Speculation: Jets General Rumour, Trade, Free Agent and Waiver Speculation 15-16 Part XIII

[Skiffer55]

Hypothetically, how would Joel Edmunson (STL) or Hadyn Fleury sound if we could acquire them on the cheap? Both would be expansion exempt and could play today, and are also in our age group as a team.

Sure but you're unlikely to get either for cheap

 

[Aavco Cup]

I'm sure most teams will prepare both lists (7-3-1 & 4-4-1) and see what they look like, how they can manage best and how they can incentivize Vegas to make the correct pick. We could for instance give up a prospect (in a trade) who would otherwise be exempt in order to convince them they need to select Mark Stuart.

 

[Gabe Kupari]

If we go after and get okposo, I'd suspect stafford is moved sooner rather than later. I also don't think Okposo would sign without knowing he'd be protected in the expansion draft scenario.

I think it's more and more likely that 1 or Enstrom (age) or Myers is traded and we go the 1 3 7 route.

Helle

Buff Trouba (Myers or Enstrom)

Scheif,Wheeler,Perreault,Little,Okposo,Lowry, one of armia,dano,etc those types.

Fact is Okposo if he signs, and even if he doesn't, it doesn't change the fact that he's actually a better hockey player than several on our bottom 6.. You protect Okposo. You lose one of Armia,Dano,etc

 

[Mortimer Snerd]

What's the obsession with helm here. Is it because he's local. He's not going to be worth the money he's going to get. If the jets are after okposo I hope it's with the desire to run 3 scoring lines. Something like:

Ehlers-scheifele-wheeler
Laine-little-okposo
Connor-perreault-dano

Lots of flexibility there too, with players that can play multiple positions. We don't need any more bottom 6 players imo

The bold, yes and yes. But he is a good 2 way player, good at FO's. An excellent 3C.

We don't need Okposo to run 3 scoring lines. We need to be just a little bit patient for just a little bit longer while Laine and Connor adjust to the NHL pace, then:

Laine-scheifele-wheeler
Connor-little-Ehlers
Petan-perreault-dano

Or any one of several other equally good configurations. Without Okposo we should have 3 and maybe 4 scoring lines.

 

[Mortimer Snerd]

Ehlers can also play LW...and was really good at it with Scheif and Wheels.

Yes - and Okposo pushes him there. He is good at LW. He is great at RW. Okposo pushes him to the left side where Laine and Connor push him back to the right side - where he is up against Wheeler and Okposo. Around and around we go. We just do not need any top 6 wingers. Period. When and if Wheeler leaves or one or more of Ehlers, Laine, Connor disappoint we will need a top 6 winger. Until then it is our greatest strength. Why would we commit huge resources to making a small upgrade there? Yes a small upgrade. He may be a big upgrade on our 12th forward who would be bumped down to 13 but he is only a small upgrade on any of our top 4 W's. Again, that is unless one of them disappoints. If that happens we do have options, several of them.

 

[Gabe Kupari]

I think I like our top 3 lines more with Okposo than i do without..

Connor should start on the 3rd line

Ehlers Scheif Wheeler
Laine Little Okposo
Connor Lowry( cuz maurice) Perrault

That's a pretty darn deadly top 9 either way you look at it.

 

[Zhamnov10]

What's the obsession with helm here. Is it because he's local. He's not going to be worth the money he's going to get. If the jets are after okposo I hope it's with the desire to run 3 scoring lines. Something like:

Ehlers-scheifele-wheeler
Laine-little-okposo
Connor-perreault-dano

Lots of flexibility there too, with players that can play multiple positions. We don't need any more bottom 6 players imo

It's because we need a quality bottom 6 guy with experience who can PK.We don't need Okposo unless he signs for 1 year which will never happen.Acquire helm move some pieces Stafford,Burmi and also shore up Rhd bottom pairing and we are set.Would like another quality LHD but that probably won't happen until the Myers,Trouba,Enstrom situation is figured out.

 

[Aavco Cup]

Yes - and Okposo pushes him there. He is good at LW. He is great at RW. Okposo pushes him to the left side where Laine and Connor push him back to the right side - where he is up against Wheeler and Okposo. Around and around we go. We just do not need any top 6 wingers. Period. When and if Wheeler leaves or one or more of Ehlers, Laine, Connor disappoint we will need a top 6 winger. Until then it is our greatest strength. Why would we commit huge resources to making a small upgrade there? Yes a small upgrade. He may be a big upgrade on our 12th forward who would be bumped down to 13 but he is only a small upgrade on any of our top 4 W's. Again, that is unless one of them disappoints. If that happens we do have options, several of them.

