TrueBlue4ever

Just as a comparable to Dubois’ stats since the Montreal game, here are some other prominent players: Connor 38 GP, 10G, 17A, 27P, -22, 14PIM Ehlers 37 GP, 9G, 17A, 26P, -4, 9PIM Wheeler 37GP, 5G, 20A, 25P, -7, 20PIM Scheifele 37GP, 16G, 13A, 29P, -16, 10PIM Lowry 38GP, 6G, 7A, 13P, +2, 31PIM (5 majors) Morrissey 34GP, 8G, 20A, 28P, -9, 16PIM Pionk 38GP, 3G, 11A, 14P, -7, 23 PIM DeMelo 35GP, 4G, 9A, 13 P, +0, 30 PIM

Interesting takes on the big 4. I think this whole next season starts and ends with 37. If he means it when he says he doesn’t want a re-build (no player ever does, but they do need to happen from time to time) and won’t sign long-term, then I believe the team’s direction has been chosen for them. Given his talent he is untouchable unless he clearly doesn’t want to commit long-term anymore. He is a massive chip to move and could get a huge return from a lot of teams who need that final Cup piece, but we are sunk without him short-term. Can only base his intentions on what he said at his exit meeting with the press, management needs a serious conversation with him. All the other rumours are plentiful and inconsistent. And no one really knows the truth of what is going on in the locker room who is willing to go on record, so no one truly “knows” when all the speculation gets thrown around. So in terms of 80, the rumours are that he wants to go to Montreal, but who knows for sure? But the circumstantial evidence of the facts is compelling. His agent confirmed through the media he was interested, and wanted to get to free agency ASAP. Also confirmed he was in Montreal for the draft in 2022. The rumour is that he anticipated a trade on draft weekend - who knows? Fact is he opened up a community hockey program in Quebec and attended a presser in Montreal when the Jets were there in January. Also a fact that the Jets tailspin started around that time. That may be mere coincidence. But facts are that from the Montreal game to end of season, Dubois played 29 games, had 6G-7A-13 points, was -4 with 37 PIM. Those are lousy numbers for a #1 centre. He checked out for quite a spell and he pretty much disappeared after game 1 of the Vegas series. Now he’s only 24 so there is a ton of room for growth, would love to see him stay if he hits his potential, but he already quit on one team in Columbus, and he is not inspiring a ton of confidence in me that he doesn’t want to bail on us too. I guess this next contract will give us a solid clue, let’s hope management doesn’t ignore that clue. I may be in the big minority, but I think 26 is misunderstood and somewhat unfairly slighted. We all knew his contract would be an overpay by the end of it, but we actually got some decent value out of it compared to a lot of other big money players whose value dwindles as they age. He is gruff, certainly with the media, so it gets him a bad rap. But some of them are jackasses in my opinion, and are just there to stir the pot, which he doesn’t have time for. Is he a cancer? Well, I know a guy who knows a guy who met the pilot on the Jets charter flight who says he’s an a-hole (that’s the typical level of source floating around online or in the watering holes). I’ve also heard he bought a family’s groceries for them at the supermarket. He has owned his temper and said he had to change his hard-nosed style as captain when some younger players did not respond to it. And those players didn’t want to stay anyway after his supposed softer approach. Whether or not he actually did change his style? Well, I don’t have access to the locker room (just like everyone else with an opinion) so I can’t say. I can only hear his words. If he was wrong to pick a fight with Bowness and should be turfed because of it, well then gut the team, because it sounds like a huge chunk of the locker room agreed with him (37 was sitting right beside him at the presser and said “I couldn’t have said it any better”, Connor, Dubois, Lowry, Morrissey also all picked the same fight). He gets flak for wearing the C and having to be the voice all the time with the big contract, so he is a lightning rod. But I remember a guy who, whatever his diminishing skills are, did not half-ass it on the ice even if he couldn’t keep up with the young’uns, twice blocked a shot with his groin, ruptured a t-e-s-t-i-c-l-e (really, automatic word censor? You bleeped that word but let “motherfucker” through?) and finished the game, and then came back from surgery 6 weeks early. I did not see a quitter. But as was said, being an a-hole is OK if you can still produce, but it wears thin if you can’t. That’s where he is headed. I say buy him out only if you really need the money to keep or sign other big pieces, otherwise just eat the last year of his contract because he is still good for 45-50 points next year, and maybe more if the stars align. 55 is the most confounding. He is by all accounts a hockey nerd, devoting all his spare time to studying the game. He idolizes Steve Yzerman and craves a legacy where he stays with one franchise for his career, all according to media reports. So why is such a dedicated hockey geek so lousy at some of the fundamentals? Why does someone who wants the glory of Olympic selection so unwilling to expand his game and learn even the simplest of defensive responsibilities or shift time management? Now, Yzerman changed his game after age 30 and learned to switch to a defence-first mold (won the Cup at 32 and the Selke at 35) so it is possible, but does 55 have the motivation (and maybe lack of ego) to do so? No signs yet point to a “yes”, given the available body of evidence. I wonder how much the suspension (or his Achilles injury the playoffs before) got between his ears? Saw the same fall from Todd Burtuzzi in Vancouver when he got nailed by player safety, as one example. And I’ve heard too many rumours about him and other teammates (both as the instigator and the victim of the “who fooled around with whose teammates’ girlfriend”) to have any clue what the truth is about a fractured locker room incident. But he is really close to the finish line of “now is his chance to elevate and change his game to be a better player” if he isn’t already past it. I think his future is totally tied to whether we have Dubois as a centre or not, because you just can’t give them both up unless you are in full tank mode. Last point, the team raved about the improved room and more voices being able to speak and all hanging out and going to each others’ weddings and playing golf together over last summer, and they seemed to echo that better place in the closing presser. So if the culture is better (and again no one who is outside the dressing room can really say) then maybe this team simply isn’t as talented as some would say. Certainly not as good as the 2018 team points total suggested (I say we overachieved big time and we’re closer to 105 points and second round loser level) that everyone seems to still cling to as the standard, which only leads to false expectations and heartbreak. This team never recovered from the defence defections in 2019, and until that gets truly fixed (much more size and grit needed) this team is going nowhere IMO. Thanks for indulging my long diatribe.

