Rumor: All Purpose Trade Proposals, Speculation and Rumours - 2023/24

[DRW204]

Jets seemed more concerned about not triggering his contract rather then seeing if he could play... I don't think every 18 year old can do it but Heinola looked more ready in that year then he does now - so I don't see the difference to his development.

And yes Im not saying push those guys into the league no matter what - but 1 or 1.5 seasons in the A is enough to know if someone's ready for the NHL - if they are not, then we missed on those pics

In 2019, the Jets knew that Little did not have chemistry with Ehlers and Laine but they were not prepared at all when Little went down - I think it was a mistake not to commit to either Copp or Roslo and let them play through the growing pains at 2C that season... instead we bailed and essentially Eakins was a much worse option - the same way Kevin Hayes was a worse option the year before.

I would have gone with Lundell simply because he was more game ready as a C and we are in desperate need of that... Perfetti will be a top talent but again Lundell fits more with Maurice and now Bowness styles

Up to this point, the Jets have failed at developing a second line centre - and arguably Little should have been more of a third line C for much of his time here - for a draft and develop team this is very hard to ignore.

fully agree that heinola was def most impressive his first stint all things/context considered.

roslovic barely showed anything whenever given a top-6 role here. he is a solid bottom-6 offensive player, and basically 30ish pts from a bottom-6er would be a welcomed addition to this team now. but 18-19 other than 1 hat-trick - which was on the PP - he did f***-all playing in the top-6. 19-20 paired w/ ehlers and wheeler (who is probably a better C than roslovic) did zilch again. if he can't show some semblance of production at Wing in the top-6 idk how much there is at C. and i've never really seen Center-like traits in roslovic's game.

i do agree on Copp. Copp played pretty well at C in 18-19 carrying 2-rookies in lemieux and appleton. then, ehlers-copp were often great together from 19-20 onward. how much is ehlers vs copp though, not sure. he also did play a few weeks b/w ehlers and laine in 17-18 prior to stastny's acquisition and thought they played pretty well. he evidently is not the flashiest offensive player but i always liked the fit.

C has for sure been a weakness. for a draft-and-develop team, there's 1 player i think you can confidently say has been a consistent top-6C so far in scheifele. they spent 2 1sts+foley+lemieux for 40ish games of hayes and stastny trying to upgrade the position. i think that's been an area the team needs to improve in. i hope one of the youngsters or new-comer in vilardi can be a consistent top-6 C for us, b/c we need it.

it's way to early imo to say who will be better b/w lundell or perfetti. they were drafted close apart and although lundell's 1st year was really impressive, i wouldn't be surprised if their careers flip-flop on who is better each year.

 

[NA Hockey]

The guy who put up 44 points in 65 games (56 point pace) as a 19 year old with minimal power play time and from the 3rd line has a 55-60 point ceiling?

Was thinking more about the player that had 33 points in 73 games as a 21 year old.

You don't think Perfetti has a higher ceiling than Lundell? A better chance to be a star?

If you disagree that's fine, but I think that the Perfetti pick was exactly the kind of swing Winnipeg needs to make in the top 10 and Lundell would be a safe but uninspiring pick.

 

[bumblebeeman]

fully agree that heinola was def most impressive his first stint all things/context considered.

roslovic barely showed anything whenever given a top-6 role here. he is a solid bottom-6 offensive player, and basically 30ish pts from a bottom-6er would be a welcomed addition to this team now. but 18-19 other than 1 hat-trick - which was on the PP - he did f***-all playing in the top-6. 19-20 paired w/ ehlers and wheeler (who is probably a better C than roslovic) did zilch again. if he can't show some semblance of production at Wing in the top-6 idk how much there is at C. and i've never really seen Center-like traits in roslovic's game.

i do agree on Copp. Copp played pretty well at C in 18-19 carrying 2-rookies in lemieux and appleton. then, ehlers-copp were often great together from 19-20 onward. how much is ehlers vs copp though, not sure. he also did play a few weeks b/w ehlers and laine in 17-18 prior to stastny's acquisition and thought they played pretty well. he evidently is not the flashiest offensive player but i always liked the fit.

