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The Winnipeg Jets won 37 games last season, and the franchise hasn't won more than that since 2006-2007 in Atlanta, the last -- and only -- time that they have reached the playoffs.

 

Off-Season Game Plan looks at a Jets team that has an interesting core, a new coach and a problem between the pipes.

Many of Winnipeg's core players are in their twenties, in and around their prime years, so while that's reason for optimism, it's also reason for some urgency to take advantage of the kind of production being provided by the likes of Andew Ladd, Blake Wheeler and Dustin Byfuglien.

 

Byfuglien is an interesting case for the Jets, having shifted from defence to forward part way through last season. While Big Buff is an effective winger, his preference is to play defence, which might make him appealing as a trade candidate for other clubs that are willing to accomodate that desire.

 

But, if Byfuglien sticks around, the Jets have a quality group of forwards, with potential to be really good if Evander Kane and Mark Scheifele continue to develop. Their defence isn't as strong, overall, without Byfuglien, but Jacob Trouba's strong rookie season was encouraging. Basically, the Jets have a competitive group of skaters. Not great, necessarily, but competitive.

 

Then, it comes to goaltending, and that appears to be the area that needs fixing, only GM Kevin Cheveldayoff has backed Ondrej Pavelec as the team's starting goaltender going into next season. Maybe that's the stance that a GM has to take with a guy under contract for three more seasons, but his performance has been crippling to the Jets' playoff chances and if he starts 50-plus games again next season, that is a serious roll of the dice that the Jets are taking with a goaltender that has finished with a league average save percentage once in five NHL seasons.

 

The Jets did fare better under new head coach Paul Maurice, going 18-12-5 in the last 35 games, but that was largely due to favourable percentages and their possession stats only improved slightly over that span.

 

They are close enough to contend for a playoff spot next season, with a couple of savvy moves this summer and further development from young players, but if they don't do something to upgrade in goal, it may all for naught.

 

The TSN.ca Rating is an efficiency rating based on per-game statistics including goals and assists -- weighted for strength (ie. power play, even, shorthanded) -- Corsi, adjusted for zone starts, quality of competition and quality of teammates, hits, blocked shots, penalty differential and faceoffs. Generally, a replacement-level player is around a 60, a top six forward and top four defenceman will be around 70, stars will be over 80 and MVP candidates could go over 90. Sidney Crosby finished at the top of the 2013-2014 regular season ratings at 87.12.

 

Salary cap information all comes from the indispensable www.capgeek.com.

CF% = Corsi percentage (ie. percentage of 5-on-5 shot attempts), via www.extraskater.com.

GM/COACH
 

Kevin Cheveldayoff/Paul Maurice

Returning Forwards Player Rating GP G A PTS CF% Cap Hit Dustin Byfuglien 77.01 78 20 36 56 50.4% $5.2M Blake Wheeler 75.85 82 28 41 69 49.9% $5.6M Evander Kane 74.81 63 19 22 41 51.5% $5.25M Bryan Little 74.61 82 23 41 64 52.9% $4.7M Andrew Ladd 73.59 78 23 31 54 52.9% $4.4M Mark Scheifele 66.91 63 13 21 34 48.6% $863K Jim Slater 57.45 27 1 1 2 49.6% $1.6M Eric Tangradi 57.40 55 3 3 6 53.8% $675K Anthony Peluso 54.84 53 2 3 5 45.6% $563K

Free Agent Forwards Player Rating GP G A PTS CF% Class '13-'14 Cap Hit Michael Frolik 68.98 81 15 27 42 53.0% RFA $2.333M Olli Jokinen 64.17 82 18 25 43 49.2% UFA $4.5M Devin Setoguchi 63.46 75 11 16 27 48.8% UFA $3.0M Matt Halischuk 58.07 46 5 5 10 44.5% RFA $650K Chris Thorburn 57.18 55 2 9 11 43.3% UFA $867K James Wright 53.76 59 0 2 2 47.7% RFA $650K

Shifted to forward at the end of his run by since-departed coach Claude Noel, Dustin Byfuglien appears to be set for that spot again next season. That presumes that Byfuglien doesn't get moved in the summer, which is always a possibility, but also operates under the premise that the Jets are better with Byfuglien at forward. Byfuglien, individually, had a 51.7% Corsi percentage before he was moved to forward and 48.0% after.

 

That aside, in 32 games at (mostly) forward, Byfuglien had 10 goals, 12 assists and 102 shots on goal. On a per-game basis, those numbers would have placed him with pretty nice company last season. It's a little interesting that the bottom name on that list is Brent Burns, the Sharks' winger who also used to play defence.

 

Over the past three seasons, Blake Wheeler has 174 points, which ranks 22nd in the league over that span and last year's 50 even-strength points was tied for 13th in the league with David Krejci and Thomas Vanek. Wheelers is big and can move, which allows him to create mismatches depending on what gives him the advantage on a particular defender.

 

Evander Kane uses his terrific speed to generate shots at an elite level, but has been a relatively low-percentage finisher. Some of that is due to not getting first-unit power play time and, even at even-strength, could use better linemates to help him out. That doesn't absolve Kane of any responsibility for his production, which has dipped since scoring 30 goals in 74 games in 2011-2012, but there's still a lot to like about what he brings to the game.

 

After scoing 23 goals and a career-high 64 points, there is a case to be made for Bryan Little as an advanced stats All-Star as one of a handful of players to face top-tier competition, start more shifts in the defensive zone and still have a relative Corsi over plus-10 per 60 minutes. The common perception of Little might be that he's a good second-line centre but the 26-year-old is coming off a season in which he was a full-fledged No. 1 pivot.

