Player Discussion: The Elvis Thread

[Viqsi]

Let WHAT go? What “grudge”!?! He just RUINED ANOTHER SEASON!!

WHAT KIND OF RESPONSE IS THIS? Am I not allowed to post any negative -level headed- comments on Elvis, without being PERSONALLY ATTACKED. The HORROR!! Blatant personal attack adding nothing to the discussion that breaks the rules. As usual and expected. Do you.

Is the problem now that I can’t still continuously be called a “hater”, “delusional”, and “wrong”?

Not a single thing in the post I responded to was even remotely "level headed". You were just shouting "HE SUCKS" and ranting about a hypothetical "fan club" strawman with hypothetical defenses, citing a link from a year ago prior to the come-to-Jesus time he had with Waddell and Evason. In no way does that constitute levelheaded criticism, or even an approximation of same. It's hyperbolic generalized flaming of anyone who disagrees with your opinon on the guy, with a stale link referencing old information being used to lamely justify yourself as somehow not engaging in the same old nonsense.

 

[Iron Balls McGinty]

If the defense were better, Elvis would be better. But if Elvis were better, the defense would be better.

Which came first, the chicken or the egg?

 

[koteka]

Goalies are weird. (Goalie parents can be weird too - I once went a whole season without meeting a goalie dad because he would hide in inconspicuous places during games.) Goalies can be moody or on another planet. But if the goalie is good, nobody cares. It is when the team realizes they would be better with a different goalie that there is trouble. I am not talking about the team thinking the league’s best goalie would be an improvement - I am talking about an average starting goalie being an improvement. That is where the Jackets have been since Bob left. When Elvis and Korpi were young, you at least had the hope they would grow into solid goalies and both had flashes that were promising. But it is 2025 and we should now realize that Elvis and Korpi were never the answer. People are clamoring for Jake Allen which I can totally understand. That says something about Elvis and his goaltending ability not his personality.

 

[Nikolajs Sillers]

I blame Elvis for missing PO. Always defended him. No more. Can not win many games if save% is below .90

 

[Iron Balls McGinty]

I blame Elvis for missing PO. Always defended him. No more. Can not win many games if save% is below .90

Funny, I always thought hockey was a team game.

Montreal made the playoffs with a -20 goal differential and we had a +5. Once Monahan got hurt our powerplay tanked back to one of the worst in the league. Voronkov went like 17 games without scoring a goal. There are other things that went wrong that could be listed.

Stuart Skinner had a sv% of .896 over 50 games and Edmonton still had 101 point on the season.

But sure, its one guys fault all by himself.

We just needed 1 more game in regulation to go our way at some point during the year for whatever reason. This is still a team picked to be dead last in the league to start the year.

 

[koteka]

But sure, its one guys fault all by himself.

We just needed 1 more game in regulation to go our way at some point during the year for whatever reason. This is still a team picked to be dead last in the league to start the year.

I don’t think it is one guy’s fault. (If you want me to fault one guy it would probably be Jarmo or a defenseman.) But I am also not looking at the season and complaining. Great season. Way better than expected. Great step forward.

I am looking forward and don’t think Elvis is getting anyone a Cup unless he is a backup. I don’t think a team with Severson can win a Cup unless he plays limited minutes on a third pair. I don’t think a team with Provorov can win a Cup unless he plays limited minutes on a third pair or possibly if he is the weaker partner on a second pair. Also, devoting too much of the salary cap to salaries of guys like Elvis, Provorov, or Severson is not a good move if you want to win a Cup.

 

[Xoggz22]

I'm 48 years old and continuing to look for growth and maturity of my own in many different ways. Some times it comes slower than we want it to. We HAVE SEEN growth and maturity.

I think we need to drop the agenda that Elvis the person is a problem. I've always felt that was a bit overblown anyway.

The issue is stopping pucks. This should not be about Elvis the person. It should be about his skills as a goalie and I think sometimes people can't separate the 2.

Totally agree with you. Stopping pucks is the problem. From all accounts growth and maturity has occurred. I am an Elvis fan... the person. The reality is these are professional athletes and their job is to play and play well. As a goalie, there is no rotation during the game. You either play or your don't (nothing any of us don't know). If you can sit there and tell me that Elvis would be fine being a backup and not be a malcontent, we'll just have to agree to disagree. My post was simple. He doesn't stop pucks when needed. He isn't going to be the solution. And it would be a hard sell for anyone to tell me that this team and organization would be in support of Elvis coming back as the starter. And then tell me he'll be fine as a backup. Simply isn't going to happen. It's not personal and not a personal attack on Elvis.

So if you're saying I have an agenda, then I think you don't follow me much. No agenda, it's not personal, but you have to include the situation and response that would be expected based on the moves that are likely to happen. I don't believe Elvis would be accepting of that and I don't think it would stay behind closed doors.

