Last night's game was great for Jet's fans but this team has all the makings of other Jet's teams that turned it on just too late to just miss the playoffs and get a higher (and consequently less valuable) draft selection. Enjoy Ehlers, Helle, and the rest of the youngsters and Buff's magic, but  this team still needs to tank. That's the only way to secure long term success as a playoff contender. 

For sure.  Its funny when they win, everyone gets so excited even the sports media that should know better.  But the issue now is what draft position will they get.  And while it's nice to paste the Yotes, a top 5 pick will do a lot more for this team than a handful of feel good victories that no one will remember...

17 minutes ago, IC Khari said:

Last night's game was great for Jet's fans but this team has all the makings of other Jet's teams that turned it on just too late to just miss the playoffs and get a higher (and consequently less valuable) draft selection. Enjoy Ehlers, Helle, and the rest of the youngsters and Buff's magic, but  this team still needs to tank. That's the only way to secure long term success as a playoff contender. 

Oilers have tanked for half a decade if not more & where did that get them?

7 minutes ago, iso_55 said:

Oilers have tanked for half a decade if not more & where did that get them?

I think this is a good point in illustrating how long it can take for an NHL team to from very bad to good.  Last season made us think the Jets had turned the corner but its not true.  We have a lot of good talent and more coming.  But it takes time.  I think getting a top five pick this year is very important to then future development of the team.  And the decision on Ladd/Buff too.  We might look back in five years and say 2016 was the turning point.

Look at Edmonton, Buffalo...still likely to get top picks this year.  Both those teams seem like they will break out any year now and be tremendous.  They didnt turn it around after one or two good picks.  It takes a lot of time.  Look at the Pens. 

There isn't one single fool proof way to build a team. if there was, everybody would be doing it. I think a team has to draft well at any position they're listed. That's up to a good team of scouts to recognize. 

Drafting smart makes a world of difference...   Look at some of the talent we got from our later picks...  

 

Drafting smart makes a world of difference...   Look at some of the talent we got from our later picks...  

 

To me, the Oilers are a perfect example of why the Jets do need to be aggressive with Buff and/or Ladd.

High 1st rounders, hell 1st overall picks, are always nice. But they're young. Take time to mature and reach potential. Maybe the Oilers are close to perennial playoff berths, maybe not. But either way they've had what, 5 years now at absolute rock bottom?! I don't want that. I don't want to watch a team (nevermind paying for season tickets) that year after year leaves you without hope of winning anything but the draft lottery.

So where's the balance? That's why Chevy makes the big bucks. Keeping the youth movement progressing, while retaining veterans still performing at a high level.

Like to see him a bit more activein trades & more aggressive signing FA's. He doesn't have to do a lot. Just more than he's doing now. We don't have to be last in NHL payroll.

Edited January 27, 201610 yr by iso_55

8 minutes ago, Jimmy Pop said:

To me, the Oilers are a perfect example of why the Jets do need to be aggressive with Buff and/or Ladd.

High 1st rounders, hell 1st overall picks, are always nice. But they're young. Take time to mature and reach potential. Maybe the Oilers are close to perennial playoff berths, maybe not. But either way they've had what, 5 years now at absolute rock bottom?! I don't want that. I don't want to watch a team (nevermind paying for season tickets) that year after year leaves you without hope of winning anything but the draft lottery.

So where's the balance? That's why Chevy makes the big bucks. Keeping the youth movement progressing, while retaining veterans still performing at a high level.

Yeah but probably not to sign both.  I always laugh when I hear people say good players wont come here.  Its one thing when they have 20+ teams bidding on them in Free Agency.  But Chevy has signed every pending Free Agent he wanted, other than Frolik.  Guys like Ladd, Toby, Little, Wheeler all made commitments to Winnipeg.

Now, do you want Ladd to be paid more than Wheeler?  I dont.  I'd keep him for $4-$5m per year because I think he's going to be a mid six LW. 

I say one more top pick (and continued smart drafting) and the Jets will evolve into a solid contender.

1 hour ago, iso_55 said:

There isn't one single fool proof way to build a team. if there was, everybody would be doing it. I think a team has to draft well at any position they're listed. That's up to a good team of scouts to recognize. 

Detroit might have something to say to that. I think it's 24/25 yeras running they've made the playoffs.

3 minutes ago, HardCoreBlue said:

Detroit might have something to say to that. I think it's 24/25 yeras running they've made the playoffs.

The Lions? The Pistons?

7 minutes ago, FrostyWinnipeg said:

The Lions? The Pistons?

Different sports, Frosty?? Different variables & intangibles.

