Do you really think Dillon and Bones moves the team back that far? In a bubble I'd like to have kept Dillon, but at $4 M AAV he is being paid at the top of his veteran pay scale. But internally we have Samberg ready to move into the # 2 LHD position, and the team really needs to know what they have there as he is a pending RFA with Arb rights. He will be in a position to sign his long term contract and the organization needs to get that right. Heinola then needs an opportunity to step into the # 3 LHD role, assuming he beats out out Stanley, which I think is very likely.
At coach, to be honest I'm glad Bones has retired. He brought nice defensive structure to the team, but he is old school to a fault and was a block to the next wave of prospects taking on more important roles. At least at this point I remain optimistic the Arniel is much more open to this. I see us as a team, that might take a small step back in the regular season, but better positioned to compete in the playoffs, assuming internal growth by our young players.
how do you know he would have blocked them for sure? all of robertson, hintz, oettinger, heiskanen played pivotal roles on dallas in 2 of the 3 years (the first year being partial with Montgomery being suspended). even gurianov had a jump in role and production before leaving dallas under bowness. not necessarily prospects, but an under-25 group. i'll be surprised if the Jets get a "wave of prospects" in the starting line up for 24-25 regardless of who is the coach, given how the roster sits right now.
also the GM is the one that brings the players in, and routinely for years the vets are usually ahead to start until an injury hits and the young player flourishes, making it impossible to move them back down: ie: scheifele to 1c, or connor in 17-18, mason ahead of helle initially in 17-18. or if the Jets lose FAs from beg. of year, & TDL that open up spots, but none of that happened this past UFA or TDL so not really applicable.
perfetti for example a bunch of opportunity this year, they didn't like him at C but was still a top-6 Winger. namestnikov and later monahan replaces him at C, and then he was the weakest of the top-6 wings after vilardi came back and chevy acquired toffoli. perhaps he could've been a 4th liner, but it seems like - and even arniel alluded to this - it's top-6 or bust for him. that doesn't seem to me like strictly a bowness problem.