Line Combos: CBJ Roster Discussion/Line Combos/Injury Report (KJ out “not short term”)

[CBJWerenski8]

Item No. 3: Change of scenery?​

We don’t often pitch trade proposals in this space, but the situation that began percolating again in Pittsburgh last week got us thinking.

The Penguins have a struggling goaltender, Tristan Jarry, under contract through 2027-28 with a $5.375 million salary-cap hit. Jarry, 29, is a two-time NHL All-Star, but he was pulled from his last start and has been yanked from three of his last six starts (dating to last season) in Pittsburgh’s PPG Paints Arena.

The Blue Jackets have a struggling goaltender, Elvis Merzlikins, under contract through 2026-27 with a $5.4 million salary-cap hit. Merzlikins, 30, hasn’t had a save percentage over .900 since 2021-22 and is off to a mediocre start this season.

Should the Blue Jackets and Penguins consider a change-of-scenery trade for their big-ticket goaltenders?

Waddell, soon after taking the job in Columbus last May, made it clear that “nobody is going to trade for (Merzlikins’) contract,” and that a contract buyout of Merzlikins, which would have lasted six years into the future, was not an option, either, as the Jackets may need the cap space in the final years with that buyout on the books.

But there’s always been an understanding in the NHL that “bad” contracts can be moved in exchange for bad contracts, and maybe there’s an opportunity here.

The salary-cap hits are almost a match. The money is close, too. Per Puckpedia, Merzlikins is set to make $6 million this season, $5.525 million in 2025-26 and $4.225 million in 2026-27, while Jarry will make $6.4 million this season, followed by $5.425 million (’25-26) and $4.125 in the final two years.
Jarry has one more year of term, which could be a sticking point for the Blue Jackets unless they believe Jarry is still a good goaltender who could be reinvigorated by a fresh start.

From the Penguins’ perspective, if they’re resigned to buying out Jarry’s contract after this season — Alex Nedeljkovic appears to be the starter in Pittsburgh until Joel Blomqvist is ready to ascend — an acquisition of Merzlikins would give them a contract with less term and an easier buyout.

One more wrinkle: Jarry has a 12-team no-trade clause, while Merzlikins has a 10-team no-trade list. It’s unclear which teams are on their lists.

Just something to ponder on a Sunday.

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5856644/2024/10/20/blue-jackets-david-jiricek-season-debut/

 

[LJ7]

draft AND development. People really get worked up if a player doesn't reach their peak by 20

I get worked up when players have representation that gets in the way of proper development. If they had a great attitude and were grinding away without making a fuss but just not there yet physically then I would have no qualms. Kent Johnson was 21 last season and did not play great, maybe even worse than his rookie season, but I trusted him generally to approach his own development with the right attitude, he was HS'd to start last season and his agent was not out and about "provoking".

I still believe in Jiricek but he has such a long way to go. He looks so weak out there and his playstyle demands that he's quick and strong. That combined with the previous problematic approach Agent Provocateur took to handling his client getting sent down to develop frustrates me. I hope I end up wrong about this, peak Jiricek here would make our blueline mind bogglingly fun with Werenski and Mateychuk.

One thought is they wanted to avoid another dust-up with Jiricek, who spoke openly last season of his disappointment in being sent down, and his agent, Allan Walsh, who is known to defend his clients as loudly and fiercely as any agent in the NHL. But the sense in Columbus is they wanted to watch Jiricek closely and see how he responded to the stark realization that another GM and another coaching staff didn’t think he was playing well enough to crack the Blue Jackets lineup. “I had a chat with David this morning,” Evason said before Saturday’s 3-1 loss to the Minnesota Wild in Nationwide Arena. “You know, we’ve talked about earning the right to play and to be in that (dressing) room. If you don’t play, you have to earn the right to get into our lineup. “How do you do that? You’re practicing hard, you’re working out hard, and you’re doing it with a positive attitude. You’re working your ass off every day. You are detailed. You’re coachable. And you get yourself ready to play. We notice that. Coaches notice that. And when you have a guy who doesn’t go hard, who doesn’t practice well … well, sorry, you’re not going to play.” If Jiricek hadn’t done all those things, Evason said, he wouldn’t have made his season debut on Saturday. “If you do all the right things, you give yourself a better chance to earn the chance to get into our lineup,” Evason said. “He’s done that.”

The Jackets are waiting for MRI results from multiple specialists to determine if Johnson’s shoulder will need to be surgically repaired again.

That's great and all but he looked terrible to me last night. At least he seems to have a decent attitude towards what he needs to do by now. Perhaps what alarms me the most is the gulf between what him and the provocateur see in his game and reality. That is not a good sign.

 

[Viqsi]

"Agent Provocateur" has empowered his client to be years behind in his development and paved a way to put him on the ice in a league that he can't hang in. A true trailblazer. He broke the mold of developing defensemen in leagues that suit their skillset in order for them to be ready to succeed when they hit the NHL. I'm over it.

If we've decided we want to avoid Allan Walsh clients in the future, here's the list:

NHL Contracts by Agent Allan Walsh | Puckpedia

See the active player contracts and client list for Allan Walsh at Octagon Athlete Representation on PuckPedia.

puckpedia.com

We don't have anyone else he represents, and frankly I don't think any of the other guys he represents are on our trade or signing radar either. (Well, except for when we were looking at MaxPac earlier before he went with the Leafs.)

 

[majormajor]

I didn't think Jiricek looked bad last night. But I'm still not comfortable with him up here when he needs a lot more work on his fundamentals. The AHL is the right place for him. If he's reconciled to that fact, and he understands that it is a years long process, then we're fine. If he's not reconciled to that fact, then we have to more keenly look at trade offers.

 

[stevo61]

I get worked up when players have representation that gets in the way of proper development. If they had a great attitude and were grinding away without making a fuss but just not there yet physically then I would have no qualms. Kent Johnson was 21 last season and did not play great, maybe even worse than his rookie season, but I trusted him generally to approach his own development with the right attitude, he was HS'd to start last season and his agent was not out and about "provoking".

I still believe in Jiricek but he has such a long way to go. He looks so weak out there and his playstyle demands that he's quick and strong. That combined with the previous problematic approach Agent Provocateur took to handling his client getting sent down to develop frustrates me. I hope I end up wrong about this, peak Jiricek here would make our blueline mind bogglingly fun with Werenski and Mateychuk.


That's great and all but he looked terrible to me last night. At least he seems to have a decent attitude towards what he needs to do by now. Perhaps what alarms me the most is the gulf between what him and the provocateur see in his game and reality. That is not a good sign.

He wasn't terrible. Made some bad reads but also a few plays that show how he thinks the game. That said if he's going to be in the lineup don't p***yfoot around. Playing him with different partners on his off side without a regular shift is stupid. Harris and Johnson were both garbage that game. Play Jiricek with Harris for a game and shelter them as needed