C has for sure been a weakness. for a draft-and-develop team, there's 1 player i think you can confidently say has been a consistent top-6C so far in scheifele. they spent 2 1sts+foley+lemieux for 40ish games of hayes and stastny trying to upgrade the position. i think that's been an area the team needs to improve in. i hope one of the youngsters or new-comer in vilardi can be a consistent top-6 C for us, b/c we need it.

it's way to early imo to say who will be better b/w lundell or perfetti. they were drafted close apart and although lundell's 1st year was really impressive, i wouldn't be surprised if their careers flip-flop on who is better each year.

The thing is tho with Copp, would he have developped into a 2nd line center if he had had the opportunity? No way to really know, but I guess it wouldn't have hurt. But clearly Dubois and Stastny were both big upgrades on him, so I can't fault the team for making those moves. You don't really want your 2C to be more of a middle 6 tweener, which is what Copp topped out as.

 

[Atoyot]

Was thinking more about the player that had 33 points in 73 games as a 21 year old.

You don't think Perfetti has a higher ceiling than Lundell? A better chance to be a star?

If you disagree that's fine, but I think that the Perfetti pick was exactly the kind of swing Winnipeg needs to make in the top 10 and Lundell would be a safe but uninspiring pick.

I do think Perfetti has higher upside and wouldn't change the pick if I had the option. Just seems strange to think that Lundell has already hit his offensive ceiling.

 

[ps241]

Players won't say "I want out because the team isn't trading good players for futures".

Not sure though, last year our team roles it back, makes the playoffs, yet PLD, Helle/Schief (allegedly), and Wheeler ask for or indicate they want to move on or get a fresh start. Guys don’t want to be part of a rebuild but they also don’t seem to want to be part of a bubble team either. Dammed if we do dammed if we don’t, tweener ville.

For Chevy and Chipman they say if we make the playoffs anything can happen (fair enough), but maybe the older core players are going, I want a chance to actually win and they realize that won’t be in Winnipeg?

 

[DRW204]

The thing is tho with Copp, would he have developped into a 2nd line center if he had had the opportunity? No way to really know, but I guess it wouldn't have hurt. But clearly Dubois and Stastny were both big upgrades on him, so I can't fault the team for making those moves. You don't really want your 2C to be more of a middle 6 tweener, which is what Copp topped out as.

Not sure. But when ever he was used in the top-6, usually with ehlers, the Jets put up really good numbers in net-offense when they were on the ice. i think ideally you want a bit more offensive skill however the Jets didn't seem to be dragged down with him there. how much is ehlers vs him, not sure either on that.

 

[Flair Hay]

We wouldn't be any less screwed in two years Dealing them at the deadline vs Not dealing them at the deadline. A late first round pick likely takes 4 years to contribute positively.

I guess I should have phrased it "2+ years"

You're right about the timeline. That doesn't make it any better decision making.

It's not an easy choice to make but it's the right one.

Not sure though, last year our team roles it back, makes the playoffs, yet PLD, Helle/Schief (allegedly), and Wheeler ask for or indicate they want to move on or get a fresh start. Guys don’t want to be part of a rebuild but they also don’t seem to want to be part of a bubble team either. Dammed if we do dammed if we don’t, tweener ville.

Yup. Only thing that will make players want to be here is to be a top team with a shot to win it all. It won't convince everyone, but it will help more than anything else.

 

[Potrzebie]

arguably Little should have been more of a third line C for much of his time here

The disrespect for Bryan Little continues long after he's gone.

 

[Flair Hay]

The disrespect for Bryan Little continues long after he's gone.

To be fair, it's where he played the one year we almost had the beat team in the league...

 

[KingBogo]

Not sure though, last year our team roles it back, makes the playoffs, yet PLD, Helle/Schief (allegedly), and Wheeler ask for or indicate they want to move on or get a fresh start. Guys don’t want to be part of a rebuild but they also don’t seem to want to be part of a bubble team either. Dammed if we do dammed if we don’t, tweener ville.