 

Team captain Andrew Ladd has scored 98 goals over the past four seasons, ranking 24th in that span. He's a reliable two-way player that can be used in any situation and he is, averaging 19:46 per game in four seasons with the franchise.

 

Mark Scheifele had rounded into form, with 12 goals and 29 points in the last 39 games he played before suffering a season-ending knee injury. Considering that Scheifele managed five points in his first 24 games last season, and had his Corsi percentage rise from 46.7% to 49.7% over those splits, counts as positive indications that he could fulfill the second-line centre role going forward.

 

A sports hernia cost Jim Slater two-thirds of last season, and he's mustered a grand total of two goals and four points in 53 games over the past two seasons. While he's hit double-digits in goals three times in his career, Slater has also missed at least a dozen games in six of nine seasons, so it's getting difficult to count on him, even in a fourth-line role.

 

Though he has a paltry 15 points in 136 career games, big winge Eric Tangradi held his own in a depth role last season, putting up positive possession stats. As an inexpensive fourth-line option, the Jets could do worse.

 

Like most forwards that play less than six minutes per game, Anthony Peluso can't risk playing too many minutes, lest he be exposed. He's a scrapper who can handle the big boys, though, so as long as the Jets are going to leave a roster spot for that role, Peluso can fill it. At the same time, they could probably do without.

 

26-year-old Michael Frolik established that he hasn't completely forgotten how to create offence, scoring 42 points, his most since 2009-2010. He's still a low-percentage finisher, but a versatile forward who can play both ends of the rink.

 

A couple years removed from a career-best 28-point season, Matt Halischuk has been battling to keep a regular spot in the lineup and, last season, he was overrun in possession terms. He's a viable fourth-line forward, but also one that could quickly be replaced.

24-year-old James Wright has good size, but there isn't much else justifying his place on an NHL roster. Last season, he was one of eight forwards since 2000-2001 to play at least 500 minutes and not register a single goal.

 

The Jets have a solid core of forwards, but can use a couple of top-nine forwards to effectively take spots of unrestricted free agents Olli Jokinen and Devin Setoguchi. Given the free agent alternatives at centre, the Jets could be okay doing a short-term deal with Jokinen and then find a solid checking forward, like Blake Comeau, Jesse Winchester or Daniel Winnik could round out the group nicely.

Returning Defence Player Rating GP G A PTS CF% Cap Hit Jacob Trouba 71.45 65 10 19 29 49.0% $894K Grant Clitsome 67.12 32 2 10 12 51.7% $2.067M Tobias Enstrom 66.89 82 10 20 30 50.6% $5.75M Zach Bogosian 63.37 55 3 8 11 49.4% $5.143M Mark Stuart 61.70 69 2 11 13 47.6% $2.625M Paul Postma 58.59 20 1 2 3 47.4% $713K

Free Agent Defence Player Rating GP G A PTS CF% Class '13-'14 Cap Hit Adam Pardy 57.93 60 0 6 6 53.7% UFA $600K Keaton Ellerby 57.48 51 2 4 6 48.0% RFA $735K

 

One of the reasons that the Jets might have felt able to move Byfuglien to forward was the emergence of Jacob Trouba, who recovered from a neck injury and led the Jets in ice time following the Olympic break, averaging 23:33 per game. A 20-year-old who can skate, hit and contribute offensively, Trouba will have more responsibility heaped on him, but he has the makings of a No. 1 on the blueline.

 

Back surgery ended Grant Clitsome's season early, but he was logging nearly 20 minutes a night, with positive possession stats at the time of his injury. Clitsome can move the puck and play a solid game, though he's never played more than 63 games in an NHL season, so there's still some unknown regarding his performance over the course of a full season.

 

While Tobias Enstrom's offensive production dipped to a career-low 0.37 points per game last season, he still delivered relatively steady play while facing tough competition. He's small, but mobile and his ability to move the puck is important to the Jets' defence.

Zach Bogosian hasn't really made the mark that was expected when he was drafted third overall in 2008 and, on top of being bitten by the injury bug -- he's missed 70 games over the past four seasons -- Bogosian hasn't been able to successfully lock into a shutdown role. That's the objective, but there is still some unexplored potential in the 23-year-old's game.

 

A rugged veteran, Mark Stuart combined for 389 hits and blocked shots last season, ranking third among defencemen (behind Cody Franson and Radko Gudas), so there's no denying that he lays his body on the line. He also tends to spend more of his time in the Jets' end of the ice, though last season he was taking on tougher matchups, playing more minutes once Byfuglien moved up.

Paul Postma hasn't been able to hold down a regular spot in the lineup, playing 57 career games and while he has some puck skills and a big shot that suit him on the power play, Postma struggled at even-strength last season.

 

Between Postma, Keaton Ellerby and pending unrestricted free agent Adam Pardy, the Jets had a battle for playing time at the bottom of the defence depth chart. Ellerby could take on more minutes if Pardy departs, but that may just mean a more regular turn in the lineup.

 

The wildcard could be top prospect Joshua Morrissey, who is a fast-rising offensive defenceman. If he makes the club, that could raise the group's ceiling.