First things first, I think keeping Cheveldayoff is a mistake. I had low expectations going into this year, given the lack of change in the roster. The first half of the year was overachieving, and I did not drink the Kool-aid despite enjoying the results. The second half was a regression to where they should have been, but they did suffer from bad puck luck as well as uninspired play. In the end, I had not counted on a playoff spot or 95 points so I think they overachieved a bit, but that does not make it a successful year. If Chevy believes that it was, that is a big concern, because this is not a team on the upswing. They are also not a Washington or Toronto who have chronically underachieved in the playoffs after great seasons who just need that one breakthrough. And given just one season of many key contracts left, I think the attitude should be make the painful re-build changes now and speed up the recovery. Chevy had his chance at “one more time with this roster” this past year, with middling results and by all accounts no fix of the underlying culture issues, if all the unsubstantiated rumours and eye test mean anything. He said at the trade deadline that this roster was good enough to compete for the Cup without major additions - he was proven wrong again, and I don’t see what further rope he should be given, given that he pushed all his chips in and busted. That begs the ultimate question, who is out there to replace him? I agree with Rod Black that Heizinger should not be an option. Don’t know if David Polie wants another crack at GM now that he is out in Nashville, but I’d be on board with that pick. Any other names out there?

All discussion of summer season stuff here. Signings, free agent losses, draft. So where do we go? Who do we cut bait with? More importantly, what do we get back? Are we in full tank mode now, is there anything salvageable, if so, what?

Here you go. Seems only Scheifele took the high road of “that’s a conversation for me and the coach”. And since you’ve spent over a half dozen posts slagging Wheeler, now do your boys Lowry and Morrissey, the “keepers” on this team who said the exact same thing. Fans are emotional, over-reactionary, irrational, and hypocritical, among other things. If teams listened to them, Mike O’Shea would have been fired 5 times over by the posters on this board right up to halftime of the 2019 West semi-final. Josh Morrissey would have been traded after his lousy 2020 season, just because he was secretly grieving his dying father, not that any of the chattering masses on social media cared because no one was privy to that personal info. Just to cite two specific local examples. Fans can vent their spleen but it is pretty ineffectual, or they can express their opinions by refusing to buy tickets - that is what management will listen to. So if everyone who was “so done with this team” would actually back it up by disappearing from all the social media and actually quitting the team and not buy tickets or pay attention like they threaten to every five minutes, then they might get the change they crave. But then they’d have to accept what they wish for and buy tickets to watch a lousy non-playoff team for at least 3-5 years on a re-build. 32 teams in this league, 31 disappointed every season, there are no quick fixes here. So will all those complainers who scream “burn it down” be patient and supportive enough to pay the freight until the next upswing, or will they abandon the team anyway? Their choice, but all the bellyaching gets tiresome, so no, fans can largely be dismissed by the players and the owners, until they speak with their wallets instead of their tweets on the “megaphone for morons” as Twitter is called. If management can squeak into the playoffs in the “mushy middle” and maybe pull an upset or two every so often, they’ll take that playoff revenue and risk losing a few fans who will likely hang around anyway (we did sell out both playoff games in 5 minutes, after all) over a re-build if they know those same fans will walk away anyway while the team flounders. It’s just business.

The longer I wait for GC’s “bombshell” news that will destroy Wab, but that he refuses to post, the more I think it’s going to sound something like this:

If it’s so big then why don’t you just spill the details now? You have the forum here.

Hope you heal quickly, feel better, and are back up to “speed” soon.

Meanwhile, at that very same moment over at Speedflex’s house…….