I think every year players want the best team possible. When you get to or close to being able to have some say into where you play you also get to include location and other variables into your decision making. Either way established players care nothing about future draft picks.

 

[BobTheSolarsystem]

fully agree that heinola was def most impressive his first stint all things/context considered.

roslovic barely showed anything whenever given a top-6 role here. he is a solid bottom-6 offensive player, and basically 30ish pts from a bottom-6er would be a welcomed addition to this team now. but 18-19 other than 1 hat-trick - which was on the PP - he did f***-all playing in the top-6. 19-20 paired w/ ehlers and wheeler (who is probably a better C than roslovic) did zilch again. if he can't show some semblance of production at Wing in the top-6 idk how much there is at C. and i've never really seen Center-like traits in roslovic's game.

i do agree on Copp. Copp played pretty well at C in 18-19 carrying 2-rookies in lemieux and appleton. then, ehlers-copp were often great together from 19-20 onward. how much is ehlers vs copp though, not sure. he also did play a few weeks b/w ehlers and laine in 17-18 prior to stastny's acquisition and thought they played pretty well. he evidently is not the flashiest offensive player but i always liked the fit.

C has for sure been a weakness. for a draft-and-develop team, there's 1 player i think you can confidently say has been a consistent top-6C so far in scheifele. they spent 2 1sts+foley+lemieux for 40ish games of hayes and stastny trying to upgrade the position. i think that's been an area the team needs to improve in. i hope one of the youngsters or new-comer in vilardi can be a consistent top-6 C for us, b/c we need it.

it's way to early imo to say who will be better b/w lundell or perfetti. they were drafted close apart and although lundell's 1st year was really impressive, i wouldn't be surprised if their careers flip-flop on who is better each year.

Again, I think we muffed on Roslo's development... he looked pretty good with Little-Laine but again you need to let a player have some growing pains and have faith. Maurice never did that... he barely played C when you look at those two years with the Jets

Copp had so much chemistry with Ehlers and Maurice would just never keep them together - when you saw him with Panarin it makes you wonder what could have been... instead we would trot out fkn Nick Shore for key draws instead of any of our homegrown talent.

The Jets pay a high price for being locked into a 3rd line checking unit centred by Lowry.
Connor-Scheif-Wheels
Roslo-Little-Laine
Ehlers-Copp-Apples
MattyP-Lowry-Tanev

Bringing in Hayes and then Eakins - only for a few games - really did hurt the team, basically was the last straw for Laine, Copp and Roslo to ask for a trade imo.

And yeah, Im not going to lie... McGro-Lambert-Perfetti would be a pretty fun line to watch - more exciting than a Lundell line - scary part is that we still seem married to Lowry... so I don't expect an NYR style youth line.

 

[ps241]

I think every year players want the best team possible. When you get to or close to being able to have some say into where you play you also get to include location and other variables into your decision making. Either way established players care nothing about future draft picks.

Oh I agree with that.

My point is, vets don’t want to be part of a non playoff team so the argument has been made on our board we need to compete to send a signal to the team and retain guys but we do that and 4 guys still want out anyways. Maybe they never wanted to be here (PLD) or they want a chance to actually win? Either way the plan is not helping us retain this off season.

 

[BobTheSolarsystem]

The disrespect for Bryan Little continues long after he's gone.

