Recalled/Assigned: Eric O'Dell on waivers CRITICAL MOD WARNING POST #176

[Huffer]

The real problem here is that Jets management have a real profound negative bias against Erics. First Eric Comrie doesn't get any playtime in camp and gets sent back to junior and then they waive Eric Tangradi and end up trading him to Montreal and now Eric O'Dell is the latest Eric getting the shaft. This has been a problem with this organization since year one when local homegrown Eric Fehr was not utilized properly and wasn't able to succeed in this organization that displays such obvious Ericism in everything they do. If you think about it..this goes all the way back to the Atlanta days when hatrick phenonenom Eric Boulton was given the boot and actually that could also be TNSE's doing as he left the team during the offseason when the team moved up to Winnipeg and became the Winnipeg 'Eric hating' Jets.

God Bless all the Erics out there.

Well I wasn't worried about this before, but now I sure am! I really hope this organizations single minded hatred towards Eric's doesn't somehow slide over to Nik's / Nic's.

Great Post Koonta.

 

[CaptainChef]

Whenever the arguments devolve into "they're GMs, they must know what they're doing", I get to thinking the other side is probably right. GMs make mistakes, just like we fans do. Like Garret said, the guys who said GMs were wrong are now getting hired by those same GMs. GMs know they don't know everything, and the smart ones cover their bases. I worry with moves like this that Chevy doesn't know his blind spots, or at least is uninterested in covering them.

I'm with you on that Chris -- the GMs make as mistakes just like the next guy. Sure they are immersed in it so some of the decisions that appear odd are often well thought out & correct. But to think that anyone is immune to making mistakes is a little silly. What it amounts to is the smart ones admit or at least discover earlier when they make a mistake and correct it.

 

[Whileee]

Whenever the arguments devolve into "they're GMs, they must know what they're doing", I get to thinking the other side is probably right. GMs make mistakes, just like we fans do. Like Garret said, the guys who said GMs were wrong are now getting hired by those same GMs. GMs know they don't know everything, and the smart ones cover their bases. I worry with moves like this that Chevy doesn't know his blind spots, or at least is uninterested in covering them.

... are we to assume that a collection of fans know more than the GM, though?

I shudder to think how the Jets would look if we took the "wisdom of the crowd" approach to running the Jets....

Frederik Gauthier vs. Morrissey (46% of fans "like" the Morrissey pick)
Forsberg (or Faksa) vs. Trouba (35% love it, 39% "alright with it" - Chevy loves it).
Field vs. Scheifele (38% of fans "happy" with the pick).

Once again, all evidence points to a realization that the Thorburn and O'Dell moves were fully endorsed by Maurice. Chevy explicitly said that he brought Maurice in to get a different perspective on the organization and contribute to personnel decisions going forward. That sounds like someone deliberately trying to make sure that he is examining potential "blind spots" that he might have. Now, you could say that both Chevy and Maurice have the same blind spot, but now you are making things a bit more complicated in terms of the criticism.

 

[Gm0ney]

... are we to assume that a collection of fans know more than the GM, though?

I shudder to think how the Jets would look if we took the "wisdom of the crowd" approach to running the Jets....

Frederik Gauthier vs. Morrissey (46% of fans "like" the Morrissey pick)
Forsberg (or Faksa) vs. Trouba (35% love it, 39% "alright with it" - Chevy loves it).
Field vs. Scheifele (38% of fans "happy" with the pick).

Once again, all evidence points to a realization that the Thorburn and O'Dell moves were fully endorsed by Maurice. Chevy explicitly said that he brought Maurice in to get a different perspective on the organization and contribute to personnel decisions going forward. That sounds like someone deliberately trying to make sure that he is examining potential "blind spots" that he might have. Now, you could say that both Chevy and Maurice have the same blind spot, but now you are making things a bit more complicated in terms of the criticism.

You're cherry picking Chevy's strength and a fan weakness - knowledge of prospects and drafting. I don't know if there's anyone here who claims they could do a better job of drafting than the Jets have done to date. And 95% of HF posters don't know a thing about Forsberg vs. Trouba except what they've read on Pronman's or Central Scouting's or TSN's lists. Chevy's got a dozen scouts ranking the players and he's flying around watching guys himself. No contest...

But when we're talking about personnel moves of players we've seen play a lot, I think we can give a little more credence to opinions of the masses. Is Chevy smarter than the crowd on Pavelec?

 

[almostawake]

There is no way O'Dell is being claimed. Injured throughout training camp and it is unclear how fit is to play right now. No team is going to claim him and use a roster spot hoping he can play himself into shape.

