Speculation: Jets General Rumour, Trade, Free Agent and Waiver Speculation 15-16 Part XII

[Gm0ney]

What's the more valuable piece in management's mind right now? Dano or the 22nd overall?

 

[Duke749]

I don't see how what Stafford makes is really relevant.

 

[Flair Hay]

lolwut you think that we have 12 better F's than Stafford? The dude just came off of a 21 goal season, why would Mo sit him?

I'm confused too. He's our 6th best winger and we need 8. Keep him for 3rd or 4th line RW.

 

[SLAYER]

I don't see how what Stafford makes is really relevant.

It's not. We're not up against the cap and he's in the final year of his contract, what he makes doesn't really matter this season.

 

[Grind]

Yeah, not everybody fits into the starting roster. Likely one of the waver exempt guys gets jacked and starts on the Moose.

Still, we have a lot of young guys coming in. It wouldn't surprise me if somebody stumbles. Look at Petan's start last season. Or Lowry's mid-season demotion. And of course JetsHomer's point about injuries. The extra guy on the Moose is insurance. Still sucks for that player, but if you want a forward slot on the Jets, you gotta steal it or wait your turn.

Of course, it's still a great debate about who else should or shouldn't make the team.

The thing is it's not one guy stumbling that makes room for Stafford... it's one guy stumbling and FIVE other sub 22 year old players stagnating.

The odds of say Dano regressing and all of Connor Petan Armia hell even Copp Burmi AND Lowry NOT taking a step forward is pretty slim and as I said earlier would be indicative of something far worse within this organisation then wether there's room for Stafford

 

[Mortimer Snerd]

Yeah, not everybody fits into the starting roster. Likely one of the waver exempt guys gets jacked and starts on the Moose.

Still, we have a lot of young guys coming in. It wouldn't surprise me if somebody stumbles. Look at Petan's start last season. Or Lowry's mid-season demotion. And of course JetsHomer's point about injuries. The extra guy on the Moose is insurance. Still sucks for that player, but if you want a forward slot on the Jets, you gotta steal it or wait your turn.

Of course, it's still a great debate about who else should or shouldn't make the team.

So we have Stafford in the lineup which means Dano goes down. AFAIK he is the only waiver exempt player other than Ehlers, Laine and Connor so he is the obvious odd man out.

He joins Petan, Lipon, De Leo, Kosmachuk, Lemieux as potential injury replacements on the Moose. I don't think we need Stafford for that kind of depth either.

Of course there is the chance that one of Ehlers, Laine or Connor needs to spend time with the Moose but that really isn't very likely, is it.

All that said I expect that Stafford does start the season with the Jets. I keep hoping he gets traded but it is the same as the hope I have that Pav will be bought out. I don't expect it to happen. He is more likely a TD move. But he shouldn't be with the Jets. He is in the way. He is blocking young players. He does not make us better in any way.

 

[Grind]

The odds are in our favour that one of Connor Petan or Armia is good enough to offset not having stafford

 

[mcpw]

So we have Stafford in the lineup which means Dano goes down. AFAIK he is the only waiver exempt player other than Ehlers, Laine and Connor so he is the obvious odd man out.

He joins Petan, Lipon, De Leo, Kosmachuk, Lemieux as potential injury replacements on the Moose. I don't think we need Stafford for that kind of depth either.

Of course there is the chance that one of Ehlers, Laine or Connor needs to spend time with the Moose but that really isn't very likely, is it.

All that said I expect that Stafford does start the season with the Jets. I keep hoping he gets traded but it is the same as the hope I have that Pav will be bought out. I don't expect it to happen. He is more likely a TD move. But he shouldn't be with the Jets. He is in the way. He is blocking young players. He does not make us better in any way.

Ehlers-Scheifele-Wheeler
Laine-Little-Dano
Connor/Petan-Perreault-Stafford
Petan/Connor-Copp/Burmistrov-Armia
(Lowry, Burmistrov/Copp)

Trouba-Byfuglien
Enstrom-Myers
Morrissey-Postma
(Chiarot)

Hellebuyck
Pavelec

Is it that hard to
a) play the best players available
b) make rookies earn it

?

edit: start Connor in the AHL, test Lipon for a couple of games = extra option

 

[CaptainChef]

If you are playing devil's advocate you should say so. We need a DA emoji.

That would be truly excessive caution from an NHL GM.