Yeah that was probably too hard on him - 20 goals and 40-50 points is decent for a second line C... but again, there's a reason we brought in Paul Stastny and Kevin Hayes - Little should have anchored our checking line not our second line

 

[Thechozen1]

teams win and are successful in all shapes and sizes.

to me:
- every team is a draft and/or develop team.... some teams like Vegas is they trade prospects for high-end help now. i remember when E. Brannstrom was hyped up as the next best thing and one of the top defenders outside the NHL. Vegas trades basically him straight up for Stone. What is brannstrom today exactly?
- you probably economically cannot build a team through UFA
- trade or sign for lower-named / depth charted players that rate well, but before they actually break-out in a big way (ie: sigenthaler, marino, demelo, d. toews, val nichushkin, a. lehkonen, carter v., g. forsling, b. montour, hagel, sprong, c. stephenson list goes on) i think is what is setting teams apart. basically hunting for value.
- both high-end talent as well as scoring depth is important
- need good goaltending

the Jets imo will likely not be big players in the high-end trade or FA market. so, they need to draft/develop really well especially outside the 1st or when they do not have a top-16 pick. also point 3) above imo they need to be one of the most active teams in the league in that player market.

Jets need a couple of teams to follow the Vegas blueprint and trade for our high-end help in Helleybuyck and Scheifele to help get them over the hump.

 

[nobody imp0rtant]

Jets need a couple of teams to follow the Vegas blueprint and trade for our high-end help in Helleybuyck and Scheifele to help get them over the hump.

Scheifele should have been traded years ago to help the Jets get over The Hump.

 

[DRW204]

Again, I think we muffed on Roslo's development... he looked pretty good with Little-Laine but again you need to let a player have some growing pains and have faith. Maurice never did that... he barely played C when you look at those two years with the Jets

Copp had so much chemistry with Ehlers and Maurice would just never keep them together - when you saw him with Panarin it makes you wonder what could have been... instead we would trot out fkn Nick Shore for key draws instead of any of our homegrown talent.

The Jets pay a high price for being locked into a 3rd line checking unit centred by Lowry.
Connor-Scheif-Wheels
Roslo-Little-Laine
Ehlers-Copp-Apples
MattyP-Lowry-Tanev

Bringing in Hayes and then Eakins - only for a few games - really did hurt the team, basically was the last straw for Laine, Copp and Roslo to ask for a trade imo.

And yeah, Im not going to lie... McGro-Lambert-Perfetti would be a pretty fun line to watch - more exciting than a Lundell line - scary part is that we still seem married to Lowry... so I don't expect an NYR style youth line.

He didn't do anything at all with little and Laine in 18-19. Like I said never found roslovic to have good traits to be a C and he never really produced higher when in a top 6 role. He got plenty of opportunity there in both 18-19 and 19-20.

Lowry in 17-18 was one our better Cs. Possibly for most of the year our 2nd best one behind Scheifele.

Hayes couldve been a good acquisition but for whatever reason eventually got relegated to 4c duties and for a 1st+ that's a waste.

 

[tbcwpg]

Not sure though, last year our team roles it back, makes the playoffs, yet PLD, Helle/Schief (allegedly), and Wheeler ask for or indicate they want to move on or get a fresh start. Guys don’t want to be part of a rebuild but they also don’t seem to want to be part of a bubble team either. Dammed if we do dammed if we don’t, tweener ville.

For Chevy and Chipman they say if we make the playoffs anything can happen (fair enough), but maybe the older core players are going, I want a chance to actually win and they realize that won’t be in Winnipeg?

It was more a response to the idea that the players would be upset that they didn't get assets for expiring UFAs. I didn't quote the post but that was the idea. I think that idea is totally false.

I think the older players would move those picks every year if it improved their chance of winning in the playoffs.

 

[Thechozen1]

The Jets need to take a step back this year or next - much like they did after the Ducks series... they have strayed away from the 'develop' side of their plan for a while now and the Hillier era of drafting has been very average for an organization that needs late round hits.

I do think trading both Scheif and Helle would be beneficial for the long-term health of the team - given what Chevy got for PLD - but you need roster players not picks. I don't see how your 1C can openly say he plays his own style while your coach is pushing for buy-in - just get a fresh start for everyone, its coming regardless.

Again, I would only draft Centres or Defence in the first round - and yes I would have taken Chabot over Connor... 1C or top pairing D are hard to find if you don't have top ten picks. that being said, maybe Chevy scored a win with Vilardi.

