Guess the Chevy-Maurice contract extensions ain't look'in so bad now eh?!?

[kelsier]

Got to give credit for Chev. He has built this team a true contender and based on everything I've gathered from here, it seems like it's been a long road to get here. Of course with success there's always a bit of luck involved and a big part of that materialized in the 2016 draft lottery. Otherwise what comes down to drafting and trading there can be little to complain about. Now that the Jets are "there" it comes down to Pmo. I'm not convinced of his methods nor decisions, yet while looking at the rankings you can't really complain, although the core of players the Jets currently possess cannot be overlooked either when measuring how the team should be doing in the league. It seems many take it for granted that the team is already in the playoffs but it isn't the case. Nevertheless, I agree that dropping out of the contest would be a disaster and at the moment really unexpected. The kind of roster Maurice currently has is one of the best in the entire league and once the team likely and hopefully makes the playoffs, that's when his real test begins. With these players (All-Star level goalkeeper, elite defense & elite forwards) I would not settle for a few wins while dropping out in the first round but actually going deep and maybe even competing for the Cup itself. Anything else would be disappointing. Anyway, like I said Chev has done a marvelous job so far and as for Maurice, I'll reserve the judgement based not only on the regular success, but for the entire nine yards. If he proves unable to lead his team at least past the first opponent in the playoffs, he should be heading towards the exist and never look back.

 

[Robinson2187]

Got to give credit for Chev. He has built this team a true contender and based on everything I've gathered from here, it seems like it's been a long road to get here. Of course with success there's always a bit of luck involved and a big part of that materialized in the 2016 draft lottery. Otherwise what comes down to drafting and trading there can be little to complain about. Now that the Jets are "there" it comes down to Pmo. I'm not convinced of his methods nor decisions, yet while looking at the rankings you can't really complain, although the core of players the Jets currently possess cannot be overlooked either when measuring how the team should be doing in the league. It seems many take it for granted that the team is already in the playoffs but it isn't the case. Nevertheless, I agree that dropping out of the contest would be a disaster and at the moment really unexpected. The kind of roster Maurice currently has is one of the best in the entire league and once the team likely and hopefully makes the playoffs, that's when his real test begins. With these players (All-Star level goalkeeper, elite defense & elite forwards) I would not settle for a few wins while dropping out in the first round but actually going deep and maybe even competing for the Cup itself. Anything else would be disappointing. Anyway, like I said Chev has done a marvelous job so far and as for Maurice, I'll reserve the judgement based not only on the regular success, but for the entire nine yards. If he proves unable to lead his team at least past the first opponent in the playoffs, he should be heading towards the exist and never look back.

I expect second round of playoffs at minimum. If PoMo can't do it, someone else should get the chance.

 

[KingBogo]

Of course we are, but you keep comparing results from teams that where given two completely different starting points and tools to assemble their respective teams, no? So forgive me if I don't look at the results as the be all end all in this comparison. Especially when I think the Knights season is a mirage and will crash and burn in the coming years.

I'm sure we would have looked great early on in our tenure if Chevy was able to acquire for free about 6 quality bottom 6 forwards as Vegas was or a legit good NHL starter for free.

I also think this myth about the Atlanta core needs to end. We are looking back on it with hindsight knowing what all the pieces became. When we got the team this is what we had:

Little as our number 1 C: The same Little that in 4 years in Atlanta had a career high of 51 points (As a winger) and was averaging about 40 p0ints as a C. It took him until his third year in WPG to blossom into a good mid level number 1 C but he hardly looked like a foundation piece when we got the team.

Andrew Ladd: had his first 50 plus point season in his 7th season in the league. He was already in his mid 20's when we got him. Once again at the time he looked like a good complimentary piece.

Blake Wheeler: Had a career high of 45 points in his first 3 years in the league. He broke out here right away but really hit his peak within the last 3 years.

Other than that we had Kane who was progressing nicely but only had a career best of 43 points. He looked like a core piece but had issues with his teammates.

Burmie: Rushed to the show coming off a 20 point system.

We had nothing in the system outside of that.