The skepticism toward Jets management around here is getting pretty high. Maurice can't identify who are the best players to get the most minutes and Chevy can't figure out how to get the best players onto the 23 man roster. Neither is about acquisitions. They are just about the players we have under contract. The skepticism appears to be about trusting the judgement of the decision makers.

The funny thing is that in my occasional wanderings to other boards I see similar doubts raised about the managements of the most successful teams in the league.

Yep, and to that end I present the draft results of many teams that are beat by computer generated models that simply choose juniors that have scored the best. Management or scouts may think they have a leg up and can outsmart the most observant fans, but that is not always the case.

 

[CaptainChef]

Not sure how the Jets view the Stafford situation, I would think he was signed to a 2 year deal originally to bridge the gap until Connor at the time was ready but something unexpected happened and they won the 2nd overall pick in the lottery, guaranteeing themselves yet another winger (laine or puljujarvi).

It's interesting if you look at our roster, i'm not sure stafford fits in anywhere, he's not a top line player, not sure he's even a top 6 with the young talent coming up, altho knowing maurice he's probably slotted as the second line RW, Lowry and Stafford looked brutal last year so he's not really an option for 3rd line and definitely not a 4th line option either.. . where does he fit? He doesn't and i think it's very likely that they will trade him at the draft, i think they might trade a few players at the draft actually, no big names or anything but guys like Stafford,Burmi,Peluso,Postma,Chiarot, guys of that nature could very well be on the move.

Not sure what keeping stafford around does exactly besides block players who have a future here. Stafford doesn't, he was signed to a 2 year deal for a reason, he's not expansion fodder, he's nothing really, he serves no purpose, much like Pavelec actually, originally i thought, hey stafford pavelec, these guys are perfect to have for the expansion draft but the rules changed and these guys don't really count, so right now, I'm trying to figure out what purpose they serve and i can't really think of anything.

Pavelec? I mean, couldn't you just sign a backup goalie to a 2 year deal instead? Stafford? Wheeler,Ehlers,Connor,Perreault as wingers i don't see a fit, i know everyone loves to put Perreault at center but he more than likely will be playing wing... wheres stafford fit? Dano? Armia? I mean, stafford just doesn't fit anymore.

While I agree with you all that Stafford is unnecessary (and at the amount they gave him I have always felt he was worth maybe half of that), this belief that management will trade him at the draft (or any of the other names mentioned) is very very VERY unlikely.

This management group is really quite trade adverse. Yes, it makes sense to trade several of those players at this point in time. And yes, Stafford is very close to tops on that list. Will it happen? I give it a <5% chance that Stafford is traded, and maybe <25% chance that any of those guys are traded for picks or something we really need (like a LHD prospect).

 

[SCP Guy]

Stafford will be flipped for a 2nd or 3rd rounder at the deadline depending on how his season is going.... We are going to be too young to make the playoffs next year I fear....at least next year we will learn from our mistakes and win the lottery instead of losing and getting stuck with the 2nd pick

 

[garret9]

To me, the move Stafford is a multifacet thing:

One: A lot of it depends on the possible bounce back of Burmi and Lowry. Burmi had that bounce back already late in the season. Will it carry over into the new year or no? Will Lowry improved his sluggish footspeed that holds him back? Not having these will lessen the desire to move Stafford.

Two: He is an expiring UFA that doesn't (likely/hopefully) fit in the Jets more long-term vision.

Three: He is a decent player, and a bonafide top-nine winger, but he's a player that the trade market (and free agency, yay us!) tends to overvalue relative to what he gives the team. In other words, when trading you tend to gain value rather than just move value to a different area.

Four: While his scoring regressed to what I predicted, there are underlying numbers suggesting he may have still overperformed in his scoring and may start an "aging" decent fairly steeply soon.

Five: If the team does play their cards right, we could have enough prospect depth to fill the top-nine with non-Thorburns/Halischuks without too much or any issue.

Three is the biggest one for me.

 

[CaptainChef]

Play Stafford on the 3rd line or lower and take away his PP points and I don't think he gives you much more. He can't kill penalties, and he is a defensive liability. He is fine on a team starved for goals that can use him enough in the top-6 and on the PP. I don't think that'll be the Jets with Laine and Connor and Ehlers starting to take prominent offensive roles.

You could keep him as a depth offensive player, but even then I'm not convinced he will give you more than Dano or Petan, or maybe even Armia, with the same opportunities.