Returning Goaltender Player Rating GP W L OTL GAA SV% Cap Hit Ondrej Pavelec 60.64 57 22 26 7 3.01 .901 $3.9M

Free Agent Goaltender Player Rating GP W L OTL GAA SV% Class '13-'14 Cap Hit Al Montoya 68.70 28 13 8 3 2.30 .920 UFA $601K

 

Over the past three seasons, Ondrej Pavelec has cost the Jets approximately 45 goals compared to the league average, according to Hockey Reference's Goals Saved Above Average measure. It's one thing to be at the bottom of the league in save percentage and another to continually get played at a starter's workload. The Jets have invested money in Pavelec, but it's really had to rationalize him in a starter's role, especially if the team considers itself ready to contend for a playoff spot.

 

There may be challenges to getting rid of Pavelec, not least of which is that Cheveldayoff has said that Pavelec will be the No. 1 goalie next year, but he also may not be particularly appealing to other teams with the Jets paying half of his salary.

 

Given how much it has been a problem lately, though, the Jets have to investigate opportunities to upgrade their goaltending. A trade for Manitoba native James Reimer could work, or signing a free agent like Jonas Hiller, Brian Elliott, Ray Emery or Tomas Vokoun could be worthwhile.

Top Prospects Player Pos. Team/League Stats Joshua Morrissey D Prince Albert (WHL) 28-45-73, +6, 59 GP Nicolas Petan C Portland (WHL) 35-78-113, +47, 63 GP Adam Lowry LW St. John's (AHL) 17-16-33, -1, 64 GP Eric Comrie G Tri-City (WHL) 2.57 GAA, .925 SV%, 60 GP Scott Kosmachuk RW Guelph (OHL) 49-52-101, +52, 68 GP Andrew Copp C Michigan (Big 10) 15-14-29, +1, 33 GP Connor Hellebuyck G UMass-Lowell (HE) 1.79 GAA, .941 SV%, 29 GP J.C. Lipon RW St. John's (AHL) 9-32-41, even, 72 GP Brenden Kichton D St. John's (AHL) 10-38-48, +8, 76 GP Julian Melchiori D St. John's (AHL) 1-10-11, +19, 50 GP Eric O'Dell C St. John's (AHL)

17-25-42, +9, 42 GP

 

The 13th pick last summer, Joshua Morrissey had an outstanding year in Prince Albert. If the Jets are willing to live with the mistakes of a smart, teenaged offensive defenceman, then Morrissey (who has six points in eight AHL playoff games) could be a viable challenger for an NHL job as a 19-year-old.

 

An undersized playmaker, Nicolas Petan was a second-rond pick last summer and has been tearing up the WHL for the past couple seasons. Between regular season and playoffs, he's tallied 289 points (in 176 games) and while size may be an issue, the only way to find out if it's going to pose a problem is to wait and see how he does at the next level.

 

A 6-foot-5 winger-turned-centre, Adam Lowry completed his first pro season and is probably not far from challenging for a spot in Winnipeg. The third-round pick from 2011 picked up his play after Christmas, scoring 28 points in his last 43 regular-season games.

One of the game's better goaltending prospects, Eric Comrie was a second-round pick in 2013. He struggled in a couple of AHL games at season's end, but had a tremendous season in the WHL. He's also only 18-year-old, so it's going to take time before he's the answer to the Jets' goaltending questions.

 

Drafted in the third round in 2012, Scott Kosmachuk has improved steadily throughout his junior career and had a monster year with a powerhouse Guelph team in the OHL. He can make the jump to the AHL next season to see if his scoring will come to the pro game with him.

 

A solidly-built centre who was picked in the fourth round last year, Andrew Copp is making quick progress, coming off a strong sophomore season at Michigan while also putting up five points in five games at the World Juniors for Team USA.

 

There's not much more that Connor Hellebuyck can do in college to raise his profile. Through two years at UMass-Lowell, Hellebuyck has a .946 save percentage and a dozen shutouts. He's signed with the Jets and might be expected to start in the American Hockey League, but if he keep stopping pucks, there should be room for him.

 

An aggressive winger picked in the third roudn last summer, J.C. Lipon had a solid pro debut and wasn't shy about it, leading the Ice Caps in penalty minutes with 136.

 

Not the biggest blueliner on the block, Brenden Kichton was initially a fifth-round pick of the Islanders, was not signed, and then was drafted in the seventh-round by Winnipeg in 2013. A heady player who can quarterback a power play, Kichton ranked sixth among AHL defencemen in points as a rookie pro.

 

A third-round pick in 2010, Julian Melchiori is a big, stay-at-home defenceman who has missed time with injuries in each of his first two pro seasons.

 

Eric O'Dell turns 24 this summer, which puts him on the older side as a prospect but, in addition to scoring 97 points in 101 AHL games over the past two seasons, he also played 30 games for the Jets last season (3 G, 4 A, 51.0 CF%) so he's able to contribute now.

Jets advanced stats and player usage chart from Extra Skater

 

DRAFT
9th - Nick Ritchie, Nikolaj Ehlers, Jake Virtanen, Haydn Fleury

 

FREE AGENCY
According to www.capgeek.com, the Jets have approximately $49.9M committed to the 2013-2014 salary cap for 16 players.

Check out my possible Jets lineup for next season on Cap Geek here.

 

Needs: Two top nine forwards, one top four defenceman, goaltenders.

What I said the Jets needed last year: Two top six forwards, two top nine forwards, one top four defenceman, goaltender.

They added: Michael Frolik, Mark Scheifele, Devin Setoguchi, Jacob Trouba.

TRADE MARKET
Dustin Byfuglien, Evander Kane

 

I'm gonna say this now, Jets will make a big move at or just before the draft... im thinking buff or kane more than likely, maybe both even get moved.

