I think context matters, too. When the Jets were dealing with Trouba and Copp, they were trying to manage a roster that was near the cap, and they were viewing their roster as a contender.These seem plausible.
Chevy loves to grind the kids, which is a reasonable strategy for a kid like Barron who's just starting to feel his oats, but then we get two relative anchors in Pionk and Schmidt.
By all accounts, and Copp's specifically, arbitration is a road you don't go down lightly. Hoping to see these sorted soon and fairly w/o an arb decision.
As a reminder, this detailed article on the Copp Saga:
But why did it even get to that point? Two years and $2.28 million seems like a very reasonable deal for the 25-year-old forward — no matter which lens you look through. To use Evolving Wild’s frequently cited contract projections, a two-year deal for Copp should have cost Winnipeg $2.20 million per season.
That’s Copp’s eventual arbitration award, nearly on the nose.
To use Winnipeg’s own Adam Lowry as a comparable — a centre with slightly more points per game in his career and a similar reputation for driving play — $2.90 million strikes me as a fair ceiling. A $2.28 million deal for Copp strikes me as entirely reasonable in proportion to his linemate’s same earnings.
For some, the story gets more worrisome. Those who read Craig Custance’s story showing that two-thirds of players who make it to an arbitration hearing get traded within three seasons, it felt like an assurance Copp’s days in Winnipeg are numbered.
It happened to Trouba after all. And if Copp’s good friend followed his arbitration deal through to a trade request and a big-ticket signing with the Rangers, wouldn’t it make sense that Copp would try to follow suit?
Copp says no. In an interview with The Athletic this week, Copp detailed his reasons for choosing arbitration, the agony of feeling “disrespected” during the process, and even some parts of arbitration that flat out made him laugh. For Jets fans, it’s not all roses.
It’s also not something to fear.
What really happened at Andrew Copp’s arbitration hearing — and what comes next for him in Winnipeg
Andrew Copp was hurt and disrespected by the arbitration process with the Jets but won't let it cloud his future.theathletic.com
It might be different in an environment where the Jets might have a bit of space under the cap, and might be looking at more of a transitional / evolving phase of the organization.
With Trouba, it made sense to grind through arbitration, because he wasn't wanting to stay long-term and the Jets wanted him at a lower cap hit to help with a couple of playoff runs. Copp might just have been a disagreement about role / value, and trade value. In the end, it worked out really well for the Jets because he pulled very good trade value at his cap hit to the Rangers at the TDL.
