News Article: Jets top the ranks of teams on no-trade lists

[Aavco Cup]

ESPN insider report shows the Oilers and Leafs moved up the list. Winning changes a lot of minds

Jets top the ranks of teams on no-trade lists


The fluidity of this list has been quite interesting. In 2015, we polled NHL agents for the first time to get a sense as to which teams are most consistently listed on the no-trade lists of their clients.

It was a fascinating exercise that revealed the insights of players and what they thought of cities. It also angered everyone in Winnipeg and Edmonton.

So we did it again in 2016. And the lists evolved slightly. A team like Toronto was mentioned often in 2015 as a destination players consistently wanted to avoid.



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“Toronto is a difficult place to play. … Way too many people trying to cover the same thing and trying to find a different edge,†said one agent two years ago.

Then he added the caveat: If the Maple Leafs ever got good, they would be like the New York Yankees. Toronto would become a destination city for players.

You can already see it happening. The Maple Leafs were only mentioned on one ballot this year, and chances are that after the season they’ve turned in, they’ll be off completely the list for next year's edition.

We also have a new No. 1 overall! For the first time since this poll began, the Oilers are not the most cited team on no-trade lists.

How it works: We asked nine agents to list the top three teams most often listed on no-trade clauses. It’s an inexact science, since players often have no-trade lists much longer and other players have a list of teams to which they can be traded. So in some cases, it’s an estimate of teams listed most frequently or mentioned most frequently in no-trade conversations.

We awarded teams listed first three points, second two points and third one point to get the point total.

Here are the results:

Insider

http://insider.espn.com/blog/craig-custance/insider/post?id=9006

Click to read more...

 

[surixon]

No surprises here.

 

[powder88]

Wait...you mean a terrible team that is poorly coached, can't evaluate or deploy NHL talent effectively, and is too arrogant to change anything that is obviously not working is not a dream destination for veteran professionals??? Colour me shocked!

Winnipeg will always have the geographical considerations that will keep them in the top ten of a list like this, but everything else can be controlled by management and keep them out of the top three spots....they just choose not to.

Edmonton and Toronto have leapfrogged Winnipeg on the performance side (it took a long time and a generational player in Edmonton, but Toronto tore it down and rebuilt quite quickly). They deserve to have had Winnipeg move past them. In PoMo's introductory press conference he had a great line that "every team is exactly as good as their record, and no team is ever better". Well, the Jet's record over their tenure in Winnipeg has been objectively terrible. They have earned every single one of those agents' votes, in my opinion.

 

[Howard Chuck]

Wait...you mean a terrible team that is poorly coached, can't evaluate or deploy NHL talent effectively, and is too arrogant to change anything that is obviously not working is not a dream destination for veteran professionals??? Colour me shocked!

Winnipeg will always have the geographical considerations that will keep them in the top ten of a list like this, but everything else can be controlled by management and keep them out of the top three spots....they just choose not to.

Edmonton and Toronto have leapfrogged Winnipeg on the performance side (it took a long time and a generational player in Edmonton, but Toronto tore it down and rebuilt quite quickly). They deserve to have had Winnipeg move past them. In PoMo's introductory press conference he had a great line that "every team is exactly as good as their record, and no team is ever better". Well, the Jet's record over their tenure in Winnipeg has been objectively terrible. They have earned every single one of those agents' votes, in my opinion.

I agree with you and the article. No excuses from me either.

There is a golden opportunity to change that list with some changes over the summer. Let's see if the Jets Management are capable.

 

[Channelcat]

Doesn't surprise me. This team will need to show that it is committed to winning and we will see that change. Chipman has established himself as a player friendly owner and they certainly don't seem to mind handing out big contracts.

 

[Hunter368]

No surprise between location and losing history.

 

[Pongs21]

We're number 1! ....

 

[Yukon Joe]

You know, we all say "no surprises here", and it shouldn't be a surprise...

but on a pretty regular basis I see people suggesting things like "Jets should trade for Marc-Andre Fleury" or "Jets should trade for Tuuka Rask", all while ignoring those players no-trade clauses.

 

[Aavco Cup]

You know, we all say "no surprises here", and it shouldn't be a surprise...

but on a pretty regular basis I see people suggesting things like "Jets should trade for Marc-Andre Fleury" or "Jets should trade for Tuuka Rask", all while ignoring those players no-trade clauses.