 

I don't know where and i don't know what we will get back but i think it will be more than what people are expecting.

 

No we aren't gonna trade kane for malkin or anything ridiculous like that but i could see a kane or buff to nyi trade happening, i could see a trade with philly, i could see a trade with boston even, i dont think boston would want kane though as they just got rid of their problem child in seguin.  Plus boston doesn't have really much to make that deal work.

 

You need to look at teams probably in the eastern conference with i'd suspect high first round draft picks and prospects ready to play now.

 

Kane for Neal is a waste if there ever was one. I'm not even sure Neal is that good without malkin actually.

 

Thing is, Pens wont want Pavs if they're moving on from Fleury (I dont think anyway).  But if they sign someone like Miller, they might take Pavs who is cheaper than Fleury as a "veteran" back up, knowing as they do the benefit to having two decent goalies in the playoffs.

A cap team isn't going to want a backup goalie who's making nearly $4M/yr. A good backup option for them would be a guy like Stalock from SJ or Johnson from Boston.

Nobody wants a backup goalie making almost 4 million a year, cap team or not. Reality, That 4 million dollar goalie is either your starter or he is bought out. Halak siged with NYI today, 4 years 18.5 million, aav = 4.5 million. 

 

Pav's deal is horrible.

Interesting little nugget here.

 

Doesn't mean much but...

 

Jets draft pick Tucker Poolman (D man taken in the 5th rd of the 2013 draft) has been named the USA Hockey's Jr Player of the year.

 

Nice to see the Jets prospects doing well.

I don't see the Jets really making any big moves at all. They will roll with the same team and hope that Pavs picks up his game

The smart money is always on the Jets to remain idle/status quo.

Why do people say this? what do people expect the Jets to do? a non playoff team/ sign a bunch of free agents? that's not how it works, The jets have dipped in to the free agent pool a couple times already, glass and jokinen are 2. Montoya is another. 

 

They have made trades, they traded for frolik and setogucci. It's not like they have just stood still since they got here but it seems some seem to think they should be doing more? Is that it? How do you do more though? They made offers to players, they made an offer to parise, they made an offer to mason raymond last season too. 

 

It's not like they are just sitting back and watching the leaves grow on trees. They have made moves, just cuz people refuse to accept them or expect more, doesn't mean they didn't. They haven't made any huge moves but what teams have really? name 3. and how has those moves worked out of them? 

 

LA doesn't count cuz the rumor at the time was philly wanted kane or and burmi for richards so that wasn't gonna happen. I know people want to win now but for gods sake, do some research and understand where this team was when they were brought here not even 3 full seasons ago. Look where they are now, not just the main roster but the ahl team, the prospects. They have done lots, just cuz they haven't gone out and made a huge move for some guy that people thinks will make us instantly compete doesn't mean they aren't doing anything.

 

And yeah i'm gonna go here, this team is a young team all in all, the scheifs troubas heck bogos kanes even littles and guys like that are all still pretty young, they are one of the youngest teams in the league, you remove jokinen and their average age drops significantly, with a young team comes growing pains... it is what it is. There is no magic beans out there that will instantly make you compete. What i see here is a few people wanting to mortgage the future just so we can make the playoffs one year and be swept.. I don't want that, i want a team that when they make the playoffs, they have a chance. And as much as one guy or maybe 2 or 3 at most thinks one guy can and will be the difference, he wont be. That's not how it works.

Why do people say this? what do people expect the Jets to do? a non playoff team/ sign a bunch of free agents? that's not how it works, The jets have dipped in to the free agent pool a couple times already, glass and jokinen are 2. Montoya is another. 

 

They have made trades, they traded for frolik and setogucci. It's not like they have just stood still since they got here but it seems some seem to think they should be doing more? Is that it? How do you do more though? They made offers to players, they made an offer to parise, they made an offer to mason raymond last season too. 

 

It's not like they are just sitting back and watching the leaves grow on trees. They have made moves, just cuz people refuse to accept them or expect more, doesn't mean they didn't. They haven't made any huge moves but what teams have really? name 3. and how has those moves worked out of them? 

 

LA doesn't count cuz the rumor at the time was philly wanted kane or and burmi for richards so that wasn't gonna happen. I know people want to win now but for gods sake, do some research and understand where this team was when they were brought here not even 3 full seasons ago. Look where they are now, not just the main roster but the ahl team, the prospects. They have done lots, just cuz they haven't gone out and made a huge move for some guy that people thinks will make us instantly compete doesn't mean they aren't doing anything.

 

And yeah i'm gonna go here, this team is a young team all in all, the scheifs troubas heck bogos kanes even littles and guys like that are all still pretty young, they are one of the youngest teams in the league, you remove jokinen and their average age drops significantly, with a young team comes growing pains... it is what it is. There is no magic beans out there that will instantly make you compete. What i see here is a few people wanting to mortgage the future just so we can make the playoffs one year and be swept.. I don't want that, i want a team that when they make the playoffs, they have a chance. And as much as one guy or maybe 2 or 3 at most thinks one guy can and will be the difference, he wont be. That's not how it works.

I agree Jokinen is our oldest guy but upon further reflection I'd prefer we keep the old man for another season. Might only score 10 to 15 goals, he'll take his share of idiotic penalties but he's steady, fairly defensive and knows the ropes. Be nice if we could rope him down to $2.5 million rather than the big money he's not really earning now! Otherwise, cut him loose and let him take his act elsewhere. 

