Dont like the word "trapped" for Lowry. As you said, he is a heart and soul player on the Jets. One could argue that our coaching has been inordinately fixated with certain pairings over the years:
Connor - Scheifele
Lowry - Appleton
Winnipeg Jets going into the 24/25 season
- Thread starter GJF
- Start date
Connor - Scheifele
Lowry - Appleton
WolfHouse
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- Oct 4, 2020
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Add copp-lowry to that list... trapped with a checking line - I say trapped because lowry is heart and soul so we can't move away from him but his line is really one dimensional - as we are seeing more and more shutdown lines also need teeth
- Jun 10, 2014
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This year was a perfect storm of justification for buying at the deadline. It didn't work out.
But, in general, if you spend those same assets over time to acquire players with term, who fit team needs, you will have fewer holes to plug at the deadline. In fact I could make the argument that that is how the Jets created this year's perfect storm. If they had acquired fewer rentals in the past and more players with term then this year's PO might have worked out better. With or without the rentals.
The argument that everyone else is doing it doesn't stand up to examination. If everyone else is jumping off a bridge do you think it is a good idea to jump off a bridge? The TD is the time when futures have the lowest value. Trade them when their value is higher and get assets with term.
I've been banging on that drum for 10 years. You certainly are not alone.
Picks, prospects, players and cap space are all assets. Winnipeg needs to maximize the value of all of those assets.
Yup. That's not performance.
And we have graduated precisely 1 player from the last 6 drafts so far. The last couple of draft classes show promise, but nothing has actually happened yet.
if the Jets can't find a 2C in trade, i wouldnt' be mad with Names back there. prior to Monahan's acquisition, Names+2nd line was performing just fine, and monahan decided to do Halloween in April turning into a Playoff Ghost. It pains to see the Jets over the years give up multiple 1sts (Stastny, Hayes, Monahan, then consider Eakin & the failed PLD era) for 2C (primarily rentals), meanwhile somehow Vancouver gets JT Miller for years for a mere late-ish 1st & a 3rd & has been outperforming Scheifele quite handidly.
Buffdog
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- Feb 13, 2019
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I'll use this reasoning when I explain to my wife that I've spent our entire life savings on 649 tickets
Wouldn't have to be that way if our top 6 could play a two way game. Time for change in the top 6 to two way players.
- Jun 10, 2014
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Good luck with that.Of course that would be the equivalent of trading all of our other assets, players, 1st rd picks, etc in exchange for 2nd and 3rd rd picks.
Sure - but I don't think we can count on DeMelo being back.
Because then you get Toffoli, who moves on. You have a nice 1st rd exit and nothing left to show for it.
I think Chevy is trying to sign DD and Mono right now.
voyageur
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His line won game 1. I wonder if Nino had been healthy if that line would have had more teeth...No Barron either, and no Namestnikov limited options. Can't complain when your 3rd line centre outperforms a 2nd line C/W in Copp, at $2 4 million less...If Lowry played in Boston or New York he'd have been a Selke finalist. Still underappreciated...Closest the Jets have to a grind line like Lundell's line on Florida is Lowry's, in terms of sustained zone pressure and hard shifts in the offensive zone.
- Jun 10, 2014
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The last statements from the UFA players was that there had been no offers made. That was a while ago and may have changed but AFAIK nothing has been said publicly. Leaving it this late to even make offers won't put those players in a mood to sign team friendly contracts. They may think they can get more elsewhere.
voyageur
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Hard to say the hope with De Melo is that you let him see what the market has to offer, and match any offer. But I think it could get high for a player who had his breakout season last year. If I was De Melo I'd want to know what the league thinks he's worth before signing any extension...there's always teams trying to improve....with Bouchard, Hronek and Seider all RFAs, agents might want to wait those contracts out...after those contracts, I think De Melo now slots in with Pesce and Tanev. Maybe above both.
- Mar 10, 2010
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We would be a better team with the cap space back and moving on from Pionk and Schmidt. We do need to replace them but neither are top 4 D men consistently anymore IMO.
On the other hand Losing DeMelo would hurt. He is an effective top 4 D asset that can play on the top pair with Morrissey if need be.
Dillon brings physicality and can hold down the #4 spot still with the right partner. He’s aging so the money and the term would need to make sense.
Losing Demelo and Dillon while retaining Schmidt and Pionk could drop us back to 2019-20 level Jets D.
On the other hand Losing DeMelo would hurt. He is an effective top 4 D asset that can play on the top pair with Morrissey if need be.
Dillon brings physicality and can hold down the #4 spot still with the right partner. He’s aging so the money and the term would need to make sense.
Losing Demelo and Dillon while retaining Schmidt and Pionk could drop us back to 2019-20 level Jets D.
Well....no. That's just not true at all because of how cap space grows through the year.The Jets did and have spent close to the cap. They did pretty much all the could do for an opening night roster this year. The Jets managed the cap by trading Little's contract for example so they could have a little cap space at the beginning of the season that grew to over $5 million which allowed them to fill some more holes that they weren't able to at the beginning of the season.
- Jun 10, 2014
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They might be trading assets for players with lower cap hits. It is an ongoing process, year after year. Take whatever you would have given up for rentals and use it to upgrade your roster when the assets have their highest value. Keep doing that. When you can't make good deals hang on to the assets.