 

[Xoggz22]

Last point I'll make about Elvis the goalie, not the person.... Jet Greaves (yes, small sample size) has a 2.71 GAA and 0.922 save percentage over the last three years (20 games played). Same defense, same two coaches as Elvis and Tarasov. I'm not saying it's sustainable, but in the most crucial time, Jet played the best and performed. He wasn't dropped into a non-pressure situation playing out the string. I don't believe Elvis has that ability to come in and out and play at that type of level. And we needed that. So even getting to an average defense, I personally do not want what I fell is a below average goalie and at 31 I don't believe that changes. Not at the NHL level.

 

[SteelCityCannon]

Watching Jet makes me even more ready to be done with Elvis. We've been fooled before, I'm not ready to give Jet and Elvis deal, but having a calm goalie back there is so nice. I feel like the team has to be on pins and needles with Elvis. Jet seems so much smoother and cooler. Not flopping around. Not losing his head.

I think it's just time for Elvis. Both sides need a fresh start badly.

 

[Iron Balls McGinty]

So if you're saying I have an agenda, then I think you don't follow me much. No agenda, it's not personal, but you have to include the situation and response that would be expected based on the moves that are likely to happen. I don't believe Elvis would be accepting of that and I don't think it would stay behind closed doors.

Just speaking of several comments in general and not you directly. Speaking to those who think his "attitude" was the problem this season. It wasn't.

I don't think we are true cup contenders next year but a team that gets in the playoffs. I'm just looking at it from the perspective is taking a loss on moving his contract that big of a difference maker to prevent that. Severson's contract is a much bigger problem.

As a person he was by all accounts a much better teammate and if an upgrade is not available, you don't need to dump him just for the sake of dumping him. I think a tandem of he and Jet could be a good mix.

I think we have much bigger priorities to fix within the team to take the next step. This year was step one and went much farther than ever anticipated. Next season should be an incremental step and i think year 3 is the opportunity to become a real threat. By then, the Elvis contract will be really easy to get rid of if needed since it would be the final year.

I just don't like the idea of a buyout or salary retention unless you have a definitive upgrade obtained. Maybe we find one this offseason, maybe we don't. I just don't think we should get rid of him just for the sake of getting rid of him. Save that for a guy like Tarasov that the organization has clearly lost confidence in.

 

[Iron Balls McGinty]

Watching Jet makes me even more ready to be done with Elvis. We've been fooled before, I'm not ready to give Jet and Elvis deal, but having a calm goalie back there is so nice. I feel like the team has to be on pins and needles with Elvis. Jet seems so much smoother and cooler. Not flopping around. Not losing his head.

I think it's just time for Elvis. Both sides need a fresh start badly.

I honestly think fans on this board are on pins and needles much more than GMDW, HCDE and the team are.

 

[CBJWerenski8]

 

[Iron Balls McGinty]

Those weren't is exact words. He said its not really a consideration right now. He didn't shut the door down the road but I don't think it should be construed as they will be doing buyouts with how his words were delivered.

 

[Iron Balls McGinty]

This is the exact quote.

 

[CBJWerenski8]

 

[CBJWerenski8]

 

[Double-Shift Lasse]

I like Elvis from what little I know on the personal side but I can't help but laugh at the possibility that some people will link the "I've never ben a bad teammate" tweet and the "Elvis has a concussion" tweet.

 

[JacketFanInFL]

I feel for Elvis and am not saying he's a bad person, teammate, whatever. He's just not an NHL goalie. I do wish him the best personally and he's got more than enough scratch to be comfortable in life.

I am not in the position to speculate on what he needs to work on whether it's mental/physical/whatever. I just don't think this is the place.

 

[ViD]

I feel for Elvis and am not saying he's a bad person, teammate, whatever. He's just not an NHL goalie. I do wish him the best personally and he's got more than enough scratch to be comfortable in life.

I think a change of scenery might be needed here. He might be a good goalie under a more structured defensive system

 

[majormajor]

Not a fit here, and maybe not a starter anywhere, but Elvis is an NHL goalie. He had a 26-21-5 record with an .892. Guys like that will get contracts even if that's what they do every year.

Now closer to .880 like Tarasov this year? That will end your career if that's what teams expect from you. He's only getting another NHL deal if a team bets on him returning to form from previous seasons, which was never anything special but at least passable.

 

[CBJWerenski8]

Not a fit here, and maybe not a starter anywhere, but Elvis is an NHL goalie. He had a 26-21-5 record with an .892. Guys like that will get contracts even if that's what they do every year.

Now closer to .880 like Tarasov this year? That will end your career if that's what teams expect from you. He's only getting another NHL deal if a team bets on him returning to form from previous seasons, which was never anything special but at least passable.

Elvis also comes with ego and a reputation for being hard to deal with. I’m almost certain he has zero trade value, and if bought out, might have to earn his way onto an NHL team with a good camp and preseason.

Even if his statline suggests NHL goalie, teams don’t like noisy locker rooms or individuals. We’ve been full of both of those over the last few years, and he’s been at the center of a lot of it. Under multiple different coaches.

 

[ThirdPeriodTurtle]

I honestly think the next step in the growth and maturity arc for Elvis is potentially taking a backseat to Greaves next season. There's no easy way out of the contract. Adding a 3rd goalie to the organization to fill Jet's AHL/NHL role would be wise. Ideally that goalie would perhaps be good enough to work their way in to Merzlikins spot if need be as well, but I don't see any better option in the trade market or free agency that would excite me more than rolling with Jet as the starter next season.