Generally I like Pavs.  I *want* him to suceed.  But you cant argue with the numbers.  He must be better.

 

Also, in NHL14, he is dreadful.  I'm on year three and Hutch is only 2 ratings points back (and Hutch is pretty awful too).  I tried to trade for Reimer but TO wouldnt take Pavs. 

LOL i traded Pav to Florida for Markstrom. LOL.. He sucked so bad in that game, traded him won my next 4 games. 

 

Why do people say this? what do people expect the Jets to do? a non playoff team/ sign a bunch of free agents? that's not how it works, The jets have dipped in to the free agent pool a couple times already, glass and jokinen are 2. Montoya is another. 

 

They have made trades, they traded for frolik and setogucci. It's not like they have just stood still since they got here but it seems some seem to think they should be doing more? Is that it? How do you do more though? They made offers to players, they made an offer to parise, they made an offer to mason raymond last season too. 

 

It's not like they are just sitting back and watching the leaves grow on trees. They have made moves, just cuz people refuse to accept them or expect more, doesn't mean they didn't. They haven't made any huge moves but what teams have really? name 3. and how has those moves worked out of them? 

 

LA doesn't count cuz the rumor at the time was philly wanted kane or and burmi for richards so that wasn't gonna happen. I know people want to win now but for gods sake, do some research and understand where this team was when they were brought here not even 3 full seasons ago. Look where they are now, not just the main roster but the ahl team, the prospects. They have done lots, just cuz they haven't gone out and made a huge move for some guy that people thinks will make us instantly compete doesn't mean they aren't doing anything.

 

And yeah i'm gonna go here, this team is a young team all in all, the scheifs troubas heck bogos kanes even littles and guys like that are all still pretty young, they are one of the youngest teams in the league, you remove jokinen and their average age drops significantly, with a young team comes growing pains... it is what it is. There is no magic beans out there that will instantly make you compete. What i see here is a few people wanting to mortgage the future just so we can make the playoffs one year and be swept.. I don't want that, i want a team that when they make the playoffs, they have a chance. And as much as one guy or maybe 2 or 3 at most thinks one guy can and will be the difference, he wont be. That's not how it works.

I agree Jokinen is our oldest guy but upon further reflection I'd prefer we keep the old man for another season. Might only score 10 to 15 goals, he'll take his share of idiotic penalties but he's steady, fairly defensive and knows the ropes. Be nice if we could rope him down to $2.5 million rather than the big money he's not really earning now! Otherwise, cut him loose and let him take his act elsewhere. 

 

It depends really, i'm kind of on the fence on brining Jokinen back, i thought O'dell showed enough that he could essentially take Jokinens spot for pretty much 1/4 what you'd have to pay Olli to stay here. Does Olli make a huge difference? No but.. he isn't very good defensively, he's actually really awful at faceoffs, he's terrible in his own end. This isn't made up, stats back this stuff up. I think at this point, i'd take my chances on a guy like O'dell or another younger free agent signing or trade piece rather than give jokinen another year. I don't like Olli, i don't think his "leadership" is worth what he will want to be paid. Every team the guy has started the season with has never made the playoffs. That says something about his "leadership".

Kane & Postma

for

Neal & Matta & Bennett

Never happen. Maatta is worth more than Kane by himself, never mind adding in a 40 goal scorer. Postma is a throw in.

It would take a huge offer to pry Maatta out of Pittsburgh.

Maata is not worth more than Kane. If he is then Let's trade Trouba for Crosby.

 

 

Kane & Postma

for

Neal & Matta & Bennett

Never happen. Maatta is worth more than Kane by himself, never mind adding in a 40 goal scorer. Postma is a throw in.

It would take a huge offer to pry Maatta out of Pittsburgh.

Maata is not worth more than Kane. If he is then Let's trade Trouba for Crosby.

 

That's not much worse than the other trades you've come up with.

Solid young D men are worth more than forwards generally, That's why in drafts when there are good d prospects you see a run on them instead of forward prospects, case in point was the 2012 draft there, 7 or 8 d men went in a row however, Kane probably gets you maata plus a pick. Not much else than that tho. It might get you Maata plus Bennet and a pick but... again not much more than that. 

 

I dont think the pens have any interest in moving maata anways and with toby and morrissey (sooner rather than later) and kichton even, the jets D looks ok moving forward.

 

If you trade for maata, you'd probably have to move toby for a forward then.

 

Maybe Toby gets you an eberle or a yakupov tho. Im not sure, we seem to undervalue toby a bit here but.. he's a pretty solid d man all things considered and those guys are worth more than forwards any day of the week.

Delete

Solid young D men are worth more than forwards generally, That's why in drafts when there are good d prospects you see a run on them instead of forward prospects, case in point was the 2012 draft there, 7 or 8 d men went in a row however, Kane probably gets you maata plus a pick. Not much else than that tho. It might get you Maata plus Bennet and a pick but... again not much more than that.

I dont think the pens have any interest in moving maata anways and with toby and morrissey (sooner rather than later) and kichton even, the jets D looks ok moving forward.

If you trade for maata, you'd probably have to move toby for a forward then.

Maybe Toby gets you an eberle or a yakupov tho. Im not sure, we seem to undervalue toby a bit here but.. he's a pretty solid d man all things considered and those guys are worth more than forwards any day of the week.

Agreed. We need depth forwards. I think Kane is under valued around here though. People don't like him and that impacts how they see him.

I like Wheeler. It's really not a trade I'd make. 