You make one of the best cases yet for why we don't need him except for some added "depth". Yet, we all know what will transpire here - no move until maybe the TD (and then very unlikely because we'll be at least close to the playoff line).

And then you have Mau thats equally set in his ways & will be very reluctant to take Stafford out of a top 6 role and 2nd (if not first) pp time. It will be January before Mau comes to his senses when it comes to Stafford.

 

[mcpw]

Three: He is a decent player, and a bonafide top-nine winger, but he's a player that the trade market (and free agency, yay us!) tends to overvalue relative to what he gives the team. In other words, when trading you tend to gain value rather than just move value to a different area.
(...)
Three is the biggest one for me.

Stafford is 30 years old, one year to UFA.
Palmieri was 24 years old, couple of years of team control.

One a 82-game pace,
Stafford is coming off a 22-18-40 season
Palmieri was coming off a 20-22-42 season

Palmieri was traded for a second round pick and a third round pick.
Would Stafford being traded for a second round pick and a third round pick be the "biggest one" for you?

 

[Whileee]

What's the more valuable piece in management's mind right now? Dano or the 22nd overall?

22nd because it's draft week.

 

[garret9]

Stafford is 30 years old, one year to UFA.
Palmieri was 24 years old, couple of years of team control.

One a 82-game pace,
Stafford is coming off a 22-18-40 season
Palmieri was coming off a 20-22-42 season

Palmieri was traded for a second round pick and a third round pick.
Would Stafford being traded for a second round pick and a third round pick be the "biggest one" for you?

Yes, that is how Stafford *should* be valued. But he won't be by many teams. There's the aesthetic and "intangible" things that GMs still like about Drew (like so called "leadership"). He's a well regarded player, despite being similar results to Palmieri and other similar players.

That's my point. The potential value of trading Stafford is likely more than the value of a similar on-ice impact player.

 

[MrBoJangelz71]

Three is the biggest one for me.

Agree!

I also like his leadership, he has a vet presence in the dressing room and he can play.

Stafford on the third line is solid in my opinion. He can move up if needed.

Move him at the deadline if the price is right.

 

[Mortimer Snerd]

I don't care how much he's paid. Play him on the fourth line if that's how your depth chart looks like.



We're coming off a season which had
- 82 full games of Chris Scoreburn
- 35 Throwback Thursdays (games with Peluso)
- 30 games of the Hustling Chuck
- 74 games of @ALowsyPlayer17 stinking it up
- 81 games of Burmistrov making no-look-passes to nobody
- 43 and 26 games of Armia and Petan trying to find their NHL game

That was the sorry state of our depth, and a good chunk of the reasons why we finished where we did. Which of these players are "defensively responsible and effective"? Adam "second worst CA60 amongst forwards" Lowry? Nope. If Stafford needs extensive sheltering, what do you call what Petan and Burmistrov need?! As of today, Stafford is better than all of these players. He might not be the best player on the backcheck, but at least he doesn't completely kill the offense of his line.

How I view our winger tiers, assuming those players play wing:
1 - Wheeler Ehlers Perreault - legit top6
2 - Dano - emerging top6
3 - Stafford - bottom9 depth
4 - Armia Petan - emerging bottom9 depth
5 - Lowry Burmistrov - bottom6 reclamation projects
6 - Lipon Kosmachuk DeLeo Tanev - experienced low-upside prospects
7 - Thorburn - proven sub-replacement level
(my definition of "bottom9": if that player plays on your 2nd line, it's not ideal but you're not royally screwed)

Enter Laine and Connor. Laine should (hopefully) be a better player than Stafford right away and join one of the top2 tiers. Connor? Who knows. Could have a Larkin season, but I wouldn't bank on it. Show me 40 quality NHL games and I'll include him in the top2 tiers. As of now, Stafford is (in my opnion) our 6th best winger and should be played accordingly.

"But if he gets ice time one of our young guys won't!" - Boo ****ing hoo. Play that guy on the Moose then. Make him earn it.

"He shouldn't be getting top9 icetime because our young guys will be stuck on the fourth line playing 6 minutes per game" - I showed it before, last game of the season:

(keep in mind that was an OT game). Maurice can roll four lines if he wants to.

"He won't do it, though" - ok, fire him then.

"This is all irrelevant because Thorburn and Peluso will make the roster and play games against St. Louis because they're big" - Fire Maurice then.