Wonder what Rick Bowness’ hate points look like? Wonder how close it is to Paul Maurice’s list?

Needed to be said, I guess, but weird timing. Sounds like he knew that fiery calling-out wouldn’t motivate them during the series, so it comes across more as a “**** it, I am out of here, so I may as well tell the boss what I really think of them on my last day” than a desire to push the team.

Now to answer your last comment directly. The first move is simple - pull Connor Hellebuyck aside and ask him how much he wants to get paid on a long term extension. If he says he wants to be the highest paid goalie in the league, you find a way to do it. An 8 figure annual salary is not out of the question. I’m not sure there is a ceiling unless he asks for more than McDavid makes. If he says no and wants to go to free agency, that simply speeds up the blow-up. But he is the starting point - build from the net out in a Nashville model like they did with Pekka Rinne. Step 2 is once you have your price point for Hellebuyck, you now know what your ceiling is for Dubois, and you offer it. If that requires a Wheeler buyout to open up more cap space now, do it. If he continues to say he wants to go to free agency and will only sign a one year qualifying offer, move him immediately. Hands are tied since he has been pretty obviously pining for Montreal since his Columbus days (supposedly that is what soured him with their management in the first place) but they have a draft pick to spare, and they’d probably prefer a year of exclusive negotiating before his UFA price goes up. Third, once you know where you stand with Dubois (and you need to have that answer before draft day this year), you can decide on Scheifele. If you lose your (future? current?) number one centre, you can’t really afford to lose Scheifele as well, unless you truly commit to the tank. But as gritty as he is, if Adam Lowry is your number 1 line offensive centre, your team will suck or have to play a 1995-level New Jersey style of trap to win anything. Scheifele will still net you 30+ goals, especially in a contract year where all NHL players magically get better. But if Dubois magically signs long term, trade Scheifele. Some significant pieces need to go. I’d argue Kyle Connor would be on the “move out” list too if he didn’t have such a cap-friendly contract, but his defence needs to get so much better, I honestly think he is a bigger liability than Scheifele (and that is saying something). And is Ehlers worth it if he can’t stay healthy any more? Now as for the defence, trade Heinola. Yep. Jets are getting killed with lack of size on the back end ever since the Trouba/Myers/Chariot/Byfuglien purge, and that was especially exposed in the playoffs. 4 of the Jets starting 6 are under 200 pounds and shorter than 6’1”, and a 5th is 6’2” and 201 pounds. We do not need another tiny puck mover if Morrissey and Pionk play that role, and Heinola probably gets more in return than Pionk, hence why I would move him over Neal. And either commit to Stanley and his size and play him more to get better, or decide now that he will never progress and move him for another asset to a team that thinks they can make him better. And based on Bowness’ comments tonight, might as well move to Arniel now at head coach, since Rick sounds like he wants to follow Maurice to quits-ville. Funny time to blow up, given how all series he remained positive and calm and said they played hard and showed no quit and suffered from unlucky bounces, and after all the injuries he waits until it’s over to say no push back. But those comments would suggest that he is done with this core of Scheifele and Dubois and Wheeler. Not sure if a coach who retired last year only to come back and bail out the Jets wants to enter into a full-scale re-build at age 70. Staying in Dallas sure looks like the wiser move now, I bet And if Cheveldayoff needs to go, I wouldn’t object but would sure want a ready replacement with a track record, and not just fire for firings-sake. Wonder if David Poile wants one more go-round as a GM?

Sad truth is in the NHL of you want to be at the very top, you pretty much have to go to the very bottom. So Jets fans who want to blow it up, are you honestly prepared to continue to support the team (in a real ticket-buying sense) if they sell assets for draft picks and are a lottery team for the next 3-4 years? Because that is what it will take, IMO. And I believe if they try and stall now, you can extended the re-build to 6-7 years.

If the Jets had any net presence they could get a bunch of greasy goals. Brossoit is pretty bad about giving up rebounds but no one nearby to get a second shot.

It’s clear Ehlers should not have been cleared to play. Terrified to take any contact, which makes him pretty much useless out there.

As much as Scheifele is the lightning rod for criticism on the team for lazy play, the team’s worst playoff games have been without him in the lineup the last 3 seasons.

A Brossoit shutout would be the final insult in this series given how our one big advantage was supposed to be in goal. And the poor defensive play from the forward group does not appear to be just a Scheifele issue. Connor has looked lost on both goals, Dubois played that last one pretty softly.

Never give up!

So everyone screaming for a re-build is going to abandon the team now until they are good again? Some great fans here.

Dubois and Pionk both on the ice for 3 Vegas goals against tonight. Also on for both power play goals. Feel like Pionk deserved a better fate, but Dubois did not do what he needed to do.

How so? Not like Morrissey, Ehlers, Perfetti and Scheifele got hurt on purpose. They are in a hole, but dug it themselves? No way. But moral victories count for nothing in the playoffs.