Read a story speculating that Florida is willing to go down 6-7 spots in the draft.  With Jets picking 9 (if I recall correctly), I wonder if we could sweeten the pot and snag first over-all.

 

Buff + 9th Pick for 1st Pick.

Nobody wants a backup goalie making almost 4 million a year, cap team or not. Reality, That 4 million dollar goalie is either your starter or he is bought out. Halak siged with NYI today, 4 years 18.5 million, aav = 4.5 million. 

 

Pav's deal is horrible.

Compared directly to other goalies nothing about Pav or his deal will look favourable.

 

However when you view it within the context of the Jets' build-thru-the-draft philosophy it isn't the disaster some make it out to be.  If they are going to stick to their guns on avoiding free agents with high price tags, and it looks like they will, then consider the following points:

- When the deal was signed the Jets didn't really have any prospects at goalie.

- While Pav will never ever ever ever be an elite NHL goalie, I can see what Chevy sees in that he could become a pretty good one.  He will need better coaching to get a handle on his rebound control and he will have to apply himself in the offseason.  This may never happen, but if it does I can see him being a middle of the pack NHL goalie.

- The timeline on the development of our prospects is still long enough that the length of Pav's contract is a non-issue.  Of the three guys we have my money's on Hellebuyck as our future starter, but that doesn't mean it's happening this September.  More likely in the 2016/17 season after a season with the Icecaps and a season as backup.  Comrie seems to be less ready than Hellebuyck right now.  Hutch is still entirely unproven at the NHL level.  If he can put together a nice run in the playoffs he might make Montoya expendable, but he does not push Pav out of his job.  By the time any or all of these guys are ready to start in the NHL there will probably only be a year left on Pav's contract.  If necessary we can eat that.

- The non-goalie prospects on this team are still a year or two away from impacting the Jets' fortunes in a meaningful manner.  This team is not likely to be a playoff team this season or next.  That will piss some people off, but if it's part of the process of turning the sad-sack Thrashers into perrenial cup contenders then I can wait.  Jets 1.0 gave us 17 years of scraping into the playoffs only to flame out in the first round over and over again.  Making the playoffs this season is a short-sighted goal.

- Montaya was the 6th overall pick in 2004 (Ladd was 4th and Wheeler 5th) and the highest rated goalie prospect of that draft year.  He has been typecast as a backup at the NHL level.  While he's currently scheduled to become a free agent, IF the Jets re-sign him (Hutch's playoff performance is probably the biggest deciding factor) he potentially could take over the #1 job if Pav falters once again.  Chevy/Maurice aren't annointing Pav as an undisputed starter when they call him the man going into next year; they are trying to cut out the legs of the news hacks in wpg who want to get pageviews by crying "goaltending controversy" everytime Pav lets in a bad goal.  They have eyes.  They know who's playing well and who isn't.  They also want to be driving the bus, not letting the ginger wonder over at the Winnipeg Stunned try and make the coaching decisions.

 

None of this sounds particularly appetizing in the short term.  Pav remains the starter.  He might not get better.  The Jets will continue to finish 10th in their conference.

 

When you step back and look at the long term philosophy it is possible to say that neither Pavelec's play or his contract go against the Jets plan for building a winner, and that rolling the dice on him being the goalie of the future was never really the high-stakes gamble that it seemed like at first glance.  While it would be nice for Jets fans if Pav would play better, things are still largely going according to plan.

 

And if you really want to take a long term view, Pav's play might be helping build this franchise thru higher draft picks.

 

Nobody wants a backup goalie making almost 4 million a year, cap team or not. Reality, That 4 million dollar goalie is either your starter or he is bought out. Halak siged with NYI today, 4 years 18.5 million, aav = 4.5 million. 

 

Pav's deal is horrible.

Compared directly to other goalies nothing about Pav or his deal will look favourable.

 

However when you view it within the context of the Jets' build-thru-the-draft philosophy it isn't the disaster some make it out to be.  If they are going to stick to their guns on avoiding free agents with high price tags, and it looks like they will, then consider the following points:

- When the deal was signed the Jets didn't really have any prospects at goalie.

- While Pav will never ever ever ever be an elite NHL goalie, I can see what Chevy sees in that he could become a pretty good one.  He will need better coaching to get a handle on his rebound control and he will have to apply himself in the offseason.  This may never happen, but if it does I can see him being a middle of the pack NHL goalie.

- The timeline on the development of our prospects is still long enough that the length of Pav's contract is a non-issue.  Of the three guys we have my money's on Hellebuyck as our future starter, but that doesn't mean it's happening this September.  More likely in the 2016/17 season after a season with the Icecaps and a season as backup.  Comrie seems to be less ready than Hellebuyck right now.  Hutch is still entirely unproven at the NHL level.  If he can put together a nice run in the playoffs he might make Montoya expendable, but he does not push Pav out of his job.  By the time any or all of these guys are ready to start in the NHL there will probably only be a year left on Pav's contract.  If necessary we can eat that.

- The non-goalie prospects on this team are still a year or two away from impacting the Jets' fortunes in a meaningful manner.  This team is not likely to be a playoff team this season or next.  That will piss some people off, but if it's part of the process of turning the sad-sack Thrashers into perrenial cup contenders then I can wait.  Jets 1.0 gave us 17 years of scraping into the playoffs only to flame out in the first round over and over again.  Making the playoffs this season is a short-sighted goal.