Honestly, it's time to start winning. Hellebuyck and Laine have arrived and we're one Mark Stuart away from a competitive (in the sense of winning at least one playoff game) roster, with our players only getting better. What do you think you can get for Stafford in a trade right now, with Purcell, McGinn, Fleischmann, Versteeg, Helm, Brouwer, Vrbata, Hudler, Perron, Parenteau, Weise and Matthias available for free? Third round pick? Why do we trade a NHL player for a sub-20%-chance of a NHL player in 4 years? Are we still in phase 1 of the rebuild?

"But we could trade Stafford for a pick and sign Darren Helm instead" - And what do you think that team you want to trade Stafford to could do?

Start at the end. I don't want to sign Helm either, nor any other UFA. We are awash in forwards.

I agree that the return on Stafford would not be much. Whatever it would be now it would be more at the TD. I don't think it would be worth it to keep him. I see him as a negative given the options we have.

Moving on to the beginning, I don't think your post is about Stafford so much as it is about Lowry and Burmi. I am a lot more optimistic about them than you are. I think the Burmi of late last season is the real Burmi. The same goes for Lowry. He was seriously bad to start last year but improved a lot after his stint in the A. I'm a little less optimistic for him than for Burmi. Lowry needs to not only pick up where he left off last year but he needs to pick up where he left off the year before. If he can't do that though he should still be a good 4LW which is all I am counting on from him.

I don't see any set of circumstances that have Halischuk or Peluso playing this year and Thor should play very little and only on the 4th line.

By the late season Petan and Burmi were not killing the offense on their lines either. In fact both were playing very well.

I'm still trying to figure out what it is you want instead of the many lineups that have been suggested. I asked what you specifically wanted to do with Stafford but you still haven't said. You seem to be saying we should keep him at 2RW, insert Laine somewhere and sign some FA's.

Ladd - Little - Wheeler
Perreault - Scheifele - Stafford
Ehlers - Helm - Laine
Armia - Copp - Thorburn
IDK, is that anywhere close? Maybe swap Ehlers and Ladd? Maybe swap Little and Scheifele?

I said earlier that you seem to be against the youth movement and in favour of win now. Maybe I am misinterpreting you but that is what it seems like to me. I don't think the youth movement is optional unless Chevy is fired. I'm pretty sure Chevy is committed to it so we have at least 1 more year of it. I don't think that precludes winning but my proposed lineups could be pretty bad if both Burmi and Lowry **** the bed and we stick with them waiting for them to turn it around. We have other possibilities though.

IMO if we get rid of or at least stop playing the deadwood we will be much improved this year and even more next year. Thor, Peluso, Stuart and Pav are the deadwood. Stafford is not quite in the same boat. We can succeed with him in the lineup but he makes it harder to do.

 

[mcpw]

Yes, that is how Stafford *should* be valued. But he won't be by many teams. There's the aesthetic and "intangible" things that GMs still like about Drew (like so called "leadership"). He's a well regarded player, despite being similar results to Palmieri and other similar players.

That's my point. The potential value of trading Stafford is likely more than the value of a similar on-ice impact player.

Purcell, McGinn, Fleischmann, Versteeg, Helm, Brouwer, Vrbata, Hudler, Perron, Parenteau, Weise, Matthias.

All UFAs. And oh the leadership. Versteeg with a ring. Helm. Brouwer had 13 points in 20 playoff games this season. Hudler Lady Byng and literally the only reason why Gaudreau was a Calder finalist sarcasm: obviously).

Do you think Stafford returns a first round pick in that market? Moving NHL players for second round picks doesn't make sense right now. What I know is - a) a "20-goal-scorer" was moved for a second and a third, and that's with the benefit of being an RFA - b) watching a Jets team without ****** depth forwards >>> a second round pick in a weak draft. Hm.

 

[Mortimer Snerd]

I don't see how what Stafford makes is really relevant.

In what sense do you mean that? We aren't worried about the cap. That doesn't mean we should spend money needlessly.

I'm confused too. He's our 6th best winger and we need 8. Keep him for 3rd or 4th line RW.

I'm not sure that he is our 6th best winger. He was awful on the 3rd line last year. I don't see how he would be any use whatsoever in 3rd or 4th line roles this year.

It's not. We're not up against the cap and he's in the final year of his contract, what he makes doesn't really matter this season.

Money spent is money spent. TNSE has to be a profitable business. It doesn't necessarily have to make money every year but it does over a span of years. If it makes 3 mil more this year that can cover a 3 mil loss in some future year. It all matters eventually.