 

[Whileee]

You're cherry picking Chevy's strength and a fan weakness - knowledge of prospects and drafting. I don't know if there's anyone here who claims they could do a better job of drafting than the Jets have done to date. And 95% of HF posters don't know a thing about Forsberg vs. Trouba except what they've read on Pronman's or Central Scouting's or TSN's lists. Chevy's got a dozen scouts ranking the players and he's flying around watching guys himself. No contest...

But when we're talking about personnel moves of players we've seen play a lot, I think we can give a little more credence to opinions of the masses. Is Chevy smarter than the crowd on Pavelec?

....er, and you think that the Jets don't have a bunch of pro scouts and coaches contributing to the personnel decisions? A bunch of fans aren't necessarily better than people who spend their life scouting and watching film on players and discussing them.

The Jets list 18 staff in their Hockey Operations as either coaches, managers or scouts focused on pro hockey. I'm not sure why people think that Chevy employs a bunch of scouts and gets them to help with drafting, but employs a bunch of coaches and pro hockey personnel and ignores them to make his own decisions.

Obviously, the buck stops with Chevy on drafting and personnel decisions, but the notion that he sits alone at his cottage figuring out what to do with the Jets is pretty far-fetched, in my opinion.

Of course I disagree often with Chevy and Maurice (and even more with Noel), but I hope I'm circumspect enough to realize that I don't necessarily know more than a pro hockey staff. I like sniping as much as the next person, but I'm pretty sure that there are plenty of fans that are glad that Chevy won't listen to me just because I watch a bunch of games and have an internet connection.

 

[Guerzy]

While I certainly respect the professionals doing the job, be it Chevy or Maurice, scouts, etc.. they are only human and are also prone to mistakes. Hello moneyball. They can also disagree, look at Babcock and Holland, they disagree yearly on roster selection. How many coaches get fired? how many GM's get fired? scouts let go? they all make mistakes. It's natural. I personally think a 4th line of Galiardi - Slater - O'Dell would be most efficient. I don't see what having Thorburn AND Peluso do to make the team better when I personally see a better, more efficient option. I am fine with having one, but two? for essentially the same role? With all due respect, I just don't agree. And I am not someone who overly dislikes Thorburn's contract or Thorburn as a 4th line/extra forward. I am also someone who likes Peluso and see's some things in his game that if given a consistent opportunity, he could learn, still develop, and form into an asset for this team. All of this is ok. It doesn't make my views correct, nor does it make Chevy or Maurice's views correct.

Do I think it makes a world of difference to have one of Thorburn and Peluso (with Halischuk) making up our 14 forwards in comparison to having one of Thorburn/Peluso with O'Dell (and Halischuk) making up our 14 forwards? no, I don't. It won't define this team in whether they make the playoffs or not in the overall picture, in my opinion. Greater factors will define if we make the playoffs, such as our team staying healthy, our forwards contributing and playing cohesive as a unit in Maurice's system, our defence doing the same, our goaltending being reliable, our special teams, etc. Those aspects are the defining key markers of this teams success this season, in my mind. Even with a roster with Peluso, Thorburn and Halischuk and no O'Dell, I believe we can be a playoff team. I believe we can get that last wild card spot (optimism!). But, every roster piece to the puzzle can count for something and the sum of all parts can make a difference within a team. I respect the fact Maurice may want a bigger, meaner, more physical aspect to his roster at the bottom end of it. Does that mean I agree with it? no, I still believe one of Thorburn or Peluso is sufficient for the role on a 23-man roster. I believe O'Dell can offer more as part of the puzzle and 23-man roster.

I like O'Dell because he was an efficient junior in the OHL. He put up good statistics. He showed potential and traits you want to see in a junior hockey player. He faced some adversity with his heart condition. However, all things considered, in return and credit to him he was a 2nd round pick in the 2008 draft, 39th overall. O'Dell then, in short time, became an efficient AHL'er. He put up good statistics. He demonstrated potential, solid characteristics, and traits you want to see. I personally liked what I saw from O'Dell in his 30 NHL games last season. I believe he can be an efficient NHL forward, be it 4th line or 3rd line. I believe he is trending upwards and I'd like to see where it can go. He brings versatility in he can play centre or wing, play a safe, respectable 4th line role, be efficient, while also being able to elevate to the 3rd line and really not hurt the team. It remains to be seen just how good he could be in a 3rd line role. My personal opinion is as a bottom 6 forward O'Dell could contribute 7-10 goals, 20-25 points. Provide efficient minutes. Offer versatility in playing centre or wing. Offer versatility in playing 4th line or 3rd line, all while not hurting you. Will he be a top 6 forward? No, I do not believe so. But I do think he can be a viable bottom 6 forward and he carries some untapped potential and ceiling in how good he could be.