Those are not players we should be trading for. Anyone worthwhile who the Jets should make a trade for would not be old enough to have a NTC. So it's pretty much irrelevant at this point.

 

[GJF]

No surprise at all. And as with Edmonton, it will change once we start winning. Well, IF we ever start winning.

 

[Gabe Kupari]

I don't care as to be honest I don't want any of these veteran players with NTC.

 

[Daximus]

What people seem to be over looking is that while we may be at the top of no trade list we are likely also at the top of lists where key free agents will not sign. We all like to pretend we can go out and snag a guy at the top of the UFA list but in reality these factors affect them too.

 

[Hank Chinaski]

We're number one! We're number one! (EDIT: Pongs beat me to it)

Too bad it's an ESPN Insider article and behind a paywall. I would be really interested to read some of the quotes from the agents that were polled, and if there's any mention of factors beyond "it's too damn cold", "not enough parks", etc.

 

[Festinator]

What people seem to be over looking is that while we may be at the top of no trade list we are likely also at the top of lists where key free agents will not sign. We all like to pretend we can go out and snag a guy at the top of the UFA list but in reality these factors affect them too.

This appears to be something that 80% of the people in this sub fail to comprehend when they wonder why chevy doesn't go out and snag top free agents. It's always "he doesn't try, content with mediocrity."

No, literally no one wants to come here in the first place.

 

[Jetfaninflorida]

This appears to be something that 80% of the people in this sub fail to comprehend when they wonder why chevy doesn't go out and snag top free agents. It's always "he doesn't try, content with mediocrity."

No, literally no one wants to come here in the first place.

Nope. Travis Hamonic publicly stated he wanted to be traded to the Jets. Lee Stempniak publicly begged to stay. It's just that our guy Chevy has a hard time getting anything done.

Hey, I'm not saying that Winnipeg is a destination of choice. Don't go put words in my mouth. But 'literally no one' is demonstrably false.

If we ever demonstrate a culture of success and winning, most importantly starting with management and coaching, then you will see Winnipeg move up the list (or lower on the list in this case).

 

[Peggy]

I agree with you and the article. No excuses from me either.

There is a golden opportunity to change that list with some changes over the summer. Let's see if the Jets Management are capable.

What golden opportunity are you referring to?

 

[Evil Little]

I agree with you and the article. No excuses from me either.

There is a golden opportunity to change that list with some changes over the summer. Let's see if the Jets Management are capable.

Strongly disagree. Summer won't do anything.

Success in the standings will, though.

What people seem to be over looking is that while we may be at the top of no trade list we are likely also at the top of lists where key free agents will not sign. We all like to pretend we can go out and snag a guy at the top of the UFA list but in reality these factors affect them too.

Generally that's probably true but I'm hoping the biggest obstacle is that the UFAs won't generally be looking for the reasonable money the Jets are offering.

We're number one! We're number one! (EDIT: Pongs beat me to it)

Too bad it's an ESPN Insider article and behind a paywall. I would be really interested to read some of the quotes from the agents that were polled, and if there's any mention of factors beyond "it's too damn cold", "not enough parks", etc.

No talk about the city itself. Or the weather, surprisingly.

Obviously I won't post the whole thing. But:

“I don’t think Laine is going to be a magnet for people to be like, ‘Wow, I really want to play with him,'” said one agent [comparing his draw to the draw of McDavid--though the Oilers were still in 2nd place].

“If you look at their roster, they have some good young players -- Laine, Mark Scheifele, Nik Ehlers. I love Blake Wheeler, Dustin Byfuglien,” he said. “For some reason, it just hasn’t happened there yet.”

Islanders (3) are higher on the list than the Coyotes (4). Panthers in 5th and the Sabres lead the dishonourable mentions.

This appears to be something that 80% of the people in this sub fail to comprehend when they wonder why chevy doesn't go out and snag top free agents. It's always "he doesn't try, content with mediocrity."

No, literally no one wants to come here in the first place.

Not no one, but given the fact that the pool is going to (should) be restricted both by players generally not looking to play here and players not willing to take good value deals, there isn't a terribly large pool to draw from.