This has yet to be proven

 

[Winnipeg Jets]

I hope we go after John-Michael Liles in free agency just so I can hear Beyak call his name over and over.

 

[Mortimer Snerd]

I think I like our top 3 lines more with Okposo than i do without..

Connor should start on the 3rd line

Ehlers Scheif Wheeler
Laine Little Okposo
Connor Lowry( cuz maurice) Perrault

That's a pretty darn deadly top 9 either way you look at it.

That 3rd line is pretty screwed up.

I think it is perfectly legitimate to claim you like our top 9 better with Okposo than without. Okposo was 6th RW in the league in scoring last year. But how much better is it? Look at it 1 year down the road when both Laine and Connor are in the top 6. Is it still better? Is that incremental improvement worth 6x6.75?

This has yet to be proven

True. But if you say small sample size then he is not proven at LW either. RW IS his position. He has played all 3 F positions at one time or another. For a short time early last year he was incredible at RW. Maurice wanted him to play a better 2 way game and moved him around. He was elevated to 1LW after the Ladd trade created a hole there. He did very well. His line became dominant. I think more because of Scheif than Ehlers but Ehlers played his part in it. The threat of Ehlers explosiveness made room for Scheif and Wheeler. Based on Ehlers history in prior years and on the way he played when on RW last year I'm satisfied that he is much better there. Not written in stone though. If he is played on RW and is less effective than on LW that's fine. Although playing him on the left probably creates a logjam on the left. There is a vacancy on the right currently filled by placeholder/roadblock Stafford.

If our top 6 wingers for the next few years are Wheeler, Laine, Connor and Ehlers where do you line them up?

 

[CaptainChef]

if they were to add Okposo or Ladd, he's a goner.

I'd be more than happy to have Stafford traded for draft picks with or without any bodies added through FA. Think about the lineup we were using at the end of last season and add in Connor & Laine. Do we really need to add much?

 

[Sixty Minute Man]

That 3rd line is pretty screwed up.

I think it is perfectly legitimate to claim you like our top 9 better with Okposo than without. Okposo was 6th RW in the league in scoring last year. But how much better is it? Look at it 1 year down the road when both Laine and Connor are in the top 6. Is it still better? Is that incremental improvement worth 6x6.75?



True. But if you say small sample size then he is not proven at LW either. RW IS his position. He has played all 3 F positions at one time or another. For a short time early last year he was incredible at RW. Maurice wanted him to play a better 2 way game and moved him around. He was elevated to 1LW after the Ladd trade created a hole there. He did very well. His line became dominant. I think more because of Scheif than Ehlers but Ehlers played his part in it. The threat of Ehlers explosiveness made room for Scheif and Wheeler. Based on Ehlers history in prior years and on the way he played when on RW last year I'm satisfied that he is much better there. Not written in stone though. If he is played on RW and is less effective than on LW that's fine. Although playing him on the left probably creates a logjam on the left. There is a vacancy on the right currently filled by placeholder/roadblock Stafford.

If our top 6 wingers for the next few years are Wheeler, Laine, Connor and Ehlers where do you line them up?

Playing Ehlers on the LW helps simplify his defensive responsibilities. He can still play RW on the powerplay, where he's pretty deadly. In any case, I think in today's NHL forward positions are more flexible than ever. Positioning just isn't that rigid. We need to be thinking more F1, F2, F3 than LW, C, RW.

 

[CaptainChef]

If we could sign Okposo then leave him unprotected and have LV take him we could protect the same 4 F's we would have before signing him and them not lose any of the 4 unprotected F's we have been talking about.

Hey I like that line of thought. However, there is no way that we can sign Oposko to a contract that allows that to happen, he'll want a long-term contract & thats just too risky for us to get into right now. Sure long-term is fine is he gets taken, but what if he was exposed & not taken, then your left with buy-out as best option & this club doesn't do well with buy outs.