All in all, I like O'Dell for our team, right now, today. Will he be a fixture here in the future? unlikely given the influx of prospects we have coming down the pipeline. But that is tomorrow, O'Dell could be a puzzle piece today (perhaps traded at some point down the road after he's proven more at the NHL level), and every step, every better roster piece, counts in my opinion. But that is just me, that is just my views. I personally want to see more from him. For his sake, if there is a NHL team out there who see's fit, maybe see's some of the things I personally see, hopefully he gets an opportunity. If not, that is great news for the IceCaps and Jets as he will provide solid depth for us, and you can never have enough depth, nor versatility, within your NHL roster or organization (AHL). We likely put him on waivers at an opportune time (for our own organizations sake) given he's been injured, most teams will have their rosters set, and he isn't a real proven NHL asset.

Lastly, would I be surprised if he was claimed? no, I think his body of work as a young hockey player could warrant an NHL team wanting to have a look at him within their own organization, on their team. He is at a point where he will need to define, be it here or elsewhere, if he is an NHL forward or not. A team may want a look at him. Would I be surprised if he was not claimed? no. He's been injured, his body of work in the NHL is minimal, plenty of rosters across the league are near set, and maybe plenty of NHL teams have a prospect or two as "their own version of O'Dell".

*Sidenote - I hope this rather long, detailed post doesn't get viewed as an "overreaction", because that's not really my intent. I'm trying to look at this, as I try with everything, from a broad view, with my own personal opinions. I am not a Chevy "hater", I question some things like any fan of any team of any GM, but I consider myself a Chevy supporter. I like where we are headed as an organization, I like our prospects, our young players, I like what Chevy has done in retaining and securing NHL assets, etc. I like Maurice, I question some things he does, don't always agree, and am pretty familiar with him from his two stints as head coach of Carolina, but I really do like him as coach of this team and organization because overall I think he fits and meshes very well.

 

[cheswick]

I think a lot of fans too often ignore the multitude of reasons that can go into a player move that goes beyond strictly his play on the ice. Financial considerations, how they are in the locker room, organizational philosophy on "fair" way to deal with players, favours between gm's etc etc.

I think a lot of the chastizing of the management could very well be based on straw man arguments cause they rarely give us an insight into the thought process on such moves.

 

[wpgsilver]

Great post Guerzy, posts like that make this place great.
Well reasoned, well argued.

 

[allan5oh]

O'Dell on waivers, Chevy are you nuts?

A must read

 

[Guerzy]

Great post Guerzy, posts like that make this place great.
Well reasoned, well argued.

Thanks silver.

And hey, this in all actuality is a GOOD thing, in my opinion, whether I "personally" agree or disagree. We have a prospect in Adam Lowry who has made our team. Others knocking on the door. We have Halischuk, to his credit, who had a strong camp and pre-season. We have a coach with a plan, a vision, an identity, and if he feels he needs to go with a certain type of player, by all means, I respect that.

There was a day when we were scrambling the waiver wire to make additions to our roster, but that isn't the case today, in the here and now. And that, to me, can be viewed as a positive.

Oh, and there's a game TONIGHT.

 

[wpgsilver]

O'Dell on waivers, Chevy are you nuts?

A must read

@ calling your own article a must read.

Not a beak, but c'mon thats funny.

 

[Gm0ney]

....er, and you think that the Jets don't have a bunch of pro scouts and coaches contributing to the personnel decisions? A bunch of fans aren't necessarily better than people who spend their life scouting and watching film on players and discussing them.

The Jets list 18 staff in their Hockey Operations as either coaches, managers or scouts focused on pro hockey. I'm not sure why people think that Chevy employs a bunch of scouts and gets them to help with drafting, but employs a bunch of coaches and pro hockey personnel and ignores them to make his own decisions.

Obviously, the buck stops with Chevy on drafting and personnel decisions, but the notion that he sits alone at his cottage figuring out what to do with the Jets is pretty far-fetched, in my opinion.

Of course I disagree often with Chevy and Maurice (and even more with Noel), but I hope I'm circumspect enough to realize that I don't necessarily know more than a pro hockey staff. I like sniping as much as the next person, but I'm pretty sure that there are plenty of fans that are glad that Chevy won't listen to me just because I watch a bunch of games and have an internet connection.