 

[Howard Chuck]

What golden opportunity are you referring to?

Add a veteran goaltender and a decent LHD over the summer. We have the depth to do it. Maybe change the coach.

I think it's time to make a move now.

 

[Hank Chinaski]

This appears to be something that 80% of the people in this sub fail to comprehend when they wonder why chevy doesn't go out and snag top free agents. It's always "he doesn't try, content with mediocrity."

No, literally no one wants to come here in the first place.

Not going to turn this into another Chevy bashfest, but this is a strawman.

Hardly anyone here, at least from what I've seen, bashes Chevy because he won't go out and acquire top free agents. Go ahead and point me to the posts complaining about the fact that he didn't land Parise, Spezza or Stastny. There are plentiful options in between those guys and Brian ****ing Strait.

 

[JetsFan815]

We were told by some that showing "loyalty" towards players was a calculated move to improve the Jets position in lists like these...

 

[HannuJ]

Nope. Travis Hamonic publicly stated he wanted to be traded to the Jets. Lee Stempniak publicly begged to stay. It's just that our guy Chevy has a hard time getting anything done.

Hey, I'm not saying that Winnipeg is a destination of choice. Don't go put words in my mouth. But 'literally no one' is demonstrably false.

If we ever demonstrate a culture of success and winning, most importantly starting with management and coaching, then you will see Winnipeg move up the list (or lower on the list in this case).

this, plus guys like Matty P re-upping, Buff re-upping, Ladd trying to get a deal done...

i'm not overly worried.

if you're a UFA and you have the chance to play with Laine, you're gonna say no? lol

 

[Joe Hallenback]

We were told by some that showing "loyalty" towards players was a calculated move to improve the Jets position in lists like these...

No. Showing Loyalty would keep them here when they come to Free agency and that remains to be seen.

Look at Edmonton you would think with the team they have now,Connor McDavid and that new building, it would be a desirable place to play. It isn't and the factors determining that go beyond the team

 

[buggs]

I'll chime in with the "nothing to see here" crowd as well.

Edmonton moved because they started winning. Toronto has moved because they started winning. Both of those organizations went after top level management and weren't afraid to make changes internally to the organization be it player personnel, coaching or what have you. Certainly they've had some luck in drafting and suffered long to get those higher picks, but neither really achieved until they created a winning culture from the top down. Perhaps Chevy can get that done, perhaps not.

Winnipeg on the other hand has not started winning yet. There's ample debate as to why that is but it is factor #1 in getting the team away from the NTC championship. I'm not convinced that we have the right management/coaching at this point and I do honestly feel that TNSE overvalues the whole "loyalty" concept and what it means to RFA/UFAs that they are trying to bring in. If I'm a young kid and looking at a potential suitor team I'm really, really not giving much of a crap if an organization treats a Stuart, Thorburn or Peluso particularly well. Sure it's nice if I'm a marginal guy and I figure that maybe I can squeeze out another year or two from loyalty and being a "character" guy. But let's be honest, those aren't necessarily the guys you're going to win with. You want to treat your young studs (Scheifele, Ehlers, Laine) especially well. You want to maintain your high talent, high character vets well (Little, Wheeler, Buff). Keeping Pavelec and Thorburn and Stuart around makes you a bit of a joke to players looking for a new team because they are in a time limited profession where their opportunities to get a bigger payday and ultimately compete for the Stanley Cup are significantly limited. They can't fart around waiting for six years while you "evaluate".

Until the Jets/TNSE/Winnipeg, however you want to refer to us, starts to realize that you need to be competitive throughout the organization and actually starts winning regularly we'll be at the bottom of that list. Cold, parks, lack of hip bars are secondary to most NHL players. They want to win and get paid handsomely for their time in the NHL, everything else is secondary.

 

[Yukon Joe]

Add a veteran goaltender and a decent LHD over the summer. We have the depth to do it. Maybe change the coach.

I think it's time to make a move now.

Disagree that they should be looking for a "veteran" goaltender. Pretty sure they're looking at a younger backup (but older than Hellebuyck's 23) who is pressing for a starting job.

Sure like to see a 2-3 LHD brought in though.

 

[Guardian17]

Back in the '80's no one wanted to play in Pittsburgh or Detroit.

Winning changes everything.