The tiny missteps that Chevy made, such as only getting Copp for 1 year, and not getting a great backup, could not have been realistically foreseen. The chain of events that happened were pretty much the best possible scenario at the time in which it occurred. Had he waited or jumped the gun, these moves may not have been available, so his timing was impeccable.
In near-chronological order:
- Re-signs Lowsy for $3.25 mil x 5. Perhaps it would have been nice to do after expansion, but Lowry is one of the best 3Cs in the league, and that's a good hit. Good move.
- Chevy protects Stanley over DeMelo in expansion and Copp over Appleton, losing Appleton. This was foreseen, and it would have sucked to lose Stanley after everything that the team and player have done for each other. Protecting Copp was a sign of loyalty, since he clearly wants to remain a Jet. If we protect Apples, we lose Copp or DeMelo, both of which aren't great outcomes.
- Our draft was great. Two players that many scouts had in their top 10s and 20s fell to us at #18 and #50. Chevy didn't get cute and he didn't have lots of picks, but this was a very good draft.
- Re-signs Stastny at $3.75 mil x 1. The whole league thinks this was a good play, we solidified our top-6 with good, veteran leadership and a guy who can still play hockey.
- He goes fishing for Schmidt again. Chevy picks his players very specifically, but it doesn't look like it's going to happen. Oh well.
- Chevy immediately turns around and snipes Dillon. The price may have been a bit steep, but Chevy surgically removes a really good D-man that likely nobody even had on their radar. If our offer was lower, maybe we don't get him. Maybe Washington clears cap another way, with another team. We paid the price to get it done.
- Chevy circles back and gets Schmidt. Within 24 hours, Chevy gets a top pairing on long-term for two 2nds and a 3rd, with a combined cap hit of $9.85 mil.
- He lets all of our crap walk. I can't stress enough how important this was. Benn, Forbort, Poolman, all gone. Perreault, Lewis & Thompson weren't massive losses. Nothing we could have done about Brossoit. This might be one of our best moves.
- He does nothing with FAs on day #1 of free agent frenzy, which is basically like Boxing Day in the NHL. None of the signings we could have made even compare to the pickups of Dillon & Schmidt.
- Signs Riley Nash at league minimum. Good bet, good player, good price.
- Signs Pionk at what is likely the best balance for term vs cap. Great move.
- Signs Copp with the balance of the cap, in a friendly way, without arbitration. Both sides knew a long-term deal wasn't possible, and Chevy gave Copp every dime he could, with an eye on keeping a solid roster this year. I think & hope an extension gets done ASAP to keep Copper.
- He's leaving slots open for our young prospects. Stanley, Vesalainen, Harkins and Gustafsson are getting their shots. Toninato showed he could fit, no qualms there.
- We gave Samberg, Heinola and Perfetti more time to cook in the minors. They'll be call-ups this season, so the timing is good. We slow-cook our prospects to perfection.
Overall, the "criticisms" that can be made are the following:
- Possibly overpaying Stastny, which strained Copp's negotiations - this couldn't have been foreseen, and the deal is still good. Stastny got us Schmidt, and our locker room is strong.
- Losing Appleton - it had to happen. Seattle's picks were basically like a meth head picking names out of a hat, there was no telling what they would do. I never want to hear criticism about this expansion choice, we made wise moves to protect loyal players, and unfortunately lost a good, young, cost-controlled winger. Our roster remains strong. Life goes on.
- We don't have a great backup - have you seen the goalie market? Very few were available anywhere near a "reasonable" price!
Chevy has scored 100/100 on keeping a balance between keeping loyal players, getting good players to fill the gaps that did exist, and in development for the future. The fact that we still manage to fill the cupboards each year, while improving a roster in a city that nobody wants to play in, is a miracle. Our defense might be the best it's ever been, and if all of our forward step up this year, it could be the best roster and result we have ever seen.
Without the power of hindsight, tell me one thing that Chevy could have done this year that would have been possible, realistic, and wise. I honestly can't think of any. My faith in Chevy was restored this year, TNSE will get some of my dollars.