Hang on! Move those goalposts back! Your original post used the Jets' first round draft record from 2011-2013 as evidence that management knows more than fans. My points were: a) This is the most management-flattering set of decisions you could possibly use; and b) Management SHOULD outperform fans in this area because most fans don't scout prospects while the Jets spend millions of dollars on it. I used Chevy as shorthand for the whole group - I wasn't singling him out as the lone bad actor here.

And I'm not talking about pro scouting (aren't they responsible for identifying talent on other teams and scouting tendencies for game prep, etc.?). I'm talking about evaluating the players on the team that we all watch. Even if pro scouts are evaluating O'Dell vs. Peluso vs. Lowry or whatever, we all watch those guys too, so the gap in knowledge is far, far smaller than between fans and amateur scouts who watch guys the fans don't see play 30 games a season.

 

[Gm0ney]

O'Dell on waivers, Chevy are you nuts?

A must read

I skipped my court appearance to read that. 5 stars.

 

[Guerzy]

Not O'Dell, but still interesting..

Darren Dreger ‏@DarrenDreger 5s6 seconds ago

Toronto claims Panik off waivers from TBay.

 

[Mathil8]

Not O'Dell, but still interesting..

I wonder if we were going to put a claim on him, but toronto sniped him first

 

[Romang67]

Not O'Dell, but still interesting..

I wonder why the Canes didn't claim him.

 

[Whileee]

Hang on! Move those goalposts back! Your original post used the Jets' first round draft record from 2011-2013 as evidence that management knows more than fans. My points were: a) This is the most management-flattering set of decisions you could possibly use; and b) Management SHOULD outperform fans in this area because most fans don't scout prospects while the Jets spend millions of dollars on it. I used Chevy as shorthand for the whole group - I wasn't singling him out as the lone bad actor here.

And I'm not talking about pro scouting (aren't they responsible for identifying talent on other teams and scouting tendencies for game prep, etc.?). I'm talking about evaluating the players on the team that we all watch. Even if pro scouts are evaluating O'Dell vs. Peluso vs. Lowry or whatever, we all watch those guys too, so the gap in knowledge is far, far smaller than between fans and amateur scouts who watch guys the fans don't see play 30 games a season.

I'm okay if you and others think you can evaluate NHL talent better than Chevy, and gang. I do it all the time (check out my litany of anti-James Wright posts).

I still wouldn't necessarily trust the "crowd" over pros just because they watch a bunch of games. Heck, we can't even agree on this forum about many of the player decisions.

I think we make too many assumptions about how decisions are made in the backrooms of the Jets and other NHL franchises. What we hear in public is probably just a fraction of what is really going on behind the scenes. The Jets' view of Pavelec is probably a lot closer to Jets' fans than we hear or acknowledge. Even Maurice's latest vote of confidence is probably just that - an attempt to try to give Pavs the psychological space to perform better. But make no mistake, if he falters this year, he is going to be gonzo.

 

[surixon]

While I certainly respect the professionals doing the job, be it Chevy or Maurice, scouts, etc.. they are only human and are also prone to mistakes. Hello moneyball. They can also disagree, look at Babcock and Holland, they disagree yearly on roster selection. How many coaches get fired? how many GM's get fired? scouts let go? they all make mistakes. It's natural. I personally think a 4th line of Galiardi - Slater - O'Dell would be most efficient. I don't see what having Thorburn AND Peluso do to make the team better when I personally see a better, more efficient option. I am fine with having one, but two? for essentially the same role? With all due respect, I just don't agree. And I am not someone who overly dislikes Thorburn's contract or Thorburn as a 4th line/extra forward. I am also someone who likes Peluso and see's some things in his game that if given a consistent opportunity, he could learn, still develop, and form into an asset for this team. All of this is ok. It doesn't make my views correct, nor does it make Chevy or Maurice's views correct.

Do I think it makes a world of difference to have one of Thorburn and Peluso (with Halischuk) making up our 14 forwards in comparison to having one of Thorburn/Peluso with O'Dell (and Halischuk) making up our 14 forwards? no, I don't. It won't define this team in whether they make the playoffs or not in the overall picture, in my opinion. Greater factors will define if we make the playoffs, such as our team staying healthy, our forwards contributing and playing cohesive as a unit in Maurice's system, our defence doing the same, our goaltending being reliable, our special teams, etc. Those aspects are the defining key markers of this teams success this season, in my mind. Even with a roster with Peluso, Thorburn and Halischuk and no O'Dell, I believe we can be a playoff team. I believe we can get that last wild card spot (optimism!). But, every roster piece to the puzzle can count for something and the sum of all parts can make a difference within a team. I respect the fact Maurice may want a bigger, meaner, more physical aspect to his roster at the bottom end of it. Does that mean I agree with it? no, I still believe one of Thorburn or Peluso is sufficient for the role on a 23-man roster. I believe O'Dell can offer more as part of the puzzle and 23-man roster.