Sure. But I haven't heard a peep since then.
I think some players may have their noses out of joint because they didn't get an offer much sooner. They may have already decided to test the market, or are leaning that way.
Keeping assets doesn’t always equal higher value. If there is not much interest say a second, you say I’ll keep him and he drops to waiver wire. It’s impossible to know that the 2nd was going to be the highest value.
This isn't the Habs organization that leaks everything that crosses their minds to LeBrun. I'm sure the Jets are talking to everyone that needs talking to.
You also said when they keep the picks they have nothing to show for it. You might as well take your best shot at the Cup you can when you finish 4th in the league. Especially from what I have read is a pretty weak draft after the first half of the 1st round.
But there is no more cap space for those assets. There is only space at the TDL.
The Jets played Copp perfectly. I'm not mad the Jets aren't paying him $5.6m to score 30 points.
100%, guy finishes top 10 in Selke votes, gets rave reviews from other markets, and here he gets "Jets are trapped with Lowry......" The Jets have a luxury, that most teams don't have, they have a "3rd line" that battles other team's top line, successfully, allowing the top line to face predominantly 2nd line opponents, and the second scoring line to battle their 3rd lines. What kind of numbers would the top line have had facing MacKinnon's line all series?
Not to mention he shows up EVERY game in the playoffs. Quite underpaid in my opinion.
He's good at what he does but is limited offensively. The third line was much better this year due to Nino bringing some much needed offense to it. It made it more multidimensional.
The issue isn't the third line it's our insistence to play Mark and KC together which creates a liability first line.
The middle 6 was the strong part of the the team most of the year.
Also there are other ways to open up some spots for kids. If the org took minutes away from the Scheifele line and took the reigns off the fourth line a bit, we could groom a Lambert next to Namestnikov and Iafallo next year.
- Jun 10, 2014
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If they trade players for assets with lower cap hits then cap space is not a problem.
Yes, there is more cap space at the TD. That sucks GMs into making bad trades. Rentals are still overpriced but GMs go for them because their cap hits are low. Extreme examples of short term thinking.
Doesn't matter. We have no choice but to go on whatever information we have - or to make it up.
We don't know who they are talking to or who they are not talking to. And we don't know who has told them to get lost.
No, I never said they have nothing to show for keeping the picks.
I was all in favour of going for it this year - because it was a very unusual year. In general, I am opposed to the higher priced rentals. I am all in favour of getting bargain bin ones like Namestnikov.
Thechozen1
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- Sep 8, 2021
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What teams out there could be looking for a veteran RHD (Pionk) to potentially add some leadership to a younger team trying to push for the playoffs or flip next deadline? Team’s aggressively looking to stockpile picks (Chicago, San Jose, Columbus) are active like this.
Are there any teams with high priced UFA’s they won’t be able to retain that could look to him as an alternative replacement?
One way or another the makeup of this team needs to change and if Chevy could find a dance partner for a younger less established player or strictly replenish with picks then that’s the way to go. It’s that or a Schmidt buyout. Doubtful both happen, but that could open up space for something nobody’s expecting.
Are there any teams with high priced UFA’s they won’t be able to retain that could look to him as an alternative replacement?
One way or another the makeup of this team needs to change and if Chevy could find a dance partner for a younger less established player or strictly replenish with picks then that’s the way to go. It’s that or a Schmidt buyout. Doubtful both happen, but that could open up space for something nobody’s expecting.
voyageur
Hockey fanatic
- Jul 10, 2011
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I definitely think Schmidt's -5 in 3 playoff games was the writing on the wall...
Pionk has a terrible playoffs, but he still can play. I'd like to see what a full season of him and Samberg looks like. Chemistry comes from experience, like the Oilers defense has pretty much looked the same for the 2 and 1/4 seasons now. The Jets have given them some time together...last year I think they were broken up because Dillon-Schmidt were pretty slow together, moving on from those 2 sould improve the overall skating potential of the Jets defense...but I do like the idea of Pionk, who is usually the outlet passer, having a d-man who can shoot the gaps with speed as his d-partner...
I agree that De Melo is the priority...
Let's say that Lou is willing to give up draft picks for players, as he tends to: a 1st, 2nd, and maybe another 2nd next year for Ehlers. Maybe get a roster player like Czikas, as faceoffs are always a challenge around these parts. If we flipped our high 2nd, could we get Liljegren out of Toronto? I know that's a guy Chevy had some interest in. Leafs are in some Cap trouble if they want to sign Domi, Bertuzzi and Edmunson.
Is a defense of Morrissey-De Melo, Samberg-Pionk, Stanley-Liljegren better or worse than last year's defense? Other than Big Stan they all skate well...Liljegren could potentially take Pionk's PK minutes, and exceed his ice time if he gets PP2 too.
Forwards maybe you run
Connor-Scheifele-Vilardi
Nino-Perfetti-Lambert
Namestnikov-Lowry-Appleton
Sign Clutterbuck and have a checking line of Barron-Czikas-Clutterbuck, that can wear defenses down, by hitting them. Iafallo can fit in a few spots in the lineup. Gustafsson too.
That would be a different looking Jets team, maybe not that easy to play against with some speed and size.
