For those behind the paywall I cut and paste this one for you.
Sometimes it’s hard not to marvel at the man. He stands 6-5 and weighs in at 265 — give or take — and also has the kind of heavy shot that often leaves goaltenders thinking of a less-dangerous line of work. Like, maybe, as the front man on a bomb-disposal unit.
So let’s all try to agree that Dustin Byfuglien is a unique talent in the National Hockey League. He is a powerful force of nature versatile enough to play forward and defence and, when he is really engaged, the kind of player who can completely take over a game.
Just for the sake of argument, then, a question:
Why are so many in this town so eager to ship out the man, rather than sign him to a new deal to keep him in Winnipeg Jets colours?
An unrestricted free agent next year, his name has been linked this summer in trade rumours to a ton of teams, from Boston to the Islanders and Rangers, to Philly, Pittsburgh, Montreal, Minnesota and Edmonton, just to name a few. And the cache the Jets could receive in return for Byfuglien, whether it is players, picks or a combination of both, could be substantial.
That’s just a small part of why the case to trade him has such sturdy legs. But there’s more.
Captain Andrew Ladd is also an impending UFA and he figures to earn a tidy raise in the neighbourhood of $2 million from the $4.5 mil he pulled down last season. Getting him locked up is paramount.
As well, the Jets future stars — Jacob Trouba, Mark Scheifele and Adam Lowry — along with goaltender Michael Hutchinson are all restricted free agents next summer who are in line for substantial raises. Giving every one of those players a new deal likely costs the Jets, at minimum, about $10 million.
And so big picture, having el capitaino and those young dudes on board long-term is critical for this franchise. That likely means Byfuglien, who is 30, gets pushed way down the list of priorities.
But what about the short term here? And is the camp that so eagerly wants to move him too fixated on what the Jets might look like in two, three, four years and not next spring?
This team is coming off a season in which it set a club record with 99 points, despite a swack of injuries to key personnel. The window for the older core of Ladd (29), Byran Little (27), Blake Wheeler (29), Mathieu Perreault (27), Mark Stuart (31) and Toby Enstrom (30) closes a little more with every season. And already this summer Jets management decided to take a pass on re-signing vets like Lee Stempniak, Jim Slater and Jiri Tlusty while losing Michael Frolik to Calgary.
Jets Nation can gush about the deep prospect pool and the draft-and-develop model absolutely means you have to leave room on the big club depth chart for the young guns, but, as deep as that pool is, it remains unproven.
It’s true, the Jets have an overload of defencemen under contract — nine on one-way deals — but none of them have Byfuglien’s versatility or his ability to move from a stacked right side over to the left.
The consensus out there is Byfuglien would be worth in the neighbourhood of $7 million, not that big a bump up from the $6 he earned last year. Granted, that’s not a huge hit to the bottom line in itself, but coupled with the others soon to be at the pay wicket looking for more, it’s admittedly dangerous.
And the possible term, given his age and his style of play — plus the fact he hardly served up all-star calibre play down the stretch in the playoffs — means this could be a risky move for the club three-four-five years into a potential deal. On top of all that, the last thing the Jets need is to be a just-ok/longshot contender handcuffed by the cap and then be forced to deal to shed salary.
But what shouldn’t be lost in the zeal to establish a consistent contender in the next few years is the importance of winning right now. And when the Jets open the 2015-16 season on Oct. 8th in Boston, having Dustin Byfuglien in their lineup makes them better.
What happens before or after that — whether the Jets sign Byfuglien, move him soon, deal him later in the season as a rental or live with the impending-UFA distraction all year — is obviously up to GM Kevin Cheveldayoff. He’s trying to build something lasting here, something that works in the NHL’s smallest market and one that is hardly a free-agent destination.
Can the Jets live for the now, keep focussed on the future AND have Dustin Byfuglien in part of both of those plans? Absolutely. But that will cost and there is risk. Still, if you took a poll of the men in the dressing room chasing the dream right now, to a man they’d all — guaranteed — say the same thing: having No. 33 in their lineup every night is a helluva lot more appealing than not. And that’s got to count for something, too.
http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/sports/hockey/jets/Why-are-so-many-in-Jets-Nation-eager-to-get-rid-of-Byfuglien-327947711.html
For those behind the paywall
I cut and paste this one for you.