This is where I'm at. Either backup or 1A/1B kind of role and see how far Greaves can take it, and be prepared to send Elvis down or Switzerland if that's possible. We're "only" on the hook for some $5.5M next season and $4.2M the last season, it's manageable. So a backup role next season is fine. My take of this season is that we rode Elvis too hard and his play deteriorated over the stretches. Just a feeling, maybe I'm wrong.

Ultimately I don't think we'll go far in the playoffs with Elvis, so it's really a question of timelines, but next season as a backup sounds like the easiest solution from a management perspective.

I don't think it would take too much to trade him either - the Patrik Laine trade of adding a 2nd being my thinking if a team is desperate for goaltending and has cap to spend. I totally think he would benefit from a change of scenery. I've suggested a UPL (Buffalo) for Elvis+adds (picks) trade before, I think that would be a clear upgrade and Buffalo might just pull the trigger if they want a scapegoat (per Jeff Marek).

I'd add a third stringer who can challenge for playing time, somebody like Ville Husso (yeah super recency bias based on Anaheim's last game where he was lights out; also country bias lol, which can get annoying for me real fast so maybe I'd regret this), or Dan Vladar (how is he still only 27 years old?!?!).

 

[JacketFanInFL]

I think a change of scenery might be needed here. He might be a good goalie under a more structured defensive system

Nobody is taking on that contract. We're going to have to buy him out.

 

[CBJWerenski8]

Is the problem now that I can’t still continuously be called a “hater”, “delusional”, and “wrong”?

I was going to bite my tongue and just let you go on with your bit, but I can't help it.

Yes, you can still be a hater. You are the literal definition of it. Even if you're right.

It's one thing to not like a player based on their ability, personality, or whatever. But you have been after this particular player for many years. Its like you have a personal vendetta on this man.

Most of us here have/had an affection to Elvis purely because he has a charming personality and he's a literal player on peoples favorite team. There's probably other reasons, everyone is different, but I'm just going to stick to the two most basic ones. Literally everyone else on here wanted him to succeed because he was a player on their favorite team. I don't get that feeling from you. I feel like you would rather take your victory lap of him being a "trash goalie" over him winning games and being a good goalie. Why? Because this literal example happened years ago when we lost to Boston in R2 and you were "glad we got eliminated" because of Bob, or whatever you said at the time.

When he wins, its because of the defense/team/terrible opponent or whatever. When he loses, its because he's trash, bad positioning, or whatever else you want to say. And you know what the crazy part is? A lot of your criticism is valid. But it goes on deaf ears because you literally have NEVER had one good thing to say about the guy from the second he was here. Not one. Literally no NHL player ever has had ZERO redeeming qualities about their play.

You did it with Wisniewski, Wennberg, Bobrovsky, and Werenski too. The only one who has ever escaped your clutches has been Werenski in recent years. Thats it. You still take little potshots at Bobrovsky (even after two Vezinas and now a Stanley Cup) and he hasn't been here in 6 years now. You'll claim you were "right" about these players, yet that's only batting .500, which is probably no better or worse than most posters on here.

That's all I'm going to say. I'm sure you'll respond and play victim, but there's literally no discussing this topic with you rationally.

 

[NotWendell]

I was going to bite my tongue and just let you go on with your bit, but I can't help it.

Yes, you can still be a hater. You are the literal definition of it. Even if you're right.

It's one thing to not like a player based on their ability, personality, or whatever. But you have been after this particular player for many years. Its like you have a personal vendetta on this man.

Most of us here have/had an affection to Elvis purely because he has a charming personality and he's a literal player on peoples favorite team. There's probably other reasons, everyone is different, but I'm just going to stick to the two most basic ones. Literally everyone else on here wanted him to succeed because he was a player on their favorite team. I don't get that feeling from you. I feel like you would rather take your victory lap of him being a "trash goalie" over him winning games and being a good goalie. Why? Because this literal example happened years ago when we lost to Boston in R2 and you were "glad we got eliminated" because of Bob, or whatever you said at the time.

When he wins, its because of the defense/team/terrible opponent or whatever. When he loses, its because he's trash, bad positioning, or whatever else you want to say. And you know what the crazy part is? A lot of your criticism is valid. But it goes on deaf ears because you literally have NEVER had one good thing to say about the guy from the second he was here. Not one. Literally no NHL player ever has had ZERO redeeming qualities about their play.

You did it with Wisniewski, Wennberg, Bobrovsky, and Werenski too. The only one who has ever escaped your clutches has been Werenski in recent years. Thats it. You still take little potshots at Bobrovsky (even after two Vezinas and now a Stanley Cup) and he hasn't been here in 6 years now. You'll claim you were "right" about these players, yet that's only batting .500, which is probably no better or worse than most posters on here.

That's all I'm going to say. I'm sure you'll respond and play victim, but there's literally no discussing this topic with you rationally.

I pray what you speak of is not going beyond anonymous posts on a message board, like some Buckeyes fans allegedly do.