 

[Puckatron 3000]

The thing is it's not one guy stumbling that makes room for Stafford... it's one guy stumbling and FIVE other sub 22 year old players stagnating.

The odds of say Dano regressing and all of Connor Petan Armia hell even Copp Burmi AND Lowry NOT taking a step forward is pretty slim and as I said earlier would be indicative of something far worse within this organisation then wether there's room for Stafford

What do you mean by "stagnating"? Being pushed down to a lower line by Stafford?

If, during the course of the season, one of those guys steals the 2RW (or whatever) from Stafford, that's totally cool with me. The best player should get the most ice time.

So we have Stafford in the lineup which means Dano goes down. AFAIK he is the only waiver exempt player other than Ehlers, Laine and Connor so he is the obvious odd man out.

He joins Petan, Lipon, De Leo, Kosmachuk, Lemieux as potential injury replacements on the Moose. I don't think we need Stafford for that kind of depth either.

Of course there is the chance that one of Ehlers, Laine or Connor needs to spend time with the Moose but that really isn't very likely, is it.

All that said I expect that Stafford does start the season with the Jets. I keep hoping he gets traded but it is the same as the hope I have that Pav will be bought out. I don't expect it to happen. He is more likely a TD move. But he shouldn't be with the Jets. He is in the way. He is blocking young players. He does not make us better in any way.

Dano has probably earned a spot. Although someone mentioned on another thread that Dano was asked to up his training this off-season. If he shows up to camp out of shape, I could see that as a legitimate reason to start him on the Moose, despite his excellent stats. It sets a precedent for the entire team. Show up ready to play.

Isn't Copp waver exempt?
If so, another possibility (with Dano on the roster) is:
Ehlers Scheifele Wheeler
Laine Little Stafford
Connor Perreault Dano
Lowry Burmi Armia

I'd view Connor, Lowry, Burmi, and (to a lesser extent) Copp, Armia and Dano as all guys who have to work hard to keep their spots this season. Either because they're new, waver exempt, or had questionable aspects to their game last season.

I think it is likely Stafford is better than the majority of guys in that list this upcoming season.

 

[mcpw]

Moving on to the beginning, I don't think your post is about Stafford so much as it is about Lowry and Burmi. I am a lot more optimistic about them than you are. I think the Burmi of late last season is the real Burmi. The same goes for Lowry. He was seriously bad to start last year but improved a lot after his stint in the A. I'm a little less optimistic for him than for Burmi. Lowry needs to not only pick up where he left off last year but he needs to pick up where he left off the year before. If he can't do that though he should still be a good 4LW which is all I am counting on from him.

I hope so, I don't want to watch any of our prospects fail, but seriously, they need to prove it. Burmistrov and Lowry were plain **** for the biggest part of the season. Show me that you can play.

By the late season Petan and Burmi were not killing the offense on their lines either. In fact both were playing very well.

Yup. Sample sizes apply, though. Stafford was on pace for 60 points between the '15 deadline and end of regular season, yet nobody expects him to score 60, let's not forget that.

I'm still trying to figure out what it is you want instead of the many lineups that have been suggested. I asked what you specifically wanted to do with Stafford but you still haven't said. You seem to be saying we should keep him at 2RW, insert Laine somewhere and sign some FA's.

I said earlier that you seem to be against the youth movement and in favour of win now. Maybe I am misinterpreting you but that is what it seems like to me. I don't think the youth movement is optional unless Chevy is fired. I'm pretty sure Chevy is committed to it so we have at least 1 more year of it. I don't think that precludes winning but my proposed lineups could be pretty bad if both Burmi and Lowry **** the bed and we stick with them waiting for them to turn it around. We have other possibilities though.

Oh, I'm not against the youth movement. But make it good. Here's the lineup I posted:

Ehlers-Scheifele-Wheeler
Laine-Little-Dano
Connor/Petan-Perreault-Stafford
Petan/Connor-Copp/Burmistrov-Armia
(Lowry, Burmistrov/Copp)

Trouba-Byfuglien
Enstrom-Myers
Morrissey-Postma
(Chiarot)

Hellebuyck
Pavelec

8/12 starting forwards U25
2/6 starting defensemen U25
1/1 starting goalies U25
11/19 starting players U25

That's the youth movement I want to see.