On defense:

We had Enstrom who yes was looking like very good number 1 dmen (The only legit established contending piece we had) Unfortunately most of his prime was wasted in Atlanta before we got the team back. He never hit those heights here.

Buff was coming off a great offensive year in his first year back as a dmen but there where questions about his fitness.

Hainsy was a solid 2nd pairing dmen.

Bogo was a young kid who was drowing at the time (approaching bust status)

Be honest while the defense looks ok, does that look at all like the basis of a contending forward core? None of those players broke out and became impact players until their mid to late 20's

Little 24
Wheeler 25
Ladd 25
Enstrom 27
Buff 26

I mean the window would have been crazy tight to try to win with that group given their age and the fact that only one was looking like a core piece at the time.

Look at it this way:

Our young core now:

Ehlers eclipsed the 60 point barrier as a 20 year old soft more, Laine as a 18 year old rookie. Scheifele eclipsed 60 points in his third year and 80 points in his fourth year. Connor looks to break the 55 point mark as a rookie. We have significantly better system depth with a 20 year old top scorer in the AHL and some other very good performing players on the farm. Morrissey and Trouba are a good all around number 1 pairing and Helle is a 24 year old starting goalie.

There is absolutely no comparison to be made between our foundation now vs. when we got the team back. The oldest members of our core are now as old as the youngest member of the Atlanta core sans Kane. Not only that but our young talent is significantly further ahead then where the Atlanta players where.

It hasn't been fun but I will take the road we traveled to get where we are core wise now vs. trying to spend assets we didn't have to prop up an ok but not great core and win.

Agree with just about everything you said except for it not being fun. Personally I didn't need instant success to enjoy having a NHL team back. I've enjoyed watching this team grow and develop in fits and starts, one baby step at a time. I love watching our kids develop and take on gradually bigger and bigger roles until almost out of nowhere they have become main pieces of a contender just getting ready to start making some serious noise.

 

[Eyeseeing]

Agree with just about everything you said except for it not being fun. Personally I didn't need instant success to enjoy having a NHL team back. I've enjoyed watching this team grow and develop in fits and starts, one baby step at a time. I love watching our kids develop and take on gradually bigger and bigger roles until almost out of nowhere they have become main pieces of a contender just getting ready to start making some serious noise.

Hey it was a long process and many posters like you a several others always were on board.
Personally I didn’t like mediocre hockey, and yes we were warned by TNSE it would take a while ( not there yet )
My point was many posts ago that very few markets would be ok with the slow cooking.
TNSE benefited from a once bitten hockey market and knew the demand would last a decade.
Eventually we are going to win with or without Chevy.
People like Aavco Cup and Romang had a gut Vegas would be good.
How come it’s so difficult for some of you to give GMGM any credit ?
As far as mirage .... maybe or maybe not.
As far as our success long term same deal.
I think we finally are there but consider the Central standings we are not heads and shoulders above any Central club and we aren’t so far ahead as not to possibly stumble.
Again I doubt it but Chevy only has us competing as equals for the first time in 7 years.
Mission not accomplished....yet

 

[surixon]

Agree with just about everything you said except for it not being fun. Personally I didn't need instant success to enjoy having a NHL team back. I've enjoyed watching this team grow and develop in fits and starts, one baby step at a time. I love watching our kids develop and take on gradually bigger and bigger roles until almost out of nowhere they have become main pieces of a contender just getting ready to start making some serious noise.

Sorry I meant to say it hasn't always been fun. Last year in particular was tough. The other years where fine.

 

[White Out 902]

Alright maybe we should pump the breaks a bit? We're at the half way point in the season and nothing is settled. This is a real nice jinx we're working on here by doing victory laps with 40ish games to play

 

[CaptainChef]

I've only got a year under my belt on HF but I seen a very divided fan base on this board last year - you were indeed very onboard or a doubter

Indeed, but I sometimes view that from a different perspective... you were completely drinking the Koolaid or you had doubts. For me its better to have reasonable doubts than to ignore any indications that there might be problems and just assume that the bosses obviously must know what they are doing.