 

[CaptainChef]

Hypothetically, how would Joel Edmunson (STL) or Hadyn Fleury sound if we could acquire them on the cheap? Both would be expansion exempt and could play today, and are also in our age group as a team.

Thats the ideal scenario but why would anyone want to get rid of desirable, ready to play, expansion exempt D prospects like that. If they did, it certainly wou;ldn't be for cheap.

 

[Aavco Cup]

That 3rd line is pretty screwed up.

I think it is perfectly legitimate to claim you like our top 9 better with Okposo than without. Okposo was 6th RW in the league in scoring last year. But how much better is it? Look at it 1 year down the road when both Laine and Connor are in the top 6. Is it still better? Is that incremental improvement worth 6x6.75?



True. But if you say small sample size then he is not proven at LW either. RW IS his position. He has played all 3 F positions at one time or another. For a short time early last year he was incredible at RW. Maurice wanted him to play a better 2 way game and moved him around. He was elevated to 1LW after the Ladd trade created a hole there. He did very well. His line became dominant. I think more because of Scheif than Ehlers but Ehlers played his part in it. The threat of Ehlers explosiveness made room for Scheif and Wheeler. Based on Ehlers history in prior years and on the way he played when on RW last year I'm satisfied that he is much better there. Not written in stone though. If he is played on RW and is less effective than on LW that's fine. Although playing him on the left probably creates a logjam on the left. There is a vacancy on the right currently filled by placeholder/roadblock Stafford.

If our top 6 wingers for the next few years are Wheeler, Laine, Connor and Ehlers where do you line them up?

Why do you say it is his position? He has played far more games as a LWer so far.

Many players play the offwing in junior and get switched once they reach the NHL.

The thing is you emphatically claimed he was a great RW as if it was a fact. And it's not.

 

[JetsHomer]

Ehlers can play either wing and be effective there. I like him more at LW than RW and think it plays to his strengths to be able to shield the puck with his body. I think he's more valuable as the puck carrier on his line rather than the shooter, even if he's got a great shot

 

[Nickel eye Heel hers]

Ehlers can play either wing and be effective there. I like him more at LW than RW and think it plays to his strengths to be able to shield the puck with his body. I think he's more valuable as the puck carrier on his line rather than the shooter, even if he's got a great shot

Putting pucks in the net wins games and Ehlers is pretty good with his shot. I don't see an issue with at least experimenting on the right side with him. If other players are struggling with puck possession or shielding the puck on his line, they shouldn't be playing in the top 6.
If it doesn't work then he goes back to left, I don't see the issue with trying new things.
Change is good Donkey.

 

[Mortimer Snerd]

Playing Ehlers on the LW helps simplify his defensive responsibilities. He can still play RW on the powerplay, where he's pretty deadly. In any case, I think in today's NHL forward positions are more flexible than ever. Positioning just isn't that rigid. We need to be thinking more F1, F2, F3 than LW, C, RW.

Don't disagree but RW is where he has played most of his life. Why make him change? He is perfectly adequate on the left but probably better on the right. That's why he has always been left there in the past, presumably. OTOH he played better defensively on the left. I assumed that was because he had learned but maybe he is better there defensively. Worse offensively though I think so a trade-off. I still lean toward giving him his preference. Then there is the arrival of 2 new, top 6 LW's in Laine and Connor. Of course they are unproven but they have both projected very strongly for top 6 roles.

Why do you say it is his position? He has played far more games as a LWer so far.

Ummm, just no. RW is where he has primarily played pretty much all his life. It is his position. With the Jets IDK exactly. I'd guess about 50/50.

Many players play the offwing in junior and get switched once they reach the NHL.

True, some even switch the other way. It isn't about possibilities. We knew before he was drafted that he could play LW. It is about where does he play his best.

The thing is you emphatically claimed he was a great RW as if it was a fact. And it's not.

I think it is true but that is my opinion. I'm basing my opinion on his entire life of playing hockey (what I know of it) and what I saw last year. What is yours based on?

It seems to me that a lot of people have forgotten how good he really was offensively early last year playing RW. As I remember it, it was crazy. It was just get him the puck and there would be a shot on net. Maybe with a little higher s% he would have never been moved. In the long run it may have worked out for the best because he played a better all around game after his stint with Thor.