I don't mind being in the mushy middle - I think all Jets fans know that's where we are going to be anyway... but Hillier needs a Robertson or Aho if the Jets are going to compete - hopefully Chib is that guy but we need him, Lambert, Salomondsson, McGro, etc in the lineup within the next two years.

Jets missed their 'retool' window in 2019-20 when everyone still had years to go on their deals - I think the org is different today if you played Copp and/or Roslo at 2C for a full season instead of fkn Cody Eakin and ran Heinola or Kova instead of Bitetto - yeah you likely miss the playoffs but ONE of them would have hit and you're not scrambling to trade for vets.

The Maurice era became 'draft and develop scrap' hopefully Bones is open to a young roster for at least a season... but I'm not sold that he is.

Draft your C and D, trade picks for Ninos and Names types, draft late round goalies... get players into the NHL after one season on the Moose.

While I agree that centres and defense are of greater importance than wingers, but focusing on just centres or defensemen in the 1st round can turn around and bite an organization big time.

That’s how you end up with Burmistrov or Forbort instead of Tarasenko, Haydyn Fleury instead of Ehlers, Chris Gratton instead of Kariya or Olli Juolevi instead of M. Tkachuk.

 

[surixon]

Oh I agree with that.

My point is, vets don’t want to be part of a non playoff team so the argument has been made on our board we need to compete to send a signal to the team and retain guys but we do that and 4 guys still want out anyways. Maybe they never wanted to be here (PLD) or they want a chance to actually win? Either way the plan is not helping us retain this off season.

I mean outside of Dubois the other three have given the org 13, 10, and 8 years of service. So they all gave the org a significant portion of their careers. I don't blame any if they would want a change. None really fit the bill of a player angling out as quickly as they can.

 

[BobTheSolarsystem]

While I agree that centres and defense are of greater importance than wingers, but focusing on just centres or defensemen in the 1st round can turn around and bite an organization big time.

That’s how you end up with Burmistrov or Forbort instead of Tarasenko, Haydyn Fleury instead of Ehlers, Chris Gratton instead of Kariya or Olli Juolevi instead of M. Tkachuk.

No that's how you end up with Sergachev instead of Tkachuk... Larkin or Sanheim instead of Ehlers... Morgan Frost instead of Vesalainen...

I mean there's always exceptions - like don't go doing something stupid like trading away two good picks just because there's a 6'8 defensemen on the board...

 

[Bob E]

All this doom and gloom, do we tank for a rebuild, no one wants to play here, blah blah.

Look at the quality players lost by the Leafs, offset with a few questionable additions. Boston, a presumably desirable market, has had significant change this offseason to a record breaking roster. Calgary is going through roster reshaping as well, likely as significant or more than the Jets this offseason.

Meanwhile in Jetsville, we have moved a player that didn’t want to be here for 3 now pieces, and a future piece, that makes the team better, imo. I’m a big supporter of Vilardi and Iafallo’s game. Much more than PLD and Wheeler. I think we will be very pleased with the way they play and realize a step in the right direction.

Scheifele and Helle are big pieces sure, but are not irreplaceable. I’m not overly worried if both move on tbh.

I’m very bullish on the next wave of young Jets players. McGroarty, Barlow, Lucius, Chib, DiVicentis and Lambert. Plenty of talent, skill, and character. Will they all hit, who knows. But the possibility exists. If the Jets grab a quality RH dman in next years’ draft, many pieces could be in place.

An elite ‘C’:
More curious to see if Lambert/Lucius or Perfetti can get there than watching Scheifele float as he ages or Dubois regress when his playing style impacts his health. This could be a big year for Perfetti. A 60+ pt season could set him up for very productive seasons in the future.

A strong 2-way ‘C’:
Jets 2.0’s best 2-way C has been Little or small parts of seasons with Stastny, but without the production. I’m curious to see if Vilardi can develop his game to be the strong 2-way C this team has lacked for most of our 2.0 era. His defensive game is currently much better than Scheifele or Dubois, and his offensive game is starting to round into place. Imo, he is capable of 70+ pts coupled with a solid defensive game. Very happy Jets targeted him in the Dubois deal.