Chevy has made some serious errors in the past, and that created much doubt. But, of late, he has really cleaned up his act, made many great draft choices, and especially seems to be doing a good job of getting some of his best young players signed to very reasonable contracts. Lots left to be done, but he's convinced me for now that he's on the right track.

Maurice has also made many serious errors in the past & his questionable decisions came back to haunt us time and again last year. This year, he seems to have turned the corner, but I remain quite skeptical that he is the right person for the job.

 

[CaptainChef]

all I'm going to say is that Las Vegas's current success is utterly unsustainable, a mirage fitting the desert they live in.

And I agree 100%. Vegas has to & will fall back down to earth. It may not happen this year, or may not happen until the playoffs, but it will happen. On the other hand, I really like how they drafted this past year & they still have lots of chips to play with at this year's draft, so I see good potential for a promising future for this team

 

[Whileee]

Indeed, but I sometimes view that from a different perspective... you were completely drinking the Koolaid or you had doubts. For me its better to have reasonable doubts than to ignore any indications that there might be problems and just assume that the bosses obviously must know what they are doing.

Chevy has made some serious errors in the past, and that created much doubt. But, of late, he has really cleaned up his act, made many great draft choices, and especially seems to be doing a good job of getting some of his best young players signed to very reasonable contracts. Lots left to be done, but he's convinced me for now that he's on the right track.

Maurice has also made many serious errors in the past & his questionable decisions came back to haunt us time and again last year. This year, he seems to have turned the corner, but I remain quite skeptical that he is the right person for the job.

I wouldn't classify Chevy's errors into the serious category, because none of them really harmed the long term health of the franchise, or lost a big asset. GMGM traded Forsberg for Erat. Think about how bad that move was for a second. Maybe even bad enough to cost a Cup for a team that is in the upper echelon. Consider some of the terrible deals and cap consequences for some GMs like Bowman signing Seabrook to a crippling deal. Or how about trading Barzal for G Reinhart, or selecting Fleury, MDC or Fleury ahead of Ehlers and Nylander. Those are serious errors with long term repercussions. Chevy's errors are off the books now that his crop of young players and prospects are the core of the team, and he's preserved cap space that will allow him to lock up a good piece of his core.

 

[Arthur Fonzarelli]

Indeed, but I sometimes view that from a different perspective... you were completely drinking the Koolaid or you had doubts. For me its better to have reasonable doubts than to ignore any indications that there might be problems and just assume that the bosses obviously must know what they are doing.

Chevy has made some serious errors in the past, and that created much doubt. But, of late, he has really cleaned up his act, made many great draft choices, and especially seems to be doing a good job of getting some of his best young players signed to very reasonable contracts. Lots left to be done, but he's convinced me for now that he's on the right track.

Maurice has also made many serious errors in the past & his questionable decisions came back to haunt us time and again last year. This year, he seems to have turned the corner, but I remain quite skeptical that he is the right person for the job.

These serious "errors" you refer to could easily have been considered such at one time. Letting Stemp & Folik walk despite both wanting to stay is a good example. Letting them go however gave valuable ice to the youth that is winning us games today. Annointing Lowry the 3rd line centre position was seen by many to have been a mistake. Two seasons later & he's a significant part of the teams success. The same can be said about Tanev. Most recently the Hendricks signing & subsequent insertion into the lineup as a regular has had its naysayers, but the team has looked significantly better since he entered the lineup following his preseason injury.

It's fine to be a skeptic, but when move after move eventually proves to have been the correct one, there comes a time when the skeptics need to admit they were wrong.

I've had 100% confidence in Maurice since the get go. He's a hockey teacher that has taught the youth how the game is to be played in a Jets uniform.

Chevy doesn't get the same free pass from me however. Still feel he missed the boat on Chychrun, still hate the Stanley pick/trade & the Byfuglien extension are my biggest bones of contention.

With that said Chevy couldn't magically get Detroit to have traded with him at 16. Two other GM's were involved so it's tough to fault him there. The jury's still out on the draft pick swap....although it's not looking good. Perhaps Stanley will emerge into a player, Chevy's first round choices have come into question in the past & time has consistently proved him right. Lastly the Byfuglien deal could work out for us once his full NMC goes away next year.