I don't understand your commitment to wanting him on the LW. Even if he is equally good on both sides or even if he adjusts and becomes better on the left we have Connor and now Laine on the left. Of course we could put Laine on the right but why would we? Now we are playing both of them on their less preferred side.

It seems to be pretty common in Europe for left shot forwards to play RW and vice versa. Fundamentally there are pros and cons to each so why not leave these guys where they have played most of their lives?

 

[Sixty Minute Man]

You might be right Mort, but I think the drop off is probably overstated and we have to be careful of confirmation bias when watching him. I think the same thing can be said for Stafford playing his off wing. The fact is, he just isn't very good defensively on either wing, period!

 

[Mortimer Snerd]

You might be right Mort, but I think the drop off is probably overstated and we have to be careful of confirmation bias when watching him. I think the same thing can be said for Stafford playing his off wing. The fact is, he just isn't very good defensively on either wing, period!

Stafford, you mean?

I fall back on 2 things with Ehlers to RW. 1)His traditional position. 2)Laine and Connor top 6 LW. Wheeler and Ehlers top 6 RW.

There are all kinds of other arguments both ways but those 2 are trumps in my opinion.

 

[Sixty Minute Man]

Stafford, you mean?

I fall back on 2 things with Ehlers to RW. 1)His traditional position. 2)Laine and Connor top 6 LW. Wheeler and Ehlers top 6 RW.

There are all kinds of other arguments both ways but those 2 are trumps in my opinion.

Yes, I was talking about Stafford.

I think you're too fixated on the RW, LW. Forward positions aren't that static. There is too much fluidity to the game.

I think it's a better exercise to discuss which Forward pairs work best together and then add who compliments them. For instance I think Little & Wheeler work best together, despite Scheifele & Wheelers late season success.

 

[Aavco Cup]

Don't disagree but RW is where he has played most of his life. Why make him change? He is perfectly adequate on the left but probably better on the right. That's why he has always been left there in the past, presumably. OTOH he played better defensively on the left. I assumed that was because he had learned but maybe he is better there defensively. Worse offensively though I think so a trade-off. I still lean toward giving him his preference. Then there is the arrival of 2 new, top 6 LW's in Laine and Connor. Of course they are unproven but they have both projected very strongly for top 6 roles.

He also played LW at the recent World Championships for Denmark


You are certainly entitled to your opinion. I'm not even trying to change it But just try not to pawn your opinions off as facts when they are not

When you say he's a good LW and a great RW. You forgot the part "IMO" or "I think"

All I said was it is yet to be proven

Do you believe I should just accept your opinions as fact?

I don't really have an opinion on this matter yet. But it sure appears like Ehlers immediate future is LW.

 

[sully1410]

Yes - and Okposo pushes him there. He is good at LW. He is great at RW. Okposo pushes him to the left side where Laine and Connor push him back to the right side - where he is up against Wheeler and Okposo. Around and around we go. We just do not need any top 6 wingers. Period. When and if Wheeler leaves or one or more of Ehlers, Laine, Connor disappoint we will need a top 6 winger. Until then it is our greatest strength. Why would we commit huge resources to making a small upgrade there? Yes a small upgrade. He may be a big upgrade on our 12th forward who would be bumped down to 13 but he is only a small upgrade on any of our top 4 W's. Again, that is unless one of them disappoints. If that happens we do have options, several of them.

I think you are banking on a lot there. I don't think that Connor being a rookie has much of a chance at being better then Ehlers is.

 

[Bob E]

I like adding Okposo to the top 9.

1. Ehlers-Scheifele-Wheeler - Ozone starts, 2nd toughest match up (speed and skill to win their match up)
2. Laine-Little-Okposo - Dzone starts, toughest match up (yes rookie Laine helps win match up here, and adds offence)
3. Connor-Perreault-Stafford - Ozone starts, easier match ups (MP and KC add creativity, KC adds elite speed to this line)
4. Burmi-Lowry-Dano - Dzone starts, can play and against other teams 4th lines

Thorburn, Armia


Peluso, Petan, Copp, Tanev, Lemieux, Lipon, Kosmachuk all with the Moose.

 

[trebendan]

Just want to bounce a trade proposal off of you guys, to see who needs to add or is paying too much:

To Habs: Yakupov, Oilers 2017 2nd pick
To Oilers: Myers
To Jets: Habs' 2017 1st (lottery protected), Reinhart