A couple of elite Fwds:
Jets still have Connor and Ehlers under contract with Barlow, McGroarty, Chib, Lambert and Lucius still developing. Now will they all become elite? Who knows but I’m excited to find out.

Depth fwds:
Jets now have a lot of quality depth at forward. Iafallo, Nino, Names, Lowry, Apples, Kupari, and Barron offer plenty of depth and secondary scoring that Jets have not had in 2.0 era except for 2017/18. Assuming Kupari signs, only Nino is a pending UFA at seasons end. Hopefully they extend him a la Names.

An elite #1 dman:
Morrissey took a big step last year. If he can continue playing the same way, which I think he can, box checked.

Another top pair dman:
Hard to get this type of player without drafting him. Chevy likely checked that box with drafting Trouba and may have to use a Scheifele or Helle trade to get a young still undeveloped d prospect with upside or a veteran quality defender that has priced himself off his current team. I think the Jets draft a defender with top pairing upside in next year’s draft. Though he’ll be 2-3 yrs away from competing for a roster spot, they another quality prospect on d.

A top-4 shutdown dman:
I think Samberg will continue to develop into a legit shutdown dman that all teams covet.

A lower/bottom pair guy that can move up into top 4:
Jets have DeMelo, Dillon, Schmidt, Stanley and Pionk as vets and Heinola and Chisholm as prospects here. Other than DeMelo, none of the players are really suited for this role. Still some changes coming here.

Quality tender:
Helle’s next contract seems to scare away some teams. If he wants to move on sobeit. I like our futures in DiVincentis or Milic and Brossoit is a quality tender.

Lots to like and to be excited for in the future with our Jets.

 

[ps241]

It was more a response to the idea that the players would be upset that they didn't get assets for expiring UFAs. I didn't quote the post but that was the idea. I think that idea is totally false.

I think the older players would move those picks every year if it improved their chance of winning in the playoffs.

The older players would sell every draft pick every year to add at the deadline for even a remote shot if they were 8th seed. They do not care how good the Jets are after their career is done. I 100% understand why they want to win now before it’s too late. I am sure this exists on every team in the league that’s not in a full rebuild. Vets want to win now.

On the other hand Cole Perfetti would want to have top young prospects join him on his journey up the mountain over the next 5 to 6 seasons (hopefully more). He’s a competitor that will want to win now too if we have the horses but he is the starting line for the next era.

We drafted our way into being a contender from 2011-16, like many contenders once we picked later, or traded our 1st’s for rentals, we drafted our way out of being a contender 2017-2019, and our new drafting era “hopefully” started in 2020.

I think you have mentioned before they (TNSE) will want to hang in as long as they can and I agree. Barring an extension for Mark and Helle, or barring a hockey trade then this season might be the last shot for a while. If they get extended or ther are solid hockey trades for them I think they extend the compete now era for a while longer.

Chevy is the tightrope walker

 

[ps241]

I mean outside of Dubois the other three have given the org 13, 10, and 8 years of service. So they all gave the org a significant portion of their careers. I don't blame any if they would want a change. None really fit the bill of a player angling out as quickly as they can.

Oh I don’t blame them at all and they all gave us most of their prime’s but there is also a reason two of them are leaving when the club still probably wants them.

My point is that I don’t think going for it is what keeps guys around. Their contract keeps them around. If you want to get them to sign their next deal when they have some say in it players need hope into the foreseeable future. Jets drafted REALLY well for 6 seasons and I think it started to become apparent to the older core (Wheeler, Buff, Little, Toby) that the Jets best days were ahead of them. I also think it’s why we got Schiefele, Morrissey, Ehlers, and Connor into those great second contracts. They all wanted to be part of the next 6 or 7 years of the team while they were in their primes. We are now clearly past that stage as we see by the exits (I will revise if the big two extend).