 

[Mortimer Snerd]

Ehlers-Scheifele-Wheeler
Laine-Little-Dano
Connor/Petan-Perreault-Stafford
Petan/Connor-Copp/Burmistrov-Armia
(Lowry, Burmistrov/Copp)

Trouba-Byfuglien
Enstrom-Myers
Morrissey-Postma
(Chiarot)

Hellebuyck
Pavelec

Is it that hard to
a) play the best players available
b) make rookies earn it

?

edit: start Connor in the AHL, test Lipon for a couple of games = extra option

That lineup could work. No better though than half a dozen other possibilities without Stafford and maybe worse. I don't like the idea of ruining the output of Perreault and Connor/Petan by saddling them with Stafford. That is what happened last year when he played anywhere other than 2RW. I would swap Stafford and Dano with that lineup.

a)then Stafford goes. OK, too easy to say. I think the best way to get better faster is without roadblocks like Stafford. For the first 25 games we are better with Stafford. If we do without him from the start then after 25 games we are better without him. Almost all players coming into the NHL require an adjustment period no matter how long they spend in the AHL. So we can do it now or we can do it later.
b)this gets said a lot but can be interpreted too rigidly. What Connor did in the NCAA last year was earning it just as much as playing a year or two in the AHL would be earning it. If he is given a shot and turns out to be unready he gets Petaned. But his performance in the NCAA exceeded the performances of Eichel and Larkin ahead of him.

 

[Whileee]

I hope so, I don't want to watch any of our prospects fail, but seriously, they need to prove it. Burmistrov and Lowry were plain **** for the biggest part of the season. Show me that you can play.

Yup. Sample sizes apply, though. Stafford was on pace for 60 points between the '15 deadline and end of regular season, yet nobody expects him to score 60, let's not forget that.

Oh, I'm not against the youth movement. But make it good. Here's the lineup I posted:

8/12 starting forwards U25
2/6 starting defensemen U25
1/1 starting goalies U25
11/19 starting players U25

That's the youth movement I want to see.

I don't mind your line-up that much, but I'm a bit skeptical of Stafford being more valuable than Lowry in a bottom-6 role. I guess time will tell. I'm a bit worried that having Stafford in the line-up will tempt Maurice to use him on the PP over players like Petan and Connor. Also, I'd rather see Armia get some offensive opportunities if there are injuries.

But by all means keep Stafford if it prevents Thorbs from any significant playing time.

My preference is to hang on to Stafford until the trade deadline. That's probably when the Jets will get the best return, and it gives them a lot of forward depth until then as some of the young players adjust.

Stafford must see the competition, and being in a contract year we might see his best play yet.

 

[mcpw]

Mortimer,

That lineup could work. No better though than half a dozen other possibilities without Stafford and maybe worse. I don't like the idea of ruining the output of Perreault and Connor/Petan by saddling them with Stafford. That is what happened last year when he played anywhere other than 2RW. I would swap Stafford and Dano with that lineup.

See, that's where we disagree.

First, as I've said in my long post, I think Stafford is right now better than any winger in our system except for Wheeler, Ehlers, Perreault, Dano (I like Dano), and hopefully Laine.

Armia, Winger Lowry, Winger Burmistrov, Winger Petan. Sure, you can argue that some combination of them, some of them with Perreault, looked real gud for some 10-20 games end of last season. I'll tell you, between last year's deadline and end of regular season, Stafford looked like a 60point first line RW and Pavelec looked like a Vezina winner. Show me 40+ NHL games and I might maybe trust you.

Until then,

Stafford > Armia. Stafford > Lowry. Stafford > Burmistrov. Stafford > Petan. Stafford > Connor until proven otherwise.

Now if they all step up and prove that they're better - sure, trade Stafford for a draft pick. But now is not the time.

Whileee,

I don't mind your line-up that much, but I'm a bit skeptical of Stafford being more valuable than Lowry in a bottom-6 role.

I know that last season it wasn't even close. Stafford >> Lowry. Show me, Adam, prove it.

I'm a bit worried that having Stafford in the line-up will tempt Maurice to use him on the PP over players like Petan and Connor.

Fire the responsible person then. Stafford is not the scapegoat for bad coaching.

But by all means keep Stafford if it prevents Thorbs from any significant playing time.

Yes.

My preference is to hang on to Stafford until the trade deadline. That's probably when the Jets will get the best return, and it gives them a lot of forward depth until then as some of the young players adjust.

Yes.