As already mentioned , what appears as errors at the time has more ought than naught tuned out as the correct move. Hindsight thus far has proved to be a friend to the Jets.

Let's hope it continues. In the meantime free Kool-Aid for everyone!

 

[White Out 902]

a long post about things chevy did

I do appreciate the position your taking. Things are good right now. So that means previous decisions were correct. However, I would ask you to consider then on a long enough time line eventually any decision can be justified if the team has a half good season like we are enjoying.

Let me just be clear, I love the team being atop the division, and I really enjoy watching the Jets win. But we're half way through, and if this team slides out of the playoffs (which is entirely possible being in the central) does that suddenly mean you have to retract all your positions you just took?

Let's get in the playoffs and win a game (or a round) before we start building statues for Chevy is all I'm asking. Isn't that some what reasonable?

 

[Whileee]

I do appreciate the position your taking. Things are good right now. So that means previous decisions were correct. However, I would ask you to consider then on a long enough time line eventually any decision can be justified if the team has a half good season like we are enjoying.

Let me just be clear, I love the team being atop the division, and I really enjoy watching the Jets win. But we're half way through, and if this team slides out of the playoffs (which is entirely possible being in the central) does that suddenly mean you have to retract all your positions you just took?

Let's get in the playoffs and win a game (or a round) before we start building statues for Chevy is all I'm asking. Isn't that some what reasonable?

Nobody's suggesting that Chevy deserves a statue, just that his work so far likely justifies his contract extension.

I think that one of the disconnects in these discussions around Chevy have been related to some insisting that we see on-ice results before making assessments of his work thus far. That seems a really odd position, considering the tens of thousands of posts that talk about drafting, prospects, young players' development, etc. I think it's reasonable to form opinions about the progress of the franchise before we fully see the results, for example by assessing drafting and development, trades, and the strength of the prospect pool. Using those assessments, we can also project where we think the team will be in the future. If we don't use any projection, a lot of the discussions here would be pointless and we would just focus on looking at the standings week-to-week.

It's possible that this roster will fall flat on its face, but looking at the quality of the team and how it's performed so far, that seems unlikely. Even after missing a couple of top-4 D for an extended stretch and the #1C (and the #3C), the team has good results through a pretty tough schedule. I think it's unlikely that they would miss the playoffs, unless they end up with more bad injury troubles. How they perform in the playoffs is less easy to predict, because teams tend to be evenly matched and the vagaries of goaltending and other issues tends to influence results. Still, I think this is a very good roster and the Jets have a very good prospect pipeline. A good deal of the credit has to go to Chevy, and those who roasted him as an amateur as late as last season probably need to revise their assessments.

 

[White Out 902]

If the Oilers can have McDavid, and fall apart like they did, I don't see how we're immune from it.

I'm just saying lets not count chickens.

 

[Whileee]

If the Oilers can have McDavid, and fall apart like they did, I don't see how we're immune from it.

I'm just saying lets not count chickens.

Um, I don't think any "one-man team" can really succeed in the NHL anymore. If you don't have defense and goaltending, you are going to fail. If Hellebuyck goes into the tank (not very likely) or gets injured, and Mason can't carry the load, the Jets will sink. Or, if they get a bunch more key injuries, they might sink. If they stay reasonably healthy and goaltending holds up, I don't see them slipping out of the playoff picture.

 

[Stumbledore]

I expect second round of playoffs at minimum. If PoMo can't do it, someone else should get the chance.

We should make it to the second round, but it won't be Maurice who is or is not doing it. It's the players.

If we don't make it to second round, I'd be tempted to replace some of our older, slower defencemen with younger talent from the Moose. But the last thing I would do is remove the coach.

 

[pucka lucka]

Keeping Pavelec as a starter for 5 years is just as terrible as making a shite trade. I don't understand the need to crown our management and coaching as awesome. They aren't. We do have lots of good players right now though.

 

[Aggie204]

I’m so happy we are in a place where Chevy doesn’t have to go dumpster diving for waiver players anymore.