I don’t think the retention formula has changed. I think we got back to drafting in 2020 by getting a top 5 talent at #10. I think the next couple of drafts after that might be “ok”. My guess is we need two more really good drafts over the next 3 seasons to set up the Perfetti era. We will also need some prospect luck like every team (I think our swing draft is 2022 if we get lucky there we are set, if not then we are not set). If that young future core starts pushing through then the Vilardi’s of the world might just think the best days of the Jets are back in front of us again.

There are always going to be cycles but there is no escaping it in Winnipeg, the centre piece is always going to be drafting.

 

[KingBogo]

The older players would sell every draft pick every year to add at the deadline for even a remote shot if they were 8th seed. They do not care how good the Jets are after their career is done. I 100% understand why they want to win now before it’s too late. I am sure this exists on every team in the league that’s not in a full rebuild. Vets want to win now.

On the other hand Cole Perfetti would want to have top young prospects join him on his journey up the mountain over the next 5 to 6 seasons (hopefully more). He’s a competitor that will want to win now too if we have the horses but he is the starting line for the next era.

We drafted our way into being a contender from 2011-16, like many contenders once we picked later, or traded our 1st’s for rentals, we drafted our way out of being a contender 2017-2019, and our new drafting era “hopefully” started in 2020.

I think you have mentioned before they (TNSE) will want to hang in as long as they can and I agree. Barring an extension for Mark and Helle, or barring a hockey trade then this season might be the last shot for a while. If they get extended or ther are solid hockey trades for them I think they extend the compete now era for a while longer.

Chevy is the tightrope walker

To be honest I don’t even think Perfetti would care about picks and prospects. These guys are basically mercenaries more or less randomly distributed around the league. They care about who is in the room with them today not who might be in 5 years. At best 1/10 players plays out his career for 1 team. Statistically Cole is more likely to play for another team then with whoever we draft next season as part of any futures trade.

 

[surixon]

Oh I don’t blame them at all and they all gave us most of their prime’s but there is also a reason two of them are leaving when the club still probably wants them.

My point is that I don’t think going for it is what keeps guys around. Their contract keeps them around. If you want to get them to sign their next deal when they have some say in it players need hope into the foreseeable future. Jets drafted REALLY well for 6 seasons and I think it started to become apparent to the older core (Wheeler, Buff, Little, Toby) that the Jets best days were ahead of them. I also think it’s why we got Schiefele, Morrissey, Ehlers, and Connor into those great second contracts. They all wanted to be part of the next 6 or 7 years of the team while they were in their primes. We are now clearly past that stage as we see by the exits (I will revise if the big two extend).

I don’t think the retention formula has changed. I think we got back to drafting in 2020 by getting a top 5 talent at #10. I think the next couple of drafts after that might be “ok”. My guess is we need two more really good drafts over the next 3 seasons to set up the Perfetti era. We will also need some prospect luck like every team (I think our swing draft is 2022 if we get lucky there we are set, if not then we are not set). If that young future core starts pushing through then the Vilardi’s of the world might just think the best days of the Jets are back in front of us again.

There are always going to be cycles but there is no escaping it in Winnipeg, the centre piece is always going to be drafting.

I don't disagree with this at all. As mentioned in another post above I think the org has gotten back to the model that lead to the 2018 team. I think the org was guilty of expending too many assets trying to chase the cup. I also think we started targeting the wrong player types the 2016-2018 drafts and that hurt the procurement process.

I felt the Ville pick was a step in the right direction in terms of hockey IQ and new way thinking but the org hasn't really fully come around on dmen yet. They still value more of an old school set up so Ville hasn't been able to get in. To be fair he hasn't kicked the doors down yet either. Since then we look to have gotten back to our sweet spot with our high picks. I like all our first round picks 2020 and on. I also like how they have gone post first round since then as well.

But you are correct in that we need this next wave to continue to develop well to develop a strong nucleus around Cole. My one main concern is a lack of quality in terms of our defensive prospects. We need another impact d prospect or two.