I like O'Dell because he was an efficient junior in the OHL. He put up good statistics. He showed potential and traits you want to see in a junior hockey player. He faced some adversity with his heart condition. However, all things considered, in return and credit to him he was a 2nd round pick in the 2008 draft, 39th overall. O'Dell then, in short time, became an efficient AHL'er. He put up good statistics. He demonstrated potential, solid characteristics, and traits you want to see. I personally liked what I saw from O'Dell in his 30 NHL games last season. I believe he can be an efficient NHL forward, be it 4th line or 3rd line. I believe he is trending upwards and I'd like to see where it can go. He brings versatility in he can play centre or wing, play a safe, respectable 4th line role, be efficient, while also being able to elevate to the 3rd line and really not hurt the team. It remains to be seen just how good he could be in a 3rd line role. My personal opinion is as a bottom 6 forward O'Dell could contribute 7-10 goals, 20-25 points. Provide efficient minutes. Offer versatility in playing centre or wing. Offer versatility in playing 4th line or 3rd line, all while not hurting you. Will he be a top 6 forward? No, I do not believe so. But I do think he can be a viable bottom 6 forward and he carries some untapped potential and ceiling in how good he could be.

All in all, I like O'Dell for our team, right now, today. Will he be a fixture here in the future? unlikely given the influx of prospects we have coming down the pipeline. But that is tomorrow, O'Dell could be a puzzle piece today (perhaps traded at some point down the road after he's proven more at the NHL level), and every step, every better roster piece, counts in my opinion. But that is just me, that is just my views. I personally want to see more from him. For his sake, if there is a NHL team out there who see's fit, maybe see's some of the things I personally see, hopefully he gets an opportunity. If not, that is great news for the IceCaps and Jets as he will provide solid depth for us, and you can never have enough depth, nor versatility, within your NHL roster or organization (AHL). We likely put him on waivers at an opportune time (for our own organizations sake) given he's been injured, most teams will have their rosters set, and he isn't a real proven NHL asset.

Lastly, would I be surprised if he was claimed? no, I think his body of work as a young hockey player could warrant an NHL team wanting to have a look at him within their own organization, on their team. He is at a point where he will need to define, be it here or elsewhere, if he is an NHL forward or not. A team may want a look at him. Would I be surprised if he was not claimed? no. He's been injured, his body of work in the NHL is minimal, plenty of rosters across the league are near set, and maybe plenty of NHL teams have a prospect or two as "their own version of O'Dell".

*Sidenote - I hope this rather long, detailed post doesn't get viewed as an "overreaction", because that's not really my intent. I'm trying to look at this, as I try with everything, from a broad view, with my own personal opinions. I am not a Chevy "hater", I question some things like any fan of any team of any GM, but I consider myself a Chevy supporter. I like where we are headed as an organization, I like our prospects, our young players, I like what Chevy has done in retaining and securing NHL assets, etc. I like Maurice, I question some things he does, don't always agree, and am pretty familiar with him from his two stints as head coach of Carolina, but I really do like him as coach of this team and organization because overall I think he fits and meshes very well.

Good post!

I generally like where this organizationis heading and am not a fan of all the management ineptitude comments that seem to fly around here whenever CChevy makes a move. I however would have kept O'Dell on the team this year at the expense of a Peluso or Thorborne. My reasoning is thateven though I don't see much upside in Eric, he is one of the few depth pieces that could slot in to the top 6 in a pinch. I also don't understand why we need a fighter period. When Enstrom got run it wasn't Peluso or Thorborne who stepped up. It was Trouba, Clitsome and Kane. We have a big, fast and physical team that can send a message to other teams if they start running our guys. We don't need a goon as a deterant.

 

[Huffer]

I skipped my court appearance to read that. 5 stars.

I hope they don't hold that against you during your sentencing.

 

[Guerzy]

Guessing it's likely he cleared since there is no news of a claim.

 

[Aavco Cup]

@WiebeSunSports: Eric O'Dell has cleared waivers and will be assigned to St. John's #IceCaps of #AHL #NHLJets

 

[Guerzy]

Cleared, and still property of the Jets. For depth purposes, this is good.

Ken Wiebe ‏@WiebeSunSports

Eric O'Dell has cleared waivers and will be assigned to St. John's #IceCaps of #AHL #NHLJets

 

[wpgsilver]

Looks like I was right and everyone who was concerned was wrong.
Case closed.






I'm kidding!!!

 

[Evil Little]

Alright!