Thought I'd bump this thread, since I want to get some discussion going about the state of this roster, and some of the moves that should be made going forward. This is my vision for a 3 year plan for the Jets, with the purpose of becoming a consistent playoff team.
Before I get started, a couple of things:
1) I've listed players on the depth chart where I believe their upside or talent level dictates they should be ON A STANLEY CUP CONTENDING TEAM. Obviously this is a totally subjective exercise, but if nothing else, hopefully it can stimulate some discussion.
2) Players are put in bold, italicized, or normal font. This corresponds as:
Bold: Player whose age/upside/contract dictates they should be part of the Jets longterm plan, as in 2013-14 and beyond.
Normal: Player whose age/upside/contract dictates they should be potentially considered part of the Jets longterm plan, but could also be offloaded in the short term (ie. prior to 2013-14).
Italicized: Player whose age/upside/contract dictates they likely won't be part of the Jets longterm plan, and will most likely be off the roster prior to 2013-14.
Forwards
Kane - x - x
Ladd - Little - Wheeler
Miettinen - Antropov - Wellwood/Burmistrov
Glass - Slater - Thorburn
Cormier
Stapleton
Fehr
Klingberg
Scheifele
Top 6: Yep, there's some holes here. You can argue all you like that this is overly critical, but my assumption is this; if the Jets are going to be a Stanley Cup contender, guys like Ladd, Little and Wheeler have to be considered 2nd line talents. Of course it's always subject to change, but none has showed enough consistency to be considered a bona fide first-liner.
Kane, despite his inconsistent play and often maddening inability to utilize teammates, should be slotted in the first line. The upside is there, no question, and I'd be willing to bet that he'll eventually reach it. So, what's missing from making this a true first line?
-A rangy, cerebral playmaker. Hey, that sounds like Scheifele! I hope he meets that expectation, I really do. Because if not, I just don't like the Jets chances of going to war with Little as their first liner. I just don't. He'd be ideally suited for the 2nd line role on a cup contending team, which is the premise I'm operating from
-A glass-eating, shift-disturbing, 30-30 type of guy. Think Milan Lucic. I believe the only way the Jets can become SC contenders is by infusing their top 6 with guys who are big, tough and compete. Ladd, Little, Wheeler, Kane, those are all good starts. But they need that one extra piece that fits that role, which I just don't feel is Burmistrov (more on that later).
Bottom 6: This looks alot better. Starting with the third line, I believe Miettinen, Antropov and Wellwood are solidly 3rd line guys on a contending team. Down the road, I would expect Klingberg, Cormier and a UFA RW would replace them, as none of the 3 is likely to figure in long-term. 4th line, much the same, though I see them as a bit more entrenched. The only reason why I haven't bolded Glass and Slater is that I have no idea whether they want to test the UFA waters. Nevertheless, Chevy should do everything in his power to get them inked.
Now you're probably asking, where's Burmistrov? Simply put, he's the wildcard in this equation. I just don't know where he fits at this point. But once again, operating under the premise that we want to be a SC contending team in 3 years time, I just can't justify placing him in our top 6. If he develops to that level, great. But as it stands, he would be a great 3rd liner, and that's not supposed to be any kind of knock
Depth: Pretty straightforward. Cormier and Klingberg should comprise our future 3rd line. Scheifele will hopefully evolve into a 25-50 type of 1st line C one day, but that's a big question mark. Fehr and Stapleton are dime a dozen players. I just don't see them figuring in long term.
Summary:
Assets:
-solid depth, with players who slot nicely into the 3rd and 4th line roles
-secondary scorers aplenty
-Evander Kane as a longterm building block up front
-Burmistrov
Liabilities:
-Banking heavily that Scheifele will become a true first line C, and not another complementary type
-3rd line showing its age, Cormier and Klingberg may or may not pan out in that role
-Need a true scoring RW with size, so that Wheeler can be utilized in a complementary role
Future outlook:
-since it's highly unlikely the Jets will dip into the UFA pool for that coveted 1st line C or RW, I believe they need to strongly consider trading one of their defensive assets for some forward help.
-UFA period this summer and next summer should be to replenish team with 3rd liners for likely loss of Miettinen, Antropov, and Wellwood. Possibly even a 4th liner if one of Glass or Slater can't be resigned.
-Much of the latter point will be dictated by how ready Cormier and Klingberg are by next season.
Stupid me.
) Melchiori's contract does not slide, it cannot as he is above 19 years old. The contract does not take effect until next season. Scheifele/Telegin's contract's "slid" since they coulda been this year, but as 18/19 year old's that played less that 10 games, they slid. Melchiori's simply starts next year.
