fiddytranslator
Registered User
- Dec 20, 2024
- 7
- 63
Main Question (December 20th, 2024)
The main question as I post this today concerns the imminent return of Seth Jones at $9.5 million.
Sure, Kaiser will likely be sent down. But really, where does Seth fit? The PK is running so well that we don’t need him on it to mess it up.
He wasn’t a great power play quarterback either. Like Vladislav (probably referring to a different player), he’s good at firing shots from the point, whereas Seth often has his shots blocked or misses the net by a lot.
Sure... if Seth performs a miracle such that he shows he can be an elite difference-maker on the power play or at 5v5 by creating offense, we may change our opinion on Jones. BUT we’ve seen nothing from him to suggest he is worth $9.5 million, let alone capable of consistently being a star player.
We really don’t need him, but we cannot trade that contract with five more seasons left after this one, at such an outrageous cost to an acquiring team and their cap.
So, what should be done?
I’ve suggested in the past that Seth be moved up to forward. He is athletic, and he can rush the puck. With his speed and size, he should be a chaos creator to open up better lanes for teammates to shoot. His vision is not great—his passes are not tape-to-tape, so Sorenson would have a lot of work to do with him to correct that. But, given the rushing ability, size, and speed combination, I think he can help as a forward.
He will not score much with his clumsy and inaccurate shooting, but he can hit on the forecheck. He can carry the puck out, and I think he is a much better winger option than Joey Anderson.
I would like to see Seth as a right winger for Reichel. Both have speed, and Seth can provide the power and create space for Reichel to get more room to move freely.
Anyway, that’s where I’d use him—or maybe on Nazar's right wing.
Freeing Seth up from having to do defensive zone reads, worry about gaps, and turn over pucks while tired from chasing them deep in the defensive zone on cycles would allow him to just get the puck and rush it down the ice with speed and power. If the puck gets loose in the neutral zone after he carries it in, he can go straight after the opposing defenseman and hit him with speed.
We need Seth to be a power forward, not an "aristocrat" puck handler, which he is not. But, on the current roster, he might be a terrific power forward, creating space for others by getting pucks into the offensive zone and then pounding on opposing defensemen with his size and speed combo.
I do not expect him to finish much, but he could be a difference-maker if he uses his speed, power, and size effectively. Creating chaos should be a problem for the opposition if he does that role as a winger rather than the missed plays and mistakes he causes as a defenseman, where he really has no instinct for the position. An athlete trying to play defense with processing issues is not the solution.
Just remove the complexity for him—give him two main roles: rush the puck in and then pound the opposing defensemen with his size and speed. If he does those two things well, he still may not be worth $9.5 million, but my hunch is that he can be a game-changer by creating chaos.
Simplify things for him. Remove the difficulties of being a good NHL defenseman—it’s too complex for his brain, but his brawn, if motivated, could be like Byfuglien pounding and scaring opposing defensemen who are trying to handle pucks in the corners or behind their net on retrieval attempts.
The game is too fast for Seth to process all the movements required to defend his defensive zone. Remove that burden and give him two simple jobs on offense—don’t expect fancy playmaking, just use his size and speed with physical hitting to create space for other forwards to fire pucks on net.
As a defenseman, Seth gets tired when out too long and loses energy to be that physical force. Shorter shifts as a forward could make him more physical with speed, and that’s a scary combination for opponents.
I’m not asking Seth to fight or be dirty, just to use his size and athleticism effectively.
That’s all I’ve got. Be that big, powerful, physical force coming at opponents to check them off pucks and drive the net without the puck, creating chaos. With a simpler role, maybe Seth actually blossoms and helps the team to a greater degree than ever imagined... certainly better than Joey Anderson.
I don’t think we have much to lose trying him as a winger.
We have a lot to lose putting him back as a defenseman.