If it was like 5 years ago I’d bet one of JT Brown or Logan Shaw would’ve been picked up.

 

[Jetfaninflorida]

Alright maybe we should pump the breaks a bit? We're at the half way point in the season and nothing is settled. This is a real nice jinx we're working on here by doing victory laps with 40ish games to play

Couldn't agree more. Some people were doing a similar victory lap thing during '14-'15 season. It didnt turn out well for us. It feels different this time, but lets keep our feet on the ground please. At least your tippy toes.

 

[Jetfaninflorida]

If you think the only important differences between this team and the 2014/15 team is goaltending and LD, then I have to disagree.

I know how much you like to disagree with me, so I am sorry to be the bearer of bad news. I don't think the only differences are goaltending, lhd and (you forgot) the gift from the draft lottery gods and (you forgot) more experience for our young guns (rookies/minor leaguers/prospects). Just that I am trying to keep my posts shorter because I have found that some people don't read them thoughtfully and thoroughly, and rather just respond in an attempt to find disagreement.

 

[Georgetown Al]

I know how much you like to disagree with me, so I am sorry to be the bearer of bad news. I don't think the only differences are goaltending, lhd and (you forgot) the gift from the draft lottery gods and (you forgot) more experience for our young guns (rookies/minor leaguers/prospects). Just that I am trying to keep my posts shorter because I have found that some people don't read them thoughtfully and thoroughly, and rather just respond in an attempt to find disagreement.

In the end we all cheer Go Jets Go I don't get the hurtfulness being played around on our board....

I don't care if you are dead right or dead wrong all I care about is winning and that includes the Stanley Cup....

other than that it all doesn't matter what line combo or coach or GM you want....

lets win that dam Stanley cup and be done with it other than winning it again and again and again....

dreaming is non taxable so far....

I love your Jets too.....

and so do you!

Go Jets Go

 

[Ducky10]

Keeping Pavelec as a starter for 5 years is just as terrible as making a ****e trade. I don't understand the need to crown our management and coaching as awesome. They aren't. We do have lots of good players right now though.

I don't think it's necessary to say anything more than things are going well and for the time being everyone seems to be doing a good job.

The extensions look ok now, the present is about all that matters in pro sports, unil you win something. Then you get some goodwill.

 

[Georgetown Al]

Ummmm Paul Maurice new Three Year deal.....

Wake up people...

"What is suddenly making head coach Paul Maurice so smart, after many folks questioned why he got a new three-year deal heading into the season? The talent at his disposal, that’s what."

www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/winnipeg-jets-become-canadas-best-nhl-team/​

 

[AlphaLackey]

You're fooling yourself if you don't think Chevy would be one of the most sought after free agent gms after what he's done building up the depth of the jets organization considering what they came here with from Atlanta...

I assure you, he's not even fooling himself.

 

[Halberdier]

After every win they get the praise, after every loss they get the crap.

Recency bias is sometimes so ridiculous on these forums. Business as usual.

I personally have always liked Maurice as a person a lot. Also there were multiple things against him last season -- looots of injuries hurting secondary scoring and resulting in a pretty poor d-men, ridiculous schedule, abysmal goaltending. This season injuries have been almost non-existent in comparison, goaltending has been decent, even great, schedule is easy and finally they have got at least something on PP.

Also every guy is one year older which means a lot for the team that was about second youngest team in NHL last season. Laine is still by far the youngest guy in the team, and this year rookies are almost seasoned veterans like Poolman, Connor and Roslovic in comparison.

Chevy has been one of the very best there are for his position, if not even the best. Maurice, who I like as a person but not that much as a coach has been also decent. There is a huge talent on this team and there is no doubt that multiple other coaches could have done the same or even better. But the thing is that Jets is doing great this season and Maurice has been the coach, so definitely he should get the credit.

 

[Jetfaninflorida]

Got to give credit for Chev. He has built this team a true contender .

What are we a true contender for, exactly? If you are talking playoff spot, I agree that we are a contender and in a pretty good spot albeit in a really tough division and conference. But I would consider being a contender for a playoff spot to be a pretty low bar for a GM who has had the reigns for almost 7 years.