- Montaya was the 6th overall pick in 2004 (Ladd was 4th and Wheeler 5th) and the highest rated goalie prospect of that draft year.  He has been typecast as a backup at the NHL level.  While he's currently scheduled to become a free agent, IF the Jets re-sign him (Hutch's playoff performance is probably the biggest deciding factor) he potentially could take over the #1 job if Pav falters once again.  Chevy/Maurice aren't annointing Pav as an undisputed starter when they call him the man going into next year; they are trying to cut out the legs of the news hacks in wpg who want to get pageviews by crying "goaltending controversy" everytime Pav lets in a bad goal.  They have eyes.  They know who's playing well and who isn't.  They also want to be driving the bus, not letting the ginger wonder over at the Winnipeg Stunned try and make the coaching decisions.

 

None of this sounds particularly appetizing in the short term.  Pav remains the starter.  He might not get better.  The Jets will continue to finish 10th in their conference.

 

When you step back and look at the long term philosophy it is possible to say that neither Pavelec's play or his contract go against the Jets plan for building a winner, and that rolling the dice on him being the goalie of the future was never really the high-stakes gamble that it seemed like at first glance.  While it would be nice for Jets fans if Pav would play better, things are still largely going according to plan.

 

And if you really want to take a long term view, Pav's play might be helping build this franchise thru higher draft picks.

 

 

 

Nobody wants a backup goalie making almost 4 million a year, cap team or not. Reality, That 4 million dollar goalie is either your starter or he is bought out. Halak siged with NYI today, 4 years 18.5 million, aav = 4.5 million. 

 

Pav's deal is horrible.

Compared directly to other goalies nothing about Pav or his deal will look favourable.

 

However when you view it within the context of the Jets' build-thru-the-draft philosophy it isn't the disaster some make it out to be.  If they are going to stick to their guns on avoiding free agents with high price tags, and it looks like they will, then consider the following points:

- When the deal was signed the Jets didn't really have any prospects at goalie.

- While Pav will never ever ever ever be an elite NHL goalie, I can see what Chevy sees in that he could become a pretty good one.  He will need better coaching to get a handle on his rebound control and he will have to apply himself in the offseason.  This may never happen, but if it does I can see him being a middle of the pack NHL goalie.

- The timeline on the development of our prospects is still long enough that the length of Pav's contract is a non-issue.  Of the three guys we have my money's on Hellebuyck as our future starter, but that doesn't mean it's happening this September.  More likely in the 2016/17 season after a season with the Icecaps and a season as backup.  Comrie seems to be less ready than Hellebuyck right now.  Hutch is still entirely unproven at the NHL level.  If he can put together a nice run in the playoffs he might make Montoya expendable, but he does not push Pav out of his job.  By the time any or all of these guys are ready to start in the NHL there will probably only be a year left on Pav's contract.  If necessary we can eat that.

- The non-goalie prospects on this team are still a year or two away from impacting the Jets' fortunes in a meaningful manner.  This team is not likely to be a playoff team this season or next.  That will piss some people off, but if it's part of the process of turning the sad-sack Thrashers into perrenial cup contenders then I can wait.  Jets 1.0 gave us 17 years of scraping into the playoffs only to flame out in the first round over and over again.  Making the playoffs this season is a short-sighted goal.

- Montaya was the 6th overall pick in 2004 (Ladd was 4th and Wheeler 5th) and the highest rated goalie prospect of that draft year.  He has been typecast as a backup at the NHL level.  While he's currently scheduled to become a free agent, IF the Jets re-sign him (Hutch's playoff performance is probably the biggest deciding factor) he potentially could take over the #1 job if Pav falters once again.  Chevy/Maurice aren't annointing Pav as an undisputed starter when they call him the man going into next year; they are trying to cut out the legs of the news hacks in wpg who want to get pageviews by crying "goaltending controversy" everytime Pav lets in a bad goal.  They have eyes.  They know who's playing well and who isn't.  They also want to be driving the bus, not letting the ginger wonder over at the Winnipeg Stunned try and make the coaching decisions.

 

None of this sounds particularly appetizing in the short term.  Pav remains the starter.  He might not get better.  The Jets will continue to finish 10th in their conference.

 

When you step back and look at the long term philosophy it is possible to say that neither Pavelec's play or his contract go against the Jets plan for building a winner, and that rolling the dice on him being the goalie of the future was never really the high-stakes gamble that it seemed like at first glance.  While it would be nice for Jets fans if Pav would play better, things are still largely going according to plan.

 

And if you really want to take a long term view, Pav's play might be helping build this franchise thru higher draft picks.

 

Wow, nice way to package it, clever :-)

Those are very good points.  I liked the Pavs deal at the time.  I still dont mind it.  its not a terrible deal.  When you consider at the time as stated, Jets had no other goaltending options and werent about to get into a bidding war for a veteran when they were re-building.  Plus, Pavs was considered a young solid prospect at the time so we were locking up a young goalie for what amounted to the extent of our perceived rebuilding phase.  Either Pavs would rise to the occasions or we'd have some prospects ready to take his place or we'd be in a position to trade or UFA sign a replacement.

 

HF Boards has a lot of people wanting to ditch Pavs and go with Hutch/Montoya.  I think thats a terrible idea.  Hutch is complicated because he requires waivers this fall so he's either here or he's not.  One could say let the back ups battle in training camp but do you not re-sign Montoya?  Because if you do, hutch is not taking the back up spot.  If you go with Hutch as the #2, and Pavs gets hurt, you're in a precarious situation.

 

I still like the idea of sending a conditional pick to TO for the rights to Reimer.  I dont know what the Leafs would want in a trade but I like Reimer and Pavs as a pair with Hutch seasoning on the Rock. 