Edited January 27, 201610 yr by iso_55

8 minutes ago, iso_55 said:

Different sports, Frosty?? Different variables & intangibles.

Mis-read the original statement. Thought he typed not made the playoffs.

Anything between 94-2007 there about I consider a wash due to lack of salary cap.

 

Edited January 27, 201610 yr by FrostyWinnipeg

By the time this team is ready to seriously contend the core on today's team will be mostly gone, hopefully players drafted and to be drafted will make up a big chunk of the team with some vets to round out a cup contender. This team still has a long way to go but we seem to be set in net for  many years  with Hellebuyck, a cross my fingers superstar in Ehlers, a solid 1 d man in Trouba and the future team captain Scheifele. If we hit with 3-4 of the drafted players and get a really good top 5 pick this year the worrying about making the playoffs will be a distant memory.

Unless the ownership is willing to change their priorities and start spending money to keep and attract front line players this will remain the fate of the franchise. As long as there are butts in the seats and a demand for tickets things will remain status quo.

Which front line players have Jets ownership let go?

I can't figure out why people are so enraged about our salary cap THIS season. We all realize the pending FA and RFA's we have right? We all realize this team was NOT at the bottom of the payroll list prior to this summer.

TNSE has always said they'd be a middle of the pack team, cap-wise. They're clearly keeping Stempniak/Tlusty kind of money and saving it for free agency. Comments about an overall lack of spending are mind bottling to me. 

Cuz spending to the cap is gonna make you win all of a sudden. Plus Lowry Scheif Ehlers Helle Trouba all still on ELC deals.... Armia also.  That is the difference in cap... Copp 2 actually. 

 

Love it. Make the playoffs 1 year out of 5 and ppl think this year is the anomole... nope. This year is the reminder that we are what we are. This current core isn't good enough and never will be. 

Edited February 1, 201610 yr by Goalie

Are people upset about the cap?  I dont think thats widely held.  I think when the cap talks come up its in regards to the UFA's and RFA's we need/want to sign and how close to that cap that makes us.  Our low cap this year is sort of a false thing since it wont be nearly as low next season.

As for Trouba, a bridge deal where he takes less than he wants for 3-4 years sounds great to me.  if he becomes the #1 D playing on the left side, it makes Toby either expendable or if he likes it hear, he can sign a lower deal to stay.  This is the benefit to Myers' contract is that, while it puts the Jets closer to the cap, it saves cash for other players.

19 hours ago, The Unknown Poster said:

Are people upset about the cap?  I dont think thats widely held.  I think when the cap talks come up its in regards to the UFA's and RFA's we need/want to sign and how close to that cap that makes us.  Our low cap this year is sort of a false thing since it wont be nearly as low next season.

As for Trouba, a bridge deal where he takes less than he wants for 3-4 years sounds great to me.  if he becomes the #1 D playing on the left side, it makes Toby either expendable or if he likes it hear, he can sign a lower deal to stay.  This is the benefit to Myers' contract is that, while it puts the Jets closer to the cap, it saves cash for other players.

I see lots of fans vent on twitter about our cap this season and it's correlation with our position in the standings - which is completely fair, just missing the big picture entirely.

If the Jets can, no reason not to do a bridge. I love Troubs - but no way he deserves $35-40M of guaranteed money. 

Im not sure what fans would do differently though.  Should we get rid of Trouba, Scheif, Lowry and Ehlers because they are on entry level deals and replace them with high priced veterans who likely wont sign for one year anyway?  Any griping is misplaced.  People should be thrilled.  Because everything changes from here.  We'll never have another time with so many entry level guys driving salary costs down.

Probably wouldn't do much differently, actually.  Though I've said (coworkers can vouch!) numerous times, if I were GM I would have had Ladd and Buff figured out before the season even started.  

The longer this plays out, it's just hard not to think to yourself; how did they not have at least Ladd or Buff dealt with by now. And, what's the mindset of Chevy right now? Does he feel like he has the cards for a power move at the deadline?

Really odd time to be a fan of this team.  Maybe the "strategy" employed by the Jets pays off, but as I type this, it's hard not to just see us as indecisive.

it might be to our benefit that they didnt have them figured out.  It seems last summer Ladd was the priority and Buff was not.  Now that's switched.  Although I still have this feeling the reason they've "moved on" from Ladd is they have chiseled him down to his bottom line so they can work on Buff and then see what the money looks like for both.

It's good that they not signed Ladd. We would have had a guy making 5.5m+/yr and halfway through it admitting that he's just about recovered from the off-season surgery.

Ladd's lost about a million/yr by not signing earlier. Oh well. Bad for him. Nice car though.