recognized it, made moves to take advantage of it and went for it.  It didnt work and now we're back to the The Plan. 

I just dont want to see the Jets miss the playoffs and get a 12th overall pick.  Get the 3rd overall pick.  Or the 2nd.  Or the 1st.  If the Jets landed Matthews, it changes everything.

[Goalie]

Mathews, Chychrun and Tkachuk are all game changers. Maybe even the Finnish kid also

 

But regardless, It's time to pick a direction. Do you sign Ladd and Buff and continue to be a team that isn't good enough to make the playoffs or do you go semi rebuild and move ladd and buff and maybe others (enstrom comes to mind as a guy who might get a nice return also) and build around the scheifs, ehlers,troubas, lowrys types of players...

 

Our season is done, it's over. This is where you see what Chevy and Chipman for that matter are all about, do they care about winning or are they still just excited to have a team back? I dunno. Personally, I'm moving on from Ladd Buff and Some others (Enstrom) and with Ladd and Buff, if need be to get a better deal, I'm willing to retain 50 percent of their salary for this season.... Opens up the bidding wars to more than a few teams that way. I think it's time to blow it up a little bit, i really do cuz i feel the best this team will ever be as it's currently constructed is a playoff bubble team.. I'm ok with this team sucking if it means that in a couple years we aren't sucking... i'm ok with a top 3 pick this year and next year... That's fine with me...

 

You look at Edmonton,BUffalo, Toronto..You know what direction they are going... they are re-building around the youth... what direction is the Jets going? The older core might be too old when the younger core finally catches up to them... I just don't want to be a team that keeps picking in that 10-14 spot... I want to be a team who either consistently makes the playoffs or... i want to be that team that builds through the draft.. I've always thought this was a draft and develop team... Is it tho? What direction are the Jets going in? 

 

Now is this time to see what that direction is... I'm not sure you can justify hanging out to buff and ladd and some of the older core members of the team when in the last 20 games you are the worst team in the league... It's not a coaching issue, it might be tho, but i don't think it's a head coaching issue, I think this team lacks direction tho... and it's about damn time the people in charge (chevy,chipman) decide which direction they want to go. 

[Goalie]

Oh and for the record, I don't really care to see any fantasy trades, I mean... how many times can you trade tyler myers who fits in with the actual youth of this team... 

 

Seems like it's pretty difficult to make trades this year.... so i'd rather avoid that..... I'd love to hear some discussion tho about what direction this team should be going in.

 

Is it time to move on from the older core? Or do we pretend that 1 season making the playoffs in 5 or 6 years is good enough? 

[Ducky]

It's time to  move no from Ladd but do we trade the best D man (by far) in Buff or sign him to 6 more years?

I'd trade Enstrom in a heartbeat if we had any LHD depth.

If our lineup were to look like this in 3 years, would you be unhappy?

Connor Scheifele Ehlers
Perreault Petan Armia
Harkins Spacek Wheeler
Lemieux Copp Roslovic

Buff Trouba
Chiarot Hamonic
Niku Kostalek

Helle Comrie/Phillips

 

Who have I forgot?

[Goalie]

Well, you got Buff in there and I'm not sure that i will say 100 percent but i'm 99 percent sure he won't be a Jet for very much longer.... 

 

Lots of those guys are prospects.... some will turn out, some won't... Roslovic on the 4th line seems wrong, the guy has #1 or #2 center or RW written all over him. 

 

That D core looks absolutely awful.. Chiarot on the second pair? Guy looks awful on the 3rd pair this year... Not sure his ceiling is as high as some thought it would be...

 

It's really hard to look to the future and guess what the roster will look like... It's actually impossible... So many Variables really... What if we get the 1st overall pick this year? Where's Josh Morrissey, why are you so high on Niku and Kostalek? They were late late round picks, if 1 of them makes the NHL, that's a win... They both probably won't. Wheres Lowry? He's gonna be here a while... Where's Lipon? He's a guy that will probably be on the big club next season. 

 

Perreault? Not sure the Jets will sign him when his contract is up... why keep him yet no wheeler or little there? 

[The Unknown Poster]

Thats true Goalie.  Its hard to predict the future.  Last year we'd have predicted Morrissey as the top 4 D, Lowry as a top six, Petan as a top six etc. 

To me, Wheeler and to a lesser extent Little are the heart & soul of this team right now.  You want to believe Scheif and Trouba will take on those roles and Scheif by all accounts is getting there. 

Removing Ladd and Buff presumably for picks and prospects makes the Jets even younger.  Its hard to win with all those rookies.  Look at Edmonton with a plethora of studs and they sucked...only beginning to look like their potential this season.

If we move away from Ladd & Buff this year, I would say we're at least three years from competing for a playoff spot, give or a take Helle getting crazy hot in that time.  Too young over-all.  But when you look at Scheif, Ehlers, petan, Connor, Roslovic, Lemieux, Lowry, Copp, Armia, Trouba, Myers, Morrissey....its hard not to see a really good team in 3 years.  Add Wheeler, Little and whatever other veteran or two they might sign for depth and its a good team.  But we have to get there.

H&L were discussing this last night with someone (cant remember who was the guest) and I think Lawless asked "if Chevy could go back to Year 1, would he gut the team of veterans and start rebuilding from scratch?"  Its an interesting question.  I think he answer is still no even if he could predict the future.  I always maintained the Jets had the opportunity to compete for years because of their dual core situation.  Wheeler, Little, Ladd, Buff, Enstrom etc and then the Scheif, Trouba, Lowry etc group.  And they saw their chance last season.