The Jets would have been better being granted a new franchise and getting some favoured draft picks. The Trashers were nothing but trash and vermin, highly-paid spoiled players that only got contracts cuz Atlanta had to pay to established NHL levels to be considered members of the league. Horrible management, feeble scouting, inferior coaching, half-arsed players made this team a poison. Mark Chipman was so desperate to grab an NHL team Bettman was able to foist this horrible pack of vermin on him with virtual impunity - and Bettman got full bore on the price, too.

Wpg would have been better served with Phoenix's group of crap, at least they had goal-tending, and a semblance of coaching, scouting and management. 

Both Phoenix and Atlanta required long-term development. Phoenix might have been rehabbed in less than 4 years - the Trashers are about an 8 to 10 year turnaround and then its even dicey cuz too many things can happen in a decade.

The Jets would have been better being granted a new franchise and getting some favoured draft picks. The Trashers were nothing but trash and vermin, highly-paid spoiled players that only got contracts cuz Atlanta had to pay to established NHL levels to be considered members of the league. Horrible management, feeble scouting, inferior coaching, half-arsed players made this team a poison. Mark Chipman was so desperate to grab an NHL team Bettman was able to foist this horrible pack of vermin on him with virtual impunity - and Bettman got full bore on the price, too.

Wpg would have been better served with Phoenix's group of crap, at least they had goal-tending, and a semblance of coaching, scouting and management. 

Both Phoenix and Atlanta required long-term development. Phoenix might have been rehabbed in less than 4 years - the Trashers are about an 8 to 10 year turnaround and then its even dicey cuz too many things can happen in a decade.

not so sure about that, ladd wheeler and buff werent in atlanta very long, little is pretty darn good, kane has potential regardless if people cant see it due to their dislike of him, never has had the same coach for more than a year or 2 has he? same with bogo. They are good players but for the most part are young. With young players come mistakes, it's to be expected. As much as we all praised scheif and trouba this year, they too made the same mistakes. It's all about learning, maurice under contract long term should help. This team should get better. Don't get me wrong i'd move kane and buff in a second if i got a fair offer for them, i'd want pick prospect player. Kane and pick 9 to Florida vs 1st overall, Pirri and a defensive prospect like mike mathesson is a deal i'd consider. Buff, if i'm moving him, i'm trying to get a 3rd line center and a top line winger or one of those plus a pick. To Carolina for Lindholm or Skinner and the 7th. Skinner let's say.

 

Skinner,Scheif,Wheeler. Ladd, Little,Frolik. Im taking Sam Bennet first overall then, Him and Pirri are the start of what could be a very good 3rd line.

 

Bennet First overall, can play lw or centre, at 7 id look at taking kevin fiala.

Sam Bennett would be a good first pick but I suspect Chevy won't be able to swing it and the Jets will settle for their 9th pick.

 

I'd love to see Kane traded for value . . . and no I don't hate Evander - I just look at his total game and see nothing but F's in most categories other than speed and grit in the neutral zone. Evander's shot is deadly inaccurate, his passing is well below average, perhaps less than most AHL first or 2nd liners, his back-checking is inconsistent (good when he goes all-out) and his discipline is really poor most of the time. He's too easily baited and his responses usually mean 2 minutes in the box. 

 

When Maurice wealthy-scratched him you just knew the gig was up! However, if they can't get anything of value for him may as well play him next couple years as the Jets won't be playoff contenders anyways.

 

Buff is probably an easier trade to consumnate - going to a market where peeps don't really care about hockey and will put up with his regular nightly package of mistakes - albeit some great offensive play mixed in. Perhaps Washington, Florida or Tampa would be better places for Big Buff. Mike Yeo in Minnesota would never tolerate some of Buff's gaffs so the chance of Buff going to his home state are minimal at best.

The Jets would have been better being granted a new franchise and getting some favoured draft picks. The Trashers were nothing but trash and vermin, highly-paid spoiled players that only got contracts cuz Atlanta had to pay to established NHL levels to be considered members of the league. Horrible management, feeble scouting, inferior coaching, half-arsed players made this team a poison. Mark Chipman was so desperate to grab an NHL team Bettman was able to foist this horrible pack of vermin on him with virtual impunity - and Bettman got full bore on the price, too.

Wpg would have been better served with Phoenix's group of crap, at least they had goal-tending, and a semblance of coaching, scouting and management.

Both Phoenix and Atlanta required long-term development. Phoenix might have been rehabbed in less than 4 years - the Trashers are about an 8 to 10 year turnaround and then its even dicey cuz too many things can happen in a decade.

I'm not sure you followed this story very closely but the thrashers are far better than an expansion team likely would have been including some key marketable players. We still ended up with solid draft picks.

Also buying the team was mutually beneficial for both true north and the NHL. There is a great story out there about how the NHL tried to raise the price and Thomson used his ahem connections to enforce the agreed upon terms.

I'd hate to lose Wheeler. He was by far the Jets best player last year (Trouba was close second)

How can anyone be a "close second" to a player who was "by far the best"? Saying he was ""by far the best" indicates no one was close.

Hockey buzz (yeah I know) reporting two eastern teams interested in grant Clitsome. That's a move I hasn't considered but it does make some sense. He is decent and has a good contract. Might be a little squeezed out of Winnipeg of we're looking to keep Postma and/or Redmond full time (or brining Kulda or Morrissey in).

Also reports that Flyers still want Buff. I think there's a deal to be made there.