Sometimes it’s hard not to marvel at the man. He stands 6-5 and weighs in at 265 — give or take — and also has the kind of heavy shot that often leaves goaltenders thinking of a less-dangerous line of work. Like, maybe, as the front man on a bomb-disposal unit.
So let’s all try to agree that Dustin Byfuglien is a unique talent in the National Hockey League. He is a powerful force of nature versatile enough to play forward and defence and, when he is really engaged, the kind of player who can completely take over a game.
Just for the sake of argument, then, a question:
Why are so many in this town so eager to ship out the man, rather than sign him to a new deal to keep him in Winnipeg Jets colours?
An unrestricted free agent next year, his name has been linked this summer in trade rumours to a ton of teams, from Boston to the Islanders and Rangers, to Philly, Pittsburgh, Montreal, Minnesota and Edmonton, just to name a few. And the cache the Jets could receive in return for Byfuglien, whether it is players, picks or a combination of both, could be substantial.
That’s just a small part of why the case to trade him has such sturdy legs. But there’s more.
Captain Andrew Ladd is also an impending UFA and he figures to earn a tidy raise in the neighbourhood of $2 million from the $4.5 mil he pulled down last season. Getting him locked up is paramount.
As well, the Jets future stars — Jacob Trouba, Mark Scheifele and Adam Lowry — along with goaltender Michael Hutchinson are all restricted free agents next summer who are in line for substantial raises. Giving every one of those players a new deal likely costs the Jets, at minimum, about $10 million.
And so big picture, having el capitaino and those young dudes on board long-term is critical for this franchise. That likely means Byfuglien, who is 30, gets pushed way down the list of priorities.
But what about the short term here? And is the camp that so eagerly wants to move him too fixated on what the Jets might look like in two, three, four years and not next spring?
This team is coming off a season in which it set a club record with 99 points, despite a swack of injuries to key personnel. The window for the older core of Ladd (29), Byran Little (27), Blake Wheeler (29), Mathieu Perreault (27), Mark Stuart (31) and Toby Enstrom (30) closes a little more with every season. And already this summer Jets management decided to take a pass on re-signing vets like Lee Stempniak, Jim Slater and Jiri Tlusty while losing Michael Frolik to Calgary.
Jets Nation can gush about the deep prospect pool and the draft-and-develop model absolutely means you have to leave room on the big club depth chart for the young guns, but, as deep as that pool is, it remains unproven.
It’s true, the Jets have an overload of defencemen under contract — nine on one-way deals — but none of them have Byfuglien’s versatility or his ability to move from a stacked right side over to the left.
The consensus out there is Byfuglien would be worth in the neighbourhood of $7 million, not that big a bump up from the $6 he earned last year. Granted, that’s not a huge hit to the bottom line in itself, but coupled with the others soon to be at the pay wicket looking for more, it’s admittedly dangerous.
And the possible term, given his age and his style of play — plus the fact he hardly served up all-star calibre play down the stretch in the playoffs — means this could be a risky move for the club three-four-five years into a potential deal. On top of all that, the last thing the Jets need is to be a just-ok/longshot contender handcuffed by the cap and then be forced to deal to shed salary.
But what shouldn’t be lost in the zeal to establish a consistent contender in the next few years is the importance of winning right now. And when the Jets open the 2015-16 season on Oct. 8th in Boston, having Dustin Byfuglien in their lineup makes them better.
What happens before or after that — whether the Jets sign Byfuglien, move him soon, deal him later in the season as a rental or live with the impending-UFA distraction all year — is obviously up to GM Kevin Cheveldayoff. He’s trying to build something lasting here, something that works in the NHL’s smallest market and one that is hardly a free-agent destination.
Can the Jets live for the now, keep focussed on the future AND have Dustin Byfuglien in part of both of those plans? Absolutely. But that will cost and there is risk. Still, if you took a poll of the men in the dressing room chasing the dream right now, to a man they’d all — guaranteed — say the same thing: having No. 33 in their lineup every night is a helluva lot more appealing than not. And that’s got to count for something, too.
ed.tait@freepress.mb.ca
Twitter: @WFPEdTait