And realistically, they could go out and get a top six guy (rumored to be Chevy's wish list in November) a couple of good depth veterans (like last season) and ultimately "compete" for a spot.  But then you're talking cap team.  And you're pushing your rookies down.  Its a crossroads scenario this season.  You could push your rookies down...nothing wrong with over-ripening them in the AHL. 

But if the team can be "good", young, exciting and "cheap" then thats the direction ownership will go.  They werent a cap team last season when they DID make the playoffs.  They aint going to be one next season after the rude awakening that is this season.

[The Unknown Poster]

Oh and Perrerault?  I'd say he's a "must sign" next year.  In fact, can he, as a pending UFA, be re-signed this summer?  Jets should not make the mistake of waiting on him.  He's too good.  If they let him go they will have "Frolik-ish" regrets.  If I only had money for Ladd or Perrerault, I'd seriously consider going with Perrerault...

[Ducky]

If I'm not mistaken, I think you can start negotiating with him a year before his contract ends. Perreault is doing well and always gives his all. A good wrist shot, smart with the puck and defensively sound. I'd re-sign him as soon as I could.

As for Morrissey, I have no reason why he is there except I forgot about him. I forgot about Roslovic until I was ready to post it too. I'd love to see him compete for a 1st or 2nd line position.

Chiarot and Niku are there because I could think of nobody else to put in there. Our depth at goal is the strongest but the LHD is for sure the weakest.

Guys like Lipon are good but who do they bump off of that roster? Spacek?

Little? Well his contract would be up and I'm not sure Chevy will give him what he asks for/deserves. Doesn't get the credit he deserves outside of Winnipeg. I thi nk he is 30 when his contract expires and that is a bad age to extend. Ideally, I would guess that a contract expiring around 32-33 is best. For the Jets I mean. Do you sign Little for long term? I wouldn't.

I can see Kostalek as a Jet in 3 years. With Stu and Chiarot on the 3rd pairing, it can't be THAT hard to upgrade?

 

[The Unknown Poster]

Bryan Little's deal expires after 17/18.  He's making $4.7 per year.  I could see him re-signing for sure.  Price will depend on performance over the next couple of years and what else happens (does Scheif take the 1C role from him?).  But Little is a pro.  Pretty consistent.  I'd like to keep him.  But thats a decision for two years from now.

[Goalie]

It will also depend on other things 2, Let's just say we get  the 1st overall pick this year... Auston Matthews is the no brainer pick, He's a center

 

Matthews,Scheif as 1 2 center moving to the future would be very nice, where does that drop little? 3rd line center? Wing? I dunno. Lots of variables to take in to account...

 

Crazier things have happened but say we pick 1st and by some luck, with the buff or ladd trade or enstrom trade, we manage to get another top 3 or top 5 pick and we take a guy like Matthew Tkachuk. Man in a perfect world, that's what happens... Matthews and Tkachuck this year... Then you can reunite Tkachuk,Matthews and Roslovic... You can go Ehlers,Scheif,Wheeler.. You can bump Perreault down to the third line with Lowry and ?? 4th line of Lemieux,Copp,Lipon. 

 

LHD is still an issue but... If you move Myers for Hamonic, Buff gets traded.... 

 

Trouba,Hamonic as a 1 2 RHD group is nice

 

The LHD group is weak but.....Morrissey and maybe in a buff or ladd deal you get a guy like Theodore from Anaheim or a Werenski from CBJ or something. Always could pick up a LHD man during free agency too. 

 

You know, the luxury of being a Canadian team, we don't really need to WIN NOW.. it would be nice but.... we can do a rebuild of sorts and be fine... All we really need is that 1 superstar and that's why i think tanking this year... trade ladd,buff, enstrom etc... in the future, it would be for the best.

 

I'd love to have a young team who will be good for a long time, i can deal with sucking for a year or 2 or 3... that's fine with me and i'm willing to bet most jets fans feel the same, if we suck for a couple years but in 3 years are a legit playoff contender instead of a bubble team, it's worth it. 

[The Unknown Poster]

If we had Matthews then little shifts to RW.  

 

[Ducky]

Yup, or he is involved in a trade for a LHD or LWer.

I really like Little but in 3 years, who are our centers going to be?

Scheif  Little Lowry Burmi Copp Roslovic Copp Olsen Harkins De Leo and Spacek are all in the system...

 

[The Unknown Poster]

Isn't Connor actially a centre also?  Jets drafted lots of centres. Even if they don't pan out for us it increases their trade value. 

[Ducky]

He mainly plays LW. Lots of centers get converted to wingers when they hit the NHL/AHL. Lowry was a winger in junior. More responsibilty for a center and more thinking.

If we have a center, in three years, good enough to relegate Scheif to the 2nd line center, I'd guess we'd have a really, really, good team. If we were somehow lucky enough to get Matthews, we'd more than likely be contenders in 4 years.  From what I've read about Chychrun, he'd be a great player to get a hold of too. Chychrun and Morrissey as your two top LHD in 3 years sounds nice.

[The Unknown Poster]

If I recall Matthews is essentially an over ager too isn't he? Birthday two or so days after the draft deadline. He's ready to play in the NHL. 

[Goalie]

Matthews would have been the 2nd overall pick behind mcdavid this year. He's a legit generational talent. 

[Ducky]

http://espn.go.com/nhl/story/_/id/14426927/nhl-auston-matthews-best-